Why Europe?
Why should Christians in America care about the spiritual plight of Europe?
In 2007, for the first time in recorded history, half of the world's population now lives in urban cities. By 2050, 70% of the world's population will live in cities. Here are some thoughts on the urgency of reaching Europe taken from Dr. G.A. Pritchard:
UNBELIEF
Europe is the place where the global battle for the Gospel is being fought. The greatest challenger is not Islam, Hinduism, etc., but rather the fastest growing religion of 'Unbelief'. Growth in atheism and agnosticism has set the stage for the religion of 'Unbelief' to be the strongest influence in the western world in the last century.
NEED
The gospel is significantly expanding in 2/3 of the world today, in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Even in parts of the Muslim world there are reports of significant conversions. But Europe has seen a 35% decline in number of evangelicals in the previous century and today is experiencing only a 1.1% growth.
INFLUENCE
Europe is the leading educator of the rest of the world. Twice as many international students are being educated in Europe than in America. Europe has a high influence on tomorrow's scholars and leaders.
GLOBAL IMPACT
Europe is the intellectual center of the world. For the last 500 years, the world's leading movements came out of Europe: Renaissance, Reformation, Counter-Reformation, Enlightenment, Scientific Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Romanticism, Existentialism, Marxism, Nazism, and Post-modernism. Historically, Europe has shaped global worldviews.
- The Christian growth rate in Europe in the last century is the lowest in the world.
- Less than 2% of the 747 million Europeans are Evangelical Christians who follow Jesus.
- We desire to see peoples' lives transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ.