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Church-Going on its Knees as Christianity Falls Out of Favor |
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Written by Paul Dean
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Tuesday, 24 June 2008 |
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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3890080.ece
Church attendance in Britain is declining so fast that the number of regular churchgoers will be fewer than those attending mosques within a generation, research published today suggests.
The fall - from the four million people who attend church at least once a month today - means that the Church of England, Catholicism and other denominations will become financially unviable. A lack of funds from the collection plate to support the Christian infrastructure, including church upkeep and ministers’ pay and pensions, will force church closures as ageing congregations die. In contrast, the number of actively religious Muslims will have increased from about one million today to 1.96 million in 2035.
Commentary
The tragedy of Christianity becoming a minority religion in Britain is ultimately a veil of God’s glory and the deaths of millions of souls. At the same time, the tragedy is perhaps more pointed in light of Britain’s former commitment to Christianity. God chose Britain to be the launching pad for the First Great Awakening and the Modern Missionary Movement. It was Britain that produced Puritanism and the likes of Carey, Wilberforce, and Spurgeon.
Is there any wonder that Sharia Law is given deference in Britain when Muslims will soon outnumber Christians three to one? The present state of religion in Britain has followed a predictable slide. With the “downgrade” from orthodoxy to liberalism and vital faith in Christ to religion, the church has become irrelevant. With that irrelevance the door has opened to other worldviews that have permeated and overtaken the collective mindset of society. When worldviews other than a biblical one prevail, a culture must ultimately slide into the abyss of moral and religions relativism with those in power setting the agenda.
The death of Christianity in Britain signals the death of British culture. May the same not happen to America.Powered by AkoComment 2.0! and SecurityImage 3.0.8 |