Global Trends Analysis
Growth in Islam and Christianity
Both Islam and Christianity will continue to see rapid but uneven growth. Islam’s growth will be fueled by high birth rates in some traditionally Muslim countries, coupled with immigration to Europe and aggressive expansion in other regions. Christianity will grow in the Global South, primarily driven by Pentecostalism and indigenous missions movements. Conflicts will intensify between these two major religions in many parts of the world.
Implications for the Global Church: The Church’s challenge can be summed up as learning how to love one’s Muslim neighbor in the name of Christ while seeking respect and reciprocity. Both Islam and Christianity will face challenges from the tendency to see the other as a monolith. Both will have trouble offsetting extremism and theological shallowness from within. Conflict management and peacemaking initiatives will be needed, as will increased levels of advocacy and dialogue on the issue of religious freedom. Wisdom will need to be exercised when attempting to relate to Islamic communities that aspire to political power. Ultimately, the eternal mandate of presenting the gospel and making disciples cannot be lost, even if entailing great risk and cost, but it should be done in loving and culturally appropriate ways. An ecclesiology that recaptures the concept of brotherhood can have great appeal, especially to younger, disenfranchised Muslims. Miracles, visions and dreams are common experiences among Muslims whom God is calling to become followers of Jesus; hence, the Church should be prepared to address these phenomena with openness, sensitivity and Biblical grounding.
on Sun February 28, 2010, 11:06 AM