07/09/2011
The number of the Christian population in Europe
is getting smaller. A continent, once Christian, is challenged with a change in
religious coloratura. If this course continues in the same way as today, the
Christians will be outnumbered by the non-Christians.
One reason for this is that the church
fails to be a light for the world because of its coldness. People don’t have an
interest in church attendance, fellowship, or other aspects of religious
practices. The degeneration of faith in families, lack of prayer life, fewer
children, negative criticisms regarding priests and the religious, and the fear
of obstacles faced by the missionaries, among other things, are factors in the
decline. The decreasing number of missionary vocations has become a crucial
challenge.
In a recent
study by Ellison Research, it was discovered that four out of ten
pastors state that they are not interested in reaching out further to their
communities. Such is the case with all major denominations, and it holds true
with both evangelical and mainline churches. So how can a pastor not want to do
the ministry required of the position? The excuses abound – from lack of funds
or facilities to not enough time to clear apathy about the community. It’s time
for pastors and churches to drop the excuses. The growth of a church just
cannot occur nor be sustained unless that church is reaching out to the
community in some fashion.
It’s so easy to get into the internal attitude falling
focusing only on the members of the church. While this ministry is crucially
important, Christ also calls Christians to an entire world of ministry beyond
the church walls. In the past when life had fewer distractions people measured
Church attendance on weekly basis, but today regular Churchgoing is often
measured as those that go at least once a month.
A report on "Churchgoing
in the UK" published by Tearfund in April 2007 shows that only 15% of
Christians go to Church at least once a month.
In South France, once a traditional
Christian area, are more mosques than church buildings; 30 % of children are Islamic
and in some large cities their number reaches 45%.
In 40 years France
would be an Islamic Republic. In Great Brittany 50 percent of newborn are
Muslims, and in 50 years half of the population might be Muslims. Germany
is expected to be a Muslim country in 2050.
On the other hand, we find the low family standard. For a country, to increase the number of the population, strong families formed by both husband and wife are essential. From ancient times the conception about family was that God established family and demanded the multiplication for replenishing the earth. The heterosexual family was considered as being a true family until the last few decades when the same-sex family conception arises. The children were considered a gift from God and families received them with joy. Today that joy is limited to one or two children for a family. The decreasing of genuine population in Western Europe is alarmingly. For a population to increase in number, a fertility rate of 2.11 is required. But in the European Union, that counts 31 countries, the average fertility rate is 1.38. So the children who are expected to replenish the churches are a small number. This is why the average age of members in many churches is very far above the ground.
The Muslims consider that the foundation of the society, and
the nurture of children is the most important function of the family, then such
a society is undeniably civilized. In the Islamic system of life, this kind of
a family provides the environment under which both human values and morals
develop and grow in the new generations; these values and morals cannot exist
apart from the family unit. If, on the other hand, free sexual relationship and
illegitimate children become the basis of a society, as in many modern
societies, the meaning of morality is limited to such an extent that all those
aspects which distinguish man from animal, are considered beyond its sphere. In
these societies, illegitimate sexual relationships even homosexuality, are not
considered immoral.
Many church denominations are penetrated today by the new
age teaching movement as the same-sex family, the ordination of homosexuals in
chairs of priests and bishops. So the family value is neglected and the next generations
will loss the true notion of a good family.
A call to
awakening is crucial, a revolution of the today church must be the vision of
the people of God. We need to look back to our ancestors; to refine the
evaluation of the true church and to understand how dangerous the road we
stepped on is. Godly families united in the love of God will produce a godly
church. How can we accept the idea that same-sex families, the divorced and
separated members can form a strong church? The non-Christians will not be
attracted by a church that is not different than the common world.
The immigration is a very good attempt to keep the number of
the population on a reasonable number, but we must have in mind that the
immigrants must find in the adopted country not only a better life, but a
higher cultural and spiritual atmosphere. To such a motivation we, the churches,
are called: to offer others a fullness of real, valuable goods. The Islamic
religion has many good values, but it is known that some negative things exist
in their teaching as the use of force in making proselytes. So with their way
of life they can not replace the church in the Christian society of Western
Europe. The nonviolence and the love of the enemies are the key
points in the teaching of the church.
The same sex families can adopt children, but they can not
reproduce themselves. So their fertility rate is zero. It is no hope to resolve
the church crisis in their way of life. And their adopted children can not have
a good example of a standard-family.
If we the churches borrow customs from the outsiders, we are
on the risk of becoming
social clubs, attracting worldly people with no chance to be
changed in godly people. We have to return with all our hearts to God who has
the wisdom and power to direct us on the road of righteousness. And above all
these sayings we are called to prayer and hope.
Reference:
Time Magazine, Jeff Chu, June 08, 2008. O father Were Are You?
Sayyid Qutb, The Civilized Family System
Francis Schaeffer, Statistics and Reasons for Church Decline
Population Implosion? Low Fertility in European Union, Web.
July 09/2011
