Is The End of Christendom Nigh?

johnny crossan said:
Thought I'd share an interesting article & podcast by A.N.Wilson questioning if Christianity can survive the next 50 years. In a recent Spectator article he predicted that within 50 years the great cathedrals of Europe would be no more than “heritage” sites, their meaning incomprehensible to the crowds who visit them. It would not be a complete end, though. Fine worship and charismatic preaching would still be able to attract a faithful remnant; a small number of grand churches would probably remain viable, and a few of the most famous choirs could survive. But the culture as a whole would have moved on to the point at which Christianity was largely extinct.

There is an alternative view, which notes the conversion of some significant public figures in recent years and predicts a revival of belief. The historian Tom Holland and the secular Muslim Ayaan Ali Hirsi are examples of former atheists who have embraced Christian faith — partly out of a recognition that the best of Western culture is a product of Christian values, and partly out of despair at the erosion of Christian culture by secular materialism and its consequences for our well-being.

Here is a link to Wilson's Holy Smoke Podcast
www.spectator.co.uk

Is the end of Christendom nigh? with A.N. Wilson

Thousands of Brits will be attending Christmas and carol services throughout December. Yet festive attendance masks the reality that congregations just aren’t holding up. The most optimistic of estimates suggest that regular church attendance has almost halved in the UK since 2009. This is just...
www.spectator.co.uk www.spectator.co.uk
Click to expand...
Think it will be longer than 50 years, I just hope they don't knock them down and make flats out of them.
 
TonyM said:
Is it crazy to hope for a godless version to evolve that is just based on peace, love and good deeds.

I'd hope that if a God does exist he'd be happy enough with just that. (Or she'd be)
Click to expand...

It's often crossed my mind that, if there were a god, and we were to accept the preachings of pretty much any religion, then said god must be an egomaniacal narcissist.

As you say, it really should be very simple, just be a good person. I try, and sometimes I'm even successful, then some twat cuts me up on the motorway and all bets are off again :/
 
To answer the question posed in the title of this thread, Pentecostal Christianity is doing quite well when it comes to making new converts (not that I regard that as a good thing).

1736273658555.jpeg

So maybe the CofE and the Catholic Church in the UK might get a few more punters in if they indulged in a bit of snake handling.

 
Meanwhile, over in Russia, twats like Patriarch Kirill (who was almost certainly a KGB agent when he was a mere Archimandrite in the Orthodox Church) are doing a pretty good job of shoring up Putin’s fascist Eurasianism project.

1736274846082.jpeg
 
I was baptized a Catholic but my Gran fell out with the whole lot of them when I was young. She still sent me to a Church school though.
However, I will say this; the hymns at school, the sheer mystery and pageantry of religious holidays and the feeling that there IS something greater out there is something that has stayed with me. In a good way.

I don't expect anyone to agree with me, just saying that my memories of such things are positive. Probably because it gave me a sense of belonging during a fractured early start to life.

As I've got older I have seen religion and faith differently; how it can be controlling etc etc. Yet I value immensely those early years
 
johnny crossan said:
Thought I'd share an interesting article & podcast by A.N.Wilson questioning if Christianity can survive the next 50 years. In a recent Spectator article he predicted that within 50 years the great cathedrals of Europe would be no more than “heritage” sites, their meaning incomprehensible to the crowds who visit them. It would not be a complete end, though. Fine worship and charismatic preaching would still be able to attract a faithful remnant; a small number of grand churches would probably remain viable, and a few of the most famous choirs could survive. But the culture as a whole would have moved on to the point at which Christianity was largely extinct.

There is an alternative view, which notes the conversion of some significant public figures in recent years and predicts a revival of belief. The historian Tom Holland and the secular Muslim Ayaan Ali Hirsi are examples of former atheists who have embraced Christian faith — partly out of a recognition that the best of Western culture is a product of Christian values, and partly out of despair at the erosion of Christian culture by secular materialism and its consequences for our well-being.

Here is a link to Wilson's Holy Smoke Podcast
www.spectator.co.uk

Is the end of Christendom nigh? with A.N. Wilson

Thousands of Brits will be attending Christmas and carol services throughout December. Yet festive attendance masks the reality that congregations just aren’t holding up. The most optimistic of estimates suggest that regular church attendance has almost halved in the UK since 2009. This is just...
www.spectator.co.uk www.spectator.co.uk
Click to expand...

Christianity is currently practiced by over 2 billion people or around 32% of the worlds population. According to research by Pew, by 2050 it will be practiced by almost 3 billion people or around 32% of the world at that time.
In 1900, Christianity was about 33% of the world's population.

None of the major world religions are dying. Arguably they aren't in Western countries either to any significant degree, it's just that studies define religiosity with regular Church attendance. This is personal experience so not worth much but the next generation seems more religious than millenials. Again, subjective though.
 
We can live in hope. Quickly followed by every other.
 
AliBobbyJ said:
Christendom is a fine word and one rarely heard these days so as long as folk still use it the answer is probably no, not yet.
Or as Nigel Barton (remember him?) said "God has some very good tunes."
Click to expand...
Vote! Vote! Vote! for Nigel Barton!!!
Damocles said:
Christianity is currently practiced by over 2 billion people or around 32% of the worlds population. According to research by Pew, by 2050 it will be practiced by almost 3 billion people or around 32% of the world at that time.
In 1900, Christianity was about 33% of the world's population.

None of the major world religions are dying. Arguably they aren't in Western countries either to any significant degree, it's just that studies define religiosity with regular Church attendance. This is personal experience so not worth much but the next generation seems more religious than millenials. Again, subjective though.
Click to expand...
Yes, Mr Wilson is perhaps not looking too much beyond his recently embraced but embattled Anglican communion. Do you have the projections for Islam by 2050 at all?
 
Last edited:
Mr Kobayashi said:
Was he born premature on the 25th and they stuck him back in to finish off?
Click to expand...
When Stan says he wants to be known as Loretta and have babies, Reg says "You haven't got a womb! Where's the foetus going to gestate?! You going to keep it in a box?" - From which we can deduce the premature child was born on 25th December and then put back in the box until 7th January.
I realise there may be some biological inaccuracies, but Life Of Brian was correct about many aspects of religious followers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top