A story last year in the UK Telegraph News generated a considerable amount of attention with a headline that read “Christianity Could Die Out Within a Century.” The Telegraph based the story on a survey by the Orthodox Jewish group Aish, which found that only 30 percent of people polled thought religions like Judaism and Christianity would still be practiced in England 100 years from now.
The interesting thing about the data the Telegraph used was that the numbers don’t seem to match up with what’s written in the story. The survey said that 40 percent of people indicated they would choose to be Christians, yet only 30 percent think Christianity will be viable. Ten percent of those who would choose to remain Christians really don’t think it will survive either; apparently even the believers are discouraged.
The story was obviously designed to have great shock value, but it does bring one important fact to the forefront. Throughout England and Western Europe, Christianity is in serious decline, and has been for at least a generation. According to the US State Department’s 2008 International Religious Freedom Report, out of a population of 60.2 million, only 4 million Christians in the United Kingdom attend services on a regular basis (defined as at least once a month). The report also states that in Spain, while over 75 percent of the population consider themselves Catholics, almost 54 percent of those say they never attend Mass.
France keeps no official statistics on religious observance, but church involvement there is said to be the lowest on the Continent. In Germany, attendance at Mass is at 15 percent of self-identified Catholics, and in the region encompassing the former East Germany, only 5 to 10 percent of the population identify with any religious organization. In the homeland of Martin Luther, a full 25 percent of the population has no religious affiliation. The one religion that is growing throughout Europe, both through immigration and conversions, is Islam.
What do all of these gloomy statistics mean? For me the meaning is clear: American Christians have abandoned their brothers in Europe. We send thousands of full-time missionaries overseas, and tens of thousands of short-term missionaries, yet almost all go to South America, India, and Africa. The few groups that do go to Europe are mainly focused on evangelizing Muslim immigrants. These are all worthy endeavors, but we have forgotten the very people that brought Christianity to America in the first place.
I’m not suggesting that we inundate Great Britain and Western Europe with missionaries, although on second thought it’s not a bad idea. Still, theirs is not a culture that has never heard of Christ, but one that no longer sees Christianity as relevant to their lives. Certainly some of our missions resources could be shifted to assist the struggling congregations there, if only to help spread the word that Jesus does indeed have answers that are relevant in today’s world. And all of us should be praying for revival across the continent.
The verse that comes to mind is the same one that motivated Brother Andrew when he was reaching out to Christians behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War: “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die (Rev. 3:2).” Sometimes what dwindling congregations need is encouragement, if only to know they’re not alone in their struggle. If we are to be true to the Great Commission, not only can we bring that encouragement, we must.
