Is religion really going away? book, The Return of Christendom
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2019 9:26 am
I recently read the very short book, The Return of Christendom, by Steve Turley, after a friend had mentioned that it was interesting.
Mr. Turley makes the case that although we see trends in the US and western Europe that formal religious affiliation is lessoning, worldwide Christianity is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Indeed religion in general is. He focuses on the "re-traditionalization" movements occurring across eastern Europe. He demonstrates that a major pushback is occurring against the secular and globalist views of western Europe. Constitutions are being are being change to refer to nations as a "Christian Nation" and traditional family values are being set as a vital part of that nations identify. Old holidays and traditions are being revitalized and birth rates are on the raise. Church attendance is also on the rise. This seems to goes hand in hand with the populist movements that are taking place around the world. A serous pushback against progressivism and the rise of a world culture. This is not coming from only the old, but also from young people.
He's spends a lot of time pointing to and praising Russia. Which indeed is a strange thing to hear from a conservative christian. Although he is praising the return or Russian Orthodoxy, not necessarily Putins iron fist.
A truly amazing stat he mentions is that after 70 years of the atheistic rule and social indoctrination that occurred in the Soviet Union, today a whopping 71% of Russians identify as Christian. Essentially a complete reversal over 30yrs. The building of a new church is being completed in Russia each day.
This has me wondering if the trends we see today should be taken with a grain of salt. If secularism is unable to deliver on its promises, could we see a highly religious youth in 30yrs? A sort of backfire effect. Could we see a more religious world, but perhaps with updated software that is more compatible with science and democracy? Will religion see the large swings of affiliation and discontent that we see in the compressed timeline of politics?
Mr. Turley makes the case that although we see trends in the US and western Europe that formal religious affiliation is lessoning, worldwide Christianity is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. Indeed religion in general is. He focuses on the "re-traditionalization" movements occurring across eastern Europe. He demonstrates that a major pushback is occurring against the secular and globalist views of western Europe. Constitutions are being are being change to refer to nations as a "Christian Nation" and traditional family values are being set as a vital part of that nations identify. Old holidays and traditions are being revitalized and birth rates are on the raise. Church attendance is also on the rise. This seems to goes hand in hand with the populist movements that are taking place around the world. A serous pushback against progressivism and the rise of a world culture. This is not coming from only the old, but also from young people.
He's spends a lot of time pointing to and praising Russia. Which indeed is a strange thing to hear from a conservative christian. Although he is praising the return or Russian Orthodoxy, not necessarily Putins iron fist.
A truly amazing stat he mentions is that after 70 years of the atheistic rule and social indoctrination that occurred in the Soviet Union, today a whopping 71% of Russians identify as Christian. Essentially a complete reversal over 30yrs. The building of a new church is being completed in Russia each day.
This has me wondering if the trends we see today should be taken with a grain of salt. If secularism is unable to deliver on its promises, could we see a highly religious youth in 30yrs? A sort of backfire effect. Could we see a more religious world, but perhaps with updated software that is more compatible with science and democracy? Will religion see the large swings of affiliation and discontent that we see in the compressed timeline of politics?