The Trends (Part 2)

Slavery and Injustice

There are arguably more slaves today in the world than during the height of the African slave trade in the 18th and 19th century. Today at least 12 million people are victims of forced labor. At least 1 million people are trafficked across international borders every year, 80% of them are women and children and are part of the global sex trade, and annually 1.2 million children are trafficked into some form of forced labor.

At many levels in our world corruption, injustice, and exploitation still operate at a widespread level. The powerful and evil prey on the weak and poor. Those with out a voice or a place at the table of power and influence, are often run over by the systems of the world from corrupt governments, to wars, to unfair trade agreements, to corporate greed run amok. Who will be a voice for the voiceless, who will stand up for the meek and oppressed? Possibly the Sprit filled community of God's love?



Environmental Issues

This can be a controversial one for many of us in the West. But, no matter where you stand on the issue of global warming, it is clear warrant in the Bible that we are to care for God's creation. The reality is that in many places in the world this is simply not being done, and regardless of whether we as westerners are to blame (or we feel like we need to clean our consciouses) environmental contamination causes suffering and imbalance throughout our world. That is to say nothing of the growing ground swell of concern, anger, and frustration from the developing world and postmodern generation (some of them distinctively Christian voices) crying out for something to be done. Can we be relevant in the world, if we continue to ignore one of the world's greatest fears, especially if it resonsates with biblical theology?



World Migration

In the states we are currently highly attuned to this trend. At the same time, Europe is facing a major change in its demographics as millions pour into the continent from Africa, Asia, and even Latin America. The world is truly on the move. Immigrants leave their countries of origins for a number of reasons, these namely include: economic motives, fleeing war or instability, and fleeing religous or political persecution. Also, millions of people live as refugees in a state of idefinite waiting and insecurity. Moreover, 11 million people are officially stateless, that is they have no legal claim to citizenship in any country.

While some see this trend as a major burden on the world, others might see it as a major opportunity for the gospel. Certainly, the Bible has much to say about immigrants and refugees (after all Jesus lived as a refugee and immigrant also), and is a salient point of how God's people can offer mercy and grace in the world. What is more, the flow of people both Christian and non, allows for the wider spread of the gospel and often the opportunity for it to penetrate cultures in unique and creative ways (Romanian evangelical churches in Spain or Penetcostal Mexican churches in the USA) as the gospel continue its unstoppable march from everywhere to everyone.



The Rise of Islam

Here is another trend that as Americans we are keenly aware of, although Islam has held considerable sway over world history before. Still, the rise of radical Islam and its onslaught of terroism of violence in our modern context has created instability and fear throughout the world. This is to say nothing of the strong growth of Islam in the US and Europe, its missionary advancement (both peacefully and violently) in Africa and Asia funded by the various Gulf states, and the continual persecution of Christians and other non-Muslims in most Islamic nations. Clearly, there is considerable friction between Islam and the various cultures and societies that exist in opposition to its homogenous and all encompassing worldview.

How do we as Christians live in this type of world, offering love and Christian witness, but also truth and justice? How do we love our Muslim neighbors?

Despite the sometimes gloomy news often coming from the Muslim world, one story that is almost non-existent in the media, is the amazing and steady growth of Muslim background beleivers. While numbers and facts are hard to guage and closely guarded (for security reasons), suffice it to say, that most of the news coming out of the Muslim world is one of dramatic growth, miracles, faithful service, and actual sightings of Jesus.

The Trends (Part 1)

I want to use this next bit to overview some of these trends. So here is a quick overview of each one. Its certainly not exhaustive, but there are plenty of sources on the website, if you desire further info and research.

HIV/AIDS Pandemic and Other Health Issues
Its been said that HIV/AIDS pandemic is the greatest health crisis in the history of the world. The numbers are staggering: 6,000 people infected every day; 8,500 people die every day; and currently around 45 million people are infected around the globe. The majority of those infected live in Sub-Saharan Africa (and are women), with growing rates in Russia, China, and India. In some countries, entire generations have been wiped out by the disease, so that life expectantcy has dropped to as low as 27. Flatly, HIV/AIDS is devasting nations, cultures, economies, and families. That is to say nothing of the close to 20 million AIDS orphans (and growing).

AIDS has also been called a crisis of hope, in that the stigma and lack of care and treatment for the majority for the majority of the people infected leads also to a spiritual devastation of despair.

Add to this the fact that millions of people (in Africa, where 80% of malaria cases are treated at home, the disease kills one child in twenty before the age of five.) die each year in undeveloped countries from diseases which are completely preventable and treatable, such as malaria. That is to say, that millions are dieing each year of disease that we in America and Europe do not have worry about. The resources and intelligence exist to save and better millions of lives (especially within the western church), however the question is: "Does the theological and pastoral will exist?"

Children at Risk
The AIDS issue with its rise of orphaned children also poors into this trend. Essentially, Children at Risk refers to the millions of young children (the weakest and most vulnerable of humanity) who live in the developing world who are at risk of serious exploitation. This exploitation often comes in the form of sexual slavery (there are 2 million child sex slaves) , labor exploitation(there are 246 million child laborers), or child soldiers (300,000 children are currently forced to be child soldiers). Moreover, over 150 million children are estimated to live on the streets. These numbers are quite staggering.

Does the gospel have anything to offer these children? Does Christ's admonishment to let the little children come to him, have any bearing on this present day darkness?

Global Poverty
Today, more than 1 billion people live on less than a dollar a day. Also, 3,800 children die every day from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene, and 2.6 billion people, or 42 percent of the world's population, have inadequate or nonexistent access to proper sanitation. Grinding poverty is also a spiritual issue in that it crushes people, denigrates their value, and keeps them from living as God intends them.

The Bible has actually alot to say about poverty, and how a follower of Christ deals with the poor. We must realize that as believers God calls us to care for and act on behalf of the marginalized and weak. At the same time, we must be cognizant of the fact that much of our comfort and wealth is often predicated upon the poverty and exploitation of others. How do we as Christians act for the poor, in our particular situation?

All of these trends have much in common, in that they are connected and feed off of each other. They each breed further suffering and marginalization that exsacerbate the other problems. What is more, they mainly affect those in the developing world, those who are most weak (women and children), and those who have no access to the instituions and means of bettering their lives.

The Power of the Gospel in the 21st Century (Part I)

So here goes. How do we as Christians live in the 21st century and truly be salt and light? Or how do we think and act Christianly in our context? To answer this question we need to look at our context, our world, for we no longer live in an fragmented world of isolated communities. We live in a multi-cultural, connected, globalized world, and there is no denying it. Especially, as Americans or Europeans we rub elbows in our streets with immigrants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. We eat exotic foods shipped from exotic lands. We read on the internet about news and events as they happen. We buy stocks in companies investing in nations like China, Kazahkstan, and Brazil. And we travel (in the matter of a day or less) to see, taste, and experience the world outside our own country.

So what is the state of this global world? In this first part I want to take a look at several trends affecting the world today, and thus also affecting world Christianity and mission. In part two I want to look at two mega-trends that tie all of these together in some sense for the Western world, those being globalization and postmodernism. In part three, I want to start to unpack our Christian theology to look at how we might live in light of our context and in light of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A couple of books, that I would seriously reccommend, that helped me to think through this are: The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends by Pocock, VanRheenen, and McConnell; and Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World by Richard Bauckham.

Here goes.

Trend 1: HIV/AIDS Pandemic and Other Health Issues

Trend 2: Children at Risk

Trend 3: Global Poverty

Trend 4: Slavery and Injustice

Trend 5: Environmental Issues

Trend 6: World Migration

Trend 7: The Rise of Islam

And some positive trends...

Trend 8: The Explosion of Majority World Christianity

Trend 9: The Growth and Influence of Pentecostals and Charismatics

Trend 10: The Rise of a Truly Global Church

In posts to come, I will discuss these trends abit more in their scope and meaning. But suffice it to say, as Chrstians these are things that we should all be aware of and reflecting about.