Globally speaking, the church is at a signifi cant crossroads right now. We’re watching the geographical epicenter of our faith shift from its centuries-old epicenter in the West to the Global South, where it continues to grow at encouraging rates. In his book The New Faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South , pro-fessor Phillip Jenkins argues that 60% of the world’s population of Christians right now live in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. By 2050, we’ll see these numbers shift even further; estimates indi-cated that there will be approxi-mately 3 billion Christians in the world, 75% of whom will live on the aforementioned continents other-wise known as the Global South. Despite this newfound reality, many have long considered Christi-anity a western religion—it’s been associated with American culture, ideals and practices for many gener-ations. Alexis de Tocqueville, upon his visit to the United States, ob-served in his famed work Democra-cy in America that “there is no coun-try in the whole world in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.” These words, originally written in the mid-19th century, might not ring quite so true to us as they once did over 100 years ago. Given Chris-tianity’s dramatic shift from the West to the South, many worry about the future of the Christian faith in America. Some find themselves asking: In light of the changing life of the church, what exactly will the nation look like ten years from now? Let me briefly mention to trends that will grow more prominent in years to come: the rise of secularism and the diversification of evangelicalism. The Rise of Secularism Few would doubt that America is becoming increasingly secular. In the 2014 Religious Landscape Study, the Pew Research Center found that the number of adults who consider themselves religiously affiliated shrank 6% between 2007 and 2014. Most notably, younger genera-tions—the infamous ‘Millennials’— aren’t praying or attending church with the same frequency as older generations. Based on survey data, their acceptance of traditional Christian doctrine—belief in God, heaven, hell, etc.—is also lower. What does this say about what American society will look like down the road? I believe that this rise in secularism will likely make it hard-er for followers of Jesus to engage the culture. In short, the culture will continue to look more and more post-Christian as the years progress. There will be fewer people who self-identify as Christians, of course, likely making it more challenging for believers to maintain ‘lukewarm’ faith convictions. Those who claim Intersec erse rse r e I I nt ec e r TEN YEARS FROM NOW, How Secularism & by ED STETZER The geographical epicenter of our faith shifts from its centuries-old home base in the West 2 WAR CRY • JANUARY 2O19
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