Subject: Could this be the great apostasy? |
Bible Note: Greetings Doc, Thank you for your input. Yes, believers have always been outnumbered, and Jesus said, during His sermon on the mount, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. (Mat 7:13) However, the statistics that had caught my attention, and prompted me to question this forum are these: 'Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, growing at a rate four times faster than Christianity' (from David Pawson, "The Challenge of Islams to Christians" [London, Hodder and Stoughton, 2003] p.11) And (ibid) "if present trends continue, half of all global births will be in Muslim families by the year 2055" There is compelling evidence in a surge of conversions to Islam since 9-11-01, across America and Europe. One Dutch Islamic center claims a tenfold increase, while the New Muslims Project, based in Leicester, England and run by a former Irish Roman Catholic housewife, reports a "steady stream" of new converts. (The Times, (UK) Jan 7, 2002, Giles Whittell, [Allah Came Knocking at My Heart]) The saddest aspect of these figures is that over 80 percent of these American converts to Islam were raised in a Christian Church. (Bruce A. McDowell and Anees Zaka, [Muslims and Christians at the table] Phillipsburg, P and R Publishing, 1999, p.6) The list goes on, but as I said, I am only getting started. I realize these sources are slightly dated, but a trend is a trend. I will look further into this for some fresher material Joyfull Blessings, John |