I have spoken with one or two people who were actually present in the revival meetings that began in 1904 and swept across Wales. I have spoken to many who remember full churches and chapels, especially for events like Sunday School Anniversaries, and I have witnessed the empty churches of today.

Many have described Wales as a spiritual desert and have wondered how the revival could have left such little fruit. As is usually the case, these situations are complex and take some understanding. Elfed Godding, is a church leader from Wales who is able to offer some helpful perspective amidst the complexity. The following video clip features Elfed’s awareness of what is actually happening on the ground in Wales.

The year 2013 is the 1700^th anniversary of that original Edict and she believes that this is the time to write a new declaration asking again for freedom of worship and faith in every country of the world.  Europe as well as many other lands needs a new commitment to freedom of faith.

Her desire is to invite the world to Milan in 2013 to help construct a new Edict of Milan. She describes her remarkable vision is this video clip.

How could a Roman Catholic woman, working with the Franciscan movement move from life in a convent to become the founder and leader of one of the largest and most influential Protestant churches in Italy?   Pastor Roselen Faccio tells something of her remarkable story in this video clip.

Some one sent me some words from John Ortberg which I thought were food for thought:

THE MOST POPULAR RELIGION IN AMERICA

What do you think is the number one most popular religion in America?
I’ll give you a hint: its not Christianity.
Its also not Islam, Judiasm, Buddhism, Taoism, or the Home Shopping Network.
According to Christian Smith, a sociologist at Notre Dame, the primary expression of faith in our day–at least for young adults–is what he calls “Moral Therapeutic Deism.”
This religion is characterized by five beliefs:
–There is a God who created earth and watches over it
–God wants people to be nice, fair and good (as it taught in the Bible and most other religions)
–The central goal of life is to be happy and feel good about yourself
–God doesn’t need to be involved in your life except when there’s a problem that needs Celestial Performance Enhancement
–Good people go to heaven when they die.

Faith is never a private matter!  It was a very public matter for Jesus, for the early church, for the martyrs of the ages and it should be for us.  Personal (not private) faith should always have public consequences.  A general election is a good time to provoke that kind of conversation.

Further evidence that this is the case comes from the recent court case in which a Christian who did not feel able to offer advice on sexual therapy to a homosexual couple and who had been sacked lost his appeal.  Common sense solutions were ignored and the judge indulged in a fairly vitriolic pronouncement about the lack of a factual basis or reason in Christian commitment.

The latest edition of the Theos newsletter tells as that the Theos Director, Paul Woolley, was invited back to the Oxford Union recently to debate the motion ‘This House Believes that Religion is a Force for Good in the World.’  The newsletter continues, “In addition to Paul, the proposition benches comprised Lord Harries, Adrian Wooldridge, The Economist’s Management Editor and ‘Schumpeter’ columnist, and Giles Rowe, Director and co-founder of Henderson Rowe Ltd. On the opposition benches were Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of the British Humanist Association, Peter Atkins, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford and Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

In his speech, Paul Woolley said ‘I’m not going to argue that all religion is a force for good in the world anymore than I would argue that all people are. The events of 9/11 were evil. Religion, like any ideology, can be sectarian, divisive, exclusive and violent. However, religious conviction is unexceptional in this regard. Atheistic conviction has itself inspired terrible acts of violence and oppression… The evidence for the proposition, whether measured in the transformed lives of individuals or the renewal of communities, is overwhelming.’ The motion was defeated by 40 votes.

At a local level there is evidence that local churches are winning favour with the communities they serve.  At an international and national level there is some evidence that the intellectual climate is changing in terms of an appreciation that an interest in God is returning.  A book with the title God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing our World” written by the editor of the Economist in the UK draws attention to the way in which the climate of opinion may be changing but there is a long way to go.

As Christians we have no choice but to engage in the very long term debate which will change the plausibility structures which shape the thought of so many in the West.  That is a missionary enterprise which not all are called to.  It demands an intellectual rigour and courage which stands beside the local witness of thousands of churches across the western world.  We can’t expect an immediate victory in this area but, over time, patiently, thoughtfully, eventually we must win this intellectual battle if the church is going to significantly advance its mission in the west.

What are these people like?  The majority are Norwegians, some with no faith, some who had taken up New Age or Buddhist beliefs.  Others are Muslims from places like the Balkans, Iran and Iraq.  It’s an interesting illustration of what God can do in Europe, of the growing spiritual hunger in Europe and of the challenge that comes to those of us who are Christians in Europe.

Why is this Ethiopian woman so effective in personal witnessing?  Mostly because she has her own profound faith in Christ and she actually engages in witnessing – both conditions are essential.  There is little value in a privatized faith, however deeply it is held.  We cannot witness to others out of nothing, public witness must flow from a deeply nurtured experience of the Christ.

My friend reminds me of what I need to be reminded of again and again.  Europe can be reached for Christ and we need to encourage each other in the multiple conversations and spiritual life that will assist the coming spiritual refreshment.

Jeff is standing down from his YWAM role and is going to take time to develop what he is calling the Schuman Centre – a European studies network.  His thinking is twofold.  First he makes the point that Robert Schuman (who, together with Jean Monnet, largely developed the thinking that led to the European Union) was a devout Christian and that to a large extent the vision behind the EU was also an attempt to rekindle the Christian roots of Europe.  It is therefore ironic that the EU has increasingly become a vehicle for secularisation.  Part of Schuman’s thinking was that the Christian nations of Europe needed to stop their incessant warfare with each other in order to return to a Christian vision of what Europe could be and so to contribute to the total family of nations from a Christian perspective.

Second, Jeff is very aware that whereas commerce, entertainment, sport, politics, trade unions and every other sphere of life operate on a European basis, Protestant Christians, stuck as they are in their national churches, seem unable to work in such a way.  Of course the Roman Catholic Church does this easily and Protestants need to find a way of engaging on a European basis if we are not to be increasingly shut out from many of the important discussions and decisions that impact our communities, our churches and our personal lives.  The Schuman Centre is an attempt to further the thinking of Protestant Christians in this important sphere.  Jeff is never short of a few words of enthusiasm regarding his work and in that vein, I was able to catch a few words with him on video.

He points out that this development is partly the result of the natural radical outlook of the young who are easily (and rightly) inflamed by perceived injustices but it is also the result of an inability to integrate within western societies which often present traditional Muslims with the alternatives of the rabid secularization of their own faith or withdrawal.  The first alternative does not necessarily produce well rounded citizens so much as citizens who simple adopt the worst aspects of Western secular life which often features greed, consumerism and individualism.  The second alternative – withdrawal from mainstream society, carries the potential to produce radicalization of the caliphate kind.  It’s a long and thoughtful article although the solutions that he offers are not particularly convincing.

It seems to me that Christians have a particular responsibility to reach out to an Islam in crisis.  We know what it is like to come under the pressure of secular world views and to face the same agonizing choice of accommodation or withdrawal.  Gradually, and it is gradually, Christians from the thoughtful evangelical wing of the church have begun to work out what it might look like to be “in the world but not of the world”.

I don’t mean by this that Christians should target Muslims for evangelisation, that is not in the first place the issue.  Some Muslims are becoming Christians and in increasing numbers in many parts of the world.  In part this is because the idea of a worldwide caliphate under strict Islamic law has been experienced by many Muslims and, like the Puritan regime, of 17^th century England found to be thoroughly objectionable.  Others have not experienced such ideas first hand but have been able to observe them and are looking elsewhere.

We need to make significant efforts to build friendships.  This is not easy to do, not the least because the gender segregated dimension of traditional Muslim life makes it very hard for Christians who operate more as integrated communities of men and women to connect.  We do not have ready made opportunities for social engagement on a socially segregated basis.  But difficult as it might be it is an important dimension of our call to reconciliation.    I love the story of Pope John 23^rd who made a first historic visit to Turkey.  It was a huge occasion and every dignitary who could be present was present.  In the midst of the various formal introductions, Pope John took the hand of the leading Muslim clergyman and said, “I am John, I am your brother.”  With these simple words, centuries of hatred and mistrust were bridged.

So what do we make of all such speculation?  As always, the reality is complex.  First, the number of people who self identify as Christians varies from 72% to 52% depending on what precise question is asked.  For example if people are asked what religion they are and are offered the choices of Islam, Hinduism, etc. then they tend to choose Christian as a self descriptor in much higher numbers. If people are asked a very open question about religious practise which implies more active involvement then of course the percentages fall.

For me the surprise is that the percentages are as high as they are given that there is little social advantage in being Christian and clearly fewer people automatically think of themselves as C of E (Church of England) even if they never attend or believe.  These high figures indicate potential not despair.

Second, the number of pagans cited is also a surprise.  Interestingly the figures that used to be given in the 1980’s were around 400,000 so on that basis pagans have declined by 75% in the last 20 years.  Strange that the headline was based on the idea of growth when the reality probably indicates decline.

As for paganism rivalling Christianity – I just think of the 5,000 people who gathered in my local community to sing carols in the open air for 45 minutes this Christmas Eve.  One twentieth of the numbers of pagans from the whole of Britain worshipped the Christ child within a one mile walking distance of my home.  Let’s get real, pagans probably have some way to go before they rival Christianity.

All this needs to be set against the growing number of commentators who are detecting a growth of interest in Christianity.  How about this quote from George Pitcher writing in The Times, 17 December 2009:

“All in all, Britain is going through one of those periods of religious refreshment that crop up every few decades.  Whenever this happens – as in 18^th century Europe – there are plenty of people who say that it’s all over, that the Christian story will soon be finished and a brave new secular age has dawned.  Don’t bet your house on it.”