Posted on 05/07/2005 8:05:03 AM PDT by churchillbuff
What is the fastest-growing religion on Earth?
Most news reports suggest it is Islam.
But a new book makes a compelling case it is a new, or, perhaps, old form of biblically inspired evangelical Christianity that is sweeping through places like China, Africa, India and Southeast Asia.
In "Megashift," author Jim Rutz coins a new phrase to define this fast-growing segment of the population. He calls them "core apostolics" - or "the new saints who are at the heart of the mushrooming kingdom of God."
Rutz makes the point that Christianity is overlooked as the fastest-growing faith in the world because most surveys look at the traditional Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church while ignoring Christian believers who have no part of either.
He says there are 707 million "switched-on disciples" who fit into this new category and that this "church" is exploding in growth.
"The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707 million born-again people who are increasing by 8 percent a year," he says.
So fast is this group growing that, under current trends, according to Rutz, the entire world will be composed of such believers by the year 2032.
"There will be pockets of resistance and unforeseen breakthroughs," writes Rutz. "Still, at the rate we're growing now, to be comically precise, there would be more Christians than people by the autumn of 2032, about 8.2 billion."
According to the author, until 1960, Western evangelicals outnumbered non-Western evangelicals - mostly Latinos, blacks and Asians - by two to one. As of 2000, non-Western evangelicals outnumbered Westerners by four to one. He says by 2010, the ratio will be seven to one.
"There are now more missionaries sent from non-Western nations than Western nations," he writes.
This trend, says Rutz, has been missed by Westerners because the explosive growth is elsewhere.
Hundreds of millions of these Christians are simply not associated with the institutional churches at all. They meet in homes. They meet underground. They meet in caves. They meet, he says, in secret.
And what is driving this movement?
Miracles, he says.
"Megashift" attempts to document myriad healings and other powerful answers to the sincere prayers of this new category of believer, including, believe it or not, hundreds of dramatic cases of resurrections - not near-death experiences, but real resurrections of actual corpses.
"When I was a kid in Sunday school, I was really impressed that 3,000 people were saved on the Day of Pentecost," he writes. "I thought, 'Wow, that'll never happen again!"
But, Rutz says, it now happens around the globe every 25 minutes.
"By tomorrow, there will be 175,000 more Christians than there are today," he writes.
The essence of Rutz's book is about how Western Christians can tap into what he sees as a mighty work of God on Earth.
"Very few people realize the nature of life on Earth is going through a major change," he writes. "We are seeing a megashift in the basic direction of human history. Until our time, the ancient war between good and evil was hardly better than a stalemate. Now all has changed. The Creator whose epic story flows through the pages of Scripture has begun to dissolve the strongholds of evil. This new drama is being played out every hour around the globe, accompanied sometimes by mind-bending miracles."
The Bible says that the gospel will be taught in every country.
In Panama, and much of South and Central America, evangelical Christians are making strong gains.
"Megashift" is just more regurgitated drivel like the "Purpose Driven" series. The real 'megashift' is the churning of memberships, who leave one congregation and join another, over simple differences such as vision and/or direction.
It's happening ... but a bit slowly.
This book was written a few years ago, and while I doubt Chinese Christians will be listening to Southern Gospel quartets or use the same kind of praise songs so popular in the West, I do believe the Holy Spirit will use them to make a positive impact on their culture.
Miracles, he says.
"Megashift" attempts to document myriad healings and other powerful answers to the sincere prayers of this new category of believer, including, believe it or not, hundreds of dramatic cases of resurrections - not near-death experiences, but real resurrections of actual corpses.
Praise the Lord ... I have seen a large number of non-Western missionary's that have even been working in this country, the good old U S of A!! And God bless them!!!
If only we could remove the charlatans with their hands out (for your money).
Can you cite some specifics, please? My point of view suggests the exact opposite -- there is a "Great Falling Away" by the true Church.
Pray for W and Our Troops
God will accomplish His purpose.
And I can see thousands of churches marching lockstep with the Rick Warrens of the world, trying to re-write the Gospel. Many will probably follow him right over the cliff, and drink the Kool-Aid.
Just out of curiosity - what is your definition of "the true Church"?
POSTED HERE earlier:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1396661/posts
in slightly different form, evidently.
It's such a blessing to know that particularly overseas
you are just incredibly wrong.
Actually, they do use some of the same praise songs--translated into Chinese.
But they also have some wonderful ones of their own as well as from Taiwan and Singapore.
I define it as the Church that follows Scripture, not what one man may have written recently in his best seller.
While this is not scientific or poll driven, I have learned to trust my intuition on issues such as this. On most, it has proved to be correct.
"The Bible says that the gospel will be taught in every country."
And it was, in the first generation after Christ's life on earth. Colossians 1:23: ". . . This is the gospel you have heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. . ."
There is historical evidence of first century Christianity in the Orient.
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