A Global Vision of the Gospel: The Power of a Bird’s-Eye View (I)

At the Pentagon, a staff worker spent two years researching the possible effect of a military attack on the communication system of the United States. As a base of knowledge, he used information that most people already know or could easily find out.  When he submitted it to his superiors, they immediately slapped a “Top Secret” label on it and destroyed other copies so that only a handful of people in the world could read it. The author himself was not even allowed to view it.  He had taken a bird’s-eye view of the situation and had simply explained what he had seen; in doing so, he had unwittingly created a dangerous tool.

In an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Ultimate Secret: A Pentagon Report Its Author Can’t See,” a spokesman for the U.S. government reported: “When you put things together you sometimes get a whole that is more sensitive than any of its parts.” In other words, a bird’s eye view is more insightful—and consequently more powerful—than a close-up of any given point. The better our understanding of the whole, the more effective our strategy.

Those of us who labor for Christ should take heed of this truth. As we set about creating plans to strengthen the church and win the lost, we would do well to pause and consider a bird’s-eye view of the Gospel in today’s world.

When pondering the current state of Evangelical Christianity, the first question many intuitively ask is, ‘Are people coming to Christ?’ The answer to this question is simply stunning.  Over the past 100 years, Evangelicalism has grown at an astounding rate.

This graph represents the percent change in the adherents of Great Commission Christians as a percentage of the global population from 1900 to 2000.

It has grown faster than historic world religions…

This graph represents the percent change in the adherents of the world’s major religions as a percentage of the global population from 1900 to 2000.

…as well as other branches of global Christianity. This is largely due to the fact that Orthodoxy focuses on the culture of its roots and Catholicism on internal authority. In contrast, Evangelicals emphasize the Gospel (Evangel) with much of our energy going outward into evangelism and missions.

This graph represents the percent change in the adherents of Great Commission Christians, Roman Catholicism, and Orthodoxy as a percentage of the global population between 1900 and 2000.

Particularly amazing is the way Evangelical Christianity has grown in the Developing World over the course of the twentieth century. In just 100 years, the number of Evangelicals as a percentage of the population increased by 173 percent in Latin America, by 300 percent in Africa, and by 372 percent in Asia.

This graph represents the percent change in the global adherents of Great Commission Christians as a percentage of the population of each continent from 1900 to 2000.

And yet, in the face of this amazing growth stands one disturbing statistic. Europe, the very heart of historic Christendom, has experienced a hemorrhaging of the faithful.  Volume I of World Christian Encyclopedia notes in its opening the startling news of the devastating de-Christianisation of Europe in the 20th century: ‘No-one in 1900 expected the massive defections from Christianity that subsequently took place in Western Europe due to secularism…[and] in Russia and later Eastern Europe due to Communism.’   

The startling contrast between the vibrant, packed churches of the Developing World and the moribund, empty cathedrals of Europe is widely known.  In fact, just last week Evangelical Focus featured an article from the Wall Street Journal about Europe’s empty churches on its front page.

Well aware of this disheartening trend, many good-hearted people, who are eager to support the work of the Gospel, have asked me: ‘Why should I care about Europe?  Look at what is happening in Africa! Shouldn’t I invest my time and resources in places where God is moving powerfully?’  My response is always the same.  Those that care about the future of the Gospel in Bogota, or Mombasa, or Beijing should care very much about the fate of Europe. 

Come back next week for an explanation of why.

*All statistics regarding the Evangelical church, world religions, and other branches of Christianity are taken from the World Christian Encyclopedia, Volume I, (Ed. David B. Barrett).

Greg Pritchard earned his MA from Trinity School of Divinity before continuing on to finish his PhD at Northwestern University. The intersection of theology, history, philosophy and sociology is Greg’s primary focus both in teaching and writing. He has taught graduate-level courses on apologetics, theology, history, leadership, the New Testament, ethics, and Christian Thought at American, European, and Asian institutions of higher learning. His book, Willow Creek Seeker Services, has been published in four languages. In addition, Greg has worked as the COO at a Chicago investment firm.  Currently, he serves as the President of the Forum of Christian Leaders and as the Director of the European Leadership Forum. 

The Forum of Christian Leaders (FOCL) is the sponsor of the European Leadership Forum (ELF), which seeks to unite, mentor, and resource European evangelical leaders to renew the biblical church and re-evangelise Europe. This happens first at the ELF's annual meeting that occurs each May in Poland.  In addition to the ELF, FOCL is host to an online media library and learning community for evangelical Christians. Learn more at foclonline.org and euroleadership.org; or join us on Twitter @FOCLonline and Facebook Forum of Christian Leaders.