Published on Operation World (http://www.operationworld.org)
Feb 03: Europe, Trends to Watch - Europe
Europe
World
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Geography
Area: 22,978,500 sq km74% is in the Russian Federation. This is 17% of the earth’s surface.
Population: 732,758,546 Annual Growth: 0.10%
Urbanites: 73%
Peoples
Religion
Largest Religion: Christian| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 522,017,165 | 71.34 | -0.3 |
| Evangelicals | 18,342,106 | 2.5 | 1.1 |
Answer to Prayer
Positive and encouraging developments in the Church:Evangelicals are growing in strength, confidence and a sense of identity in most countries. This is demonstrated by the increase in an evangelical presence in mainline churches, which are otherwise declining, in the stability of conservative denominations and in the arrival of dynamic new evangelical and charismatic fellowships and networks onto the Church scene. All of this is modest compared to great gains in Asia and Africa but is light in an otherwise bleak European religious landscape.
The impact of evangelical and charismatic movements within the mainline confessions. The Church of England is significantly touched by renewal, by evangelical activism and especially by discipleship courses - the Alpha Course and Fresh Expressions being two of the most notable of these. Charismatic movements within Catholicism also touch many lives in Europe and beyond.
The emergence of patterns of church, worship, mission and social action which reflect spiritual authenticity, holism, social engagement, postmodernity and multiculturalism. These are especially strong among, but not limited to, young people.
The proliferation of new prayer movements such as 24/7 Prayer, the Global Day of Prayer, March for Jesus, boiler rooms, sustained prayer for the Muslim world during Ramadan as well as many national and local initiatives. Together, these mobilize unprecedented numbers of believers into corporate prayer.
The emergence of pan-European ministry, such as the European Evangelical Alliance (including initiatives like Mission-Net with its large European conferences), Hope for Europe, and Pro-Christ.
A growing ecumenism of the faithful that accepts theological and ecclesiological differences and recognizes the need for spiritual unity and cooperation in the face of increasing marginalization. Believers join across confessional, national and ethnic boundaries to maximize social, political and civic impact on the world’s most secular continent.
The positive impact of immigrant believers in European countries. Their presence and growth has offered new spiritual passion and confidence in the gospel that many flagging European churches need. They have also demonstrated that Christianity is a global and dynamic force, and not a relic of a bygone era.
For an additional 5 Answers to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Europe.Trends to Watch - Europe
Europe
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Challenge for Prayer
The health and viability of many isolated island communities are threatened by modernity and globalization, large-scale unemployment, heavy dependence on aid, isolation from health, education and modern consumer goods as well as prohibitive costs of inter-island travel. The replacement of a subsistence economy, driven by agriculture and fishing, with a cash economy pushes many men abroad to find work, generates a brain (and muscle) drain and introduces a changed diet that, in turn, intensifies already existing health issues.Freedom of public religious expression continues to erode, largely due to insistent secularism. It is acceptable to have religious faith – as long as it remains a thoroughly private affair that is not inflicted upon the secular public. This manifests itself through:
a) Prevalent secular values, which regard Christian absolutes with intolerance. Practicing Christians are marginalized and caricatured in the media and popular culture. There is a growing acceptance of contempt for organized religion and the failure to recognize any positive or redemptive element therein. Christians, and evangelicals in particular, make soft targets for those who hate religion and insist on sidelining it from the public sphere.
b) National governments and the EU press on with legislation that attempts to safeguard freedoms and human rights, but in doing so virtually shackles the public practice of biblical faith. In a number of countries, a conciliatory approach to handling Islam, other faiths and even atheism is not equally extended to Christianity. Some regard this as a byproduct of pluralism; others see anti-Christian conspiracies. Historically, the less than stellar track record of most state churches regarding conflict, political meddling and moral purity, plus the effective withdrawal from the fray of Pietists and Anabaptists, places Christianity on a weak footing regarding its right to speak into nation-building in secular Europe.
c) The Orthodox Church, which in many countries of central and eastern Europe has equated national identity with specific religious affiliation. Minority religious groups are often discriminated against, harassed and subject to misleading propaganda. The Orthodox establishment’s collusion with national governments to maintain religious hegemony often intensifies the difficulties evangelicals face in attempting to worship and minister.
Pray that believers might proclaim the good news regardless of the cost. Networks that represent the Church — such as the European Evangelical Alliance - need to negotiate the shifting currents of laws and culture with the shrewdness of serpents, while remaining as innocent as doves in living out pure and blameless lives that glorify Jesus and compel others to do the same.
For an additional 6 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
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