what’s so great about
what’s so
great about
Christianity?
A study adapted from the book by
Dinesh D’Souza
Dr. Gary VanDeWalker
Evangelical Free Church of Mount Shasta
Study One: The Future of Christianity
· Unbelievers are shrinking in numbers around the world
o You live in the “wrong neighborhood” to see this
o Traditional religion is mainstream in the world
§ Liberal
religion is on the decline
§ “A God
without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through
the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” –H. Richard Niebuhr cites a liberal
credo
§ In 1960’s 1
in 6 people went to a liberal church
§ In 1990’s 1
in 30 people went to a liberal church
§ The
traditional churches are the ones growing in America
· Secularization is the perceived religion of America
o Science, reason, progress would make the West more
secular
o But liberal churches are shrinking and conservative
churches are growing
o Europe, Canada, and Australia are becoming more
secular
o However, the world as a whole is becoming more
religious
§ China and
India have the fastest growing rates in the world
§ Christianity
is the fastest growing religion growing through conversion growth
§ Islam is the
second fastest growing religion growth through reproductive growth
§ Europe is
the place where Islam is growing faster than Christianity
§ Christianity
is the only global religion
· Christianity is no longer centered in the West
o 60% of Christians live in developing countries
o Two out of three Christians live in Asia, Africa, or
South America
o Europe has 560 million Christians in name
o America has 260 million Christians in name
o South America has 480 million Christians in practice
o Asia has 313 million Christians in practice
o Africa has 360 million Christians in practice
o 100 years ago Africa was 10% Christian, today it is
50%
o African pastors are asking believers to skip church to
make room
o South Korea is the 2nd largest sender of
missionaries
· Darwinists cannot explain the trend towards religion
o There seems no evolutionary value for religion
o Evolution teaches you are from nothing and going
nowhere
o Christianity teaches you are from someone and going
somewhere
o Which group offers the best chance of survival and
growth?
o Atheism does not attract followers: American Atheists
has 2,500 members
o Religion grows society better than atheism, therefore
they should know the answer
o Russia and Europe are both declining in population
o Its atheism that makes no evolutionary sense
· Atheism is fighting a war against Christianity
o Lots of atheistic books are being promoted
o Science is seen as their territory
§ Only 40% of
scientists believe in God
§ They see the
evidence against God as absolute
§ They see
religion as repression of academic and philosophical freedom
§ They see
religion as responsible for historical crime
· The War on terrorism is seen in this light
· Evils are reduced to religious atrocities
o The goal is to remove religion from the public forum
§ Godless
education
§ Godless
politics
§ Godless
medical ethics
§ Godless
economics
· Atheism wants to save children from their religious
parents
o The value is to educate children to despise their
parents’ beliefs
o This campaign has not led to better scientific
education
o The value is Darwinism, not modern science
o Richard Dawkins compares faith to mental illness
o Science is seen as the tool needed to destroy faith
o The attempt is to make science the only doorway to
truth
o This is causing a tension in education as to parents
roles in determining the content of education
o The goal of education has become to indoctrinate
children in a worldview different than their parents.
o This is not the goal of every teacher or school
district
o However, it is an underlying goal in modern educational philosophy
Study Two:
Christianity and the West
Study Three:
Christianity and Science
Study Four: The
Argument from Design
Study Five: Christianity and Philosophy
Study Six:
Christianity and Suffering
Study Seven:
Christianity and Morality
Study Eight:
Christianity and You