Centre of Christianity moves to Africa

[emad]

Telegraph
By David Blair in Johannesberg
(Filed: 26/02/2005)

If a clergyman's success is measured by the size of his flock, then Africa's priests stand to inherit the earth. Their congregations are growing faster than any since the earliest years of Christianity.

The pews of Africa's churches now hold 390 million worshippers – more than three times the total of 35 years ago. Over the next two decades, Africa's congregation is likely to grow by another 200 million, causing a huge shift in the character of the Christian faith.

Its heartland will move decisively southwards, away from the empty churches of Europe and into the developing world.

The Centre for the Study of Global Christianity, an American think-tank based in a Protestant seminary, is charting this transformation and its findings are dramatic. Already, its study of "World Christian Trends" shows that white Europeans and Americans account for only 43 per cent of the world's Christians.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/02/26/wchurch26.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/02/26/ixworld.html

[JVS]

1. In a related note, the Anglican church in Canada and Episcopalians in USA

have been asked to leave the Anglican communion and have withdrawn from the Anglican Consultative Council. This is largely the result of African Bishops who disagree with the North Americans' actions towards blessing of same-sex unions.