The Lausanne Global Conversation is on the World Wide Open Network
Author: Robert Calvert
Date: 09.07.2010
Category: Truth and Pluralism
Editor’s Note: This Cape Town 2010 Advance Paper has been written by Robert Calvert as an overview of the topic to be discussed at the Multiplex session on “Dogma and Diversity: Can Evangelical Truth Effectively Face Up to Secularity in a Pluralistic World?” Responses to this paper through the Lausanne Global Conversation will be fed back to the author and others to help shape their final presentations at the Congress.
According to Greek mythology, Zeus, the chief of the gods, kidnapped Europa, daughter of the king of Phoenicia. He did so by approaching her in the shape of a bull. When she sat upon the bull, it took her to the island of Crete where Zeus revealed his true self to her. A French translation interpreted this abduction story as the stealing of Europe’s soul by God. Is there a sense within the soul of Europe of the presence of the living God? If there is such a thing as a European soul, it has certainly been affected by pagan, Celtic, Jewish and Muslim spirituality. But today, it should be described as one of secularity.
If secularism is the philosophy of “the death of God” and secularization is the process by which people lose faith, then secularity is the paradigm that undergirds and creates the framework for such an age. “Secularity, in counter distinction to secularism or secularization, refers to the conditions of beliefs or the shift in our understanding on which our society is grounded.” 1. In this centenary year of the groundbreaking World Mission Conference in Edinburgh, we attempt to briefly set out the context of 1910 to 2010 for understanding secularity. For it was from Europe at the end of the 19th century that first came the era of labour-intensive industrialization (urbanization) – otherwise known as the ‘muscle’ period. 2. In between 1910 and 2010 in the middle of the 20th century there arose the era of capital- intensive industrialization (metropolitan-ization) – otherwise known as the ‘machine’ period. By 1990 or the late 20th century the whole world, led by Western technological revolutions, entered the era of information-intensive industrialization (globalization) – otherwise known as the ‘mind’ period. While the new worldview kept the economic mode of production (rooted in science-based technology) in place, it allowed supernatural and spiritual elements to develop.
Charles Taylor, author of a mammoth text on the subject 3, traces secularity from deism, which was so influential in 17th and 18th centuries in Great Britain and France (as well as America). Rejecting the theistic position common to Judaism, Islam and much of Christianity, deism drew its concepts of God (his nature and existence) from reason and personal experience rather than revelation in the sacred scriptures or others’ testimony. In interpreting our secular age, Taylor moves from deism to focus upon what he calls the current age of authenticity, an individualistic era, in which people find their own way or do their own thing. Use of one’s own reason and experience to find God gives rise to a sense of intellectual autonomy. As deism leads to atheism, many abandon faith in God (at least in its traditional forms). In encountering what he describes as “galloping pluralism on the spiritual plane,” Taylor identifies a new thirst for something more than self-sufficiency and reason leading many to communal worship.
The context for understanding secularity, however, is in cultural, ethnic and religious pluralism. Consider the world-class city of London where 60% of its population are single-person households and 41% are aged between 20 and 44. A significant proportion of its immigrants are Indian, Arab, African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi. Migration needs to increase because Europe is aging fast and the European Union requires thirty-five million immigrants by 2025 if the 1995 levels of active work force are going to be maintained.
The city of Leicester in England has ethnic minorities which make up 36% of its population. 4. Leicester has the highest percentage of non-white residents of any town or city in Britain. It has also the highest percentage of British residents of Indian origin (23.5 percent) and over 50% of schoolchildren of five years of age are non-white. Leicester is projected to become the first European city with a non-white majority by 2011. Many of the immigrants came in the 1970s; they were Gujarati Hindus fleeing Amin’s regime in Uganda. There are also strong African, Caribbean and Chinese communities which contribute to Leicester’s economic, cultural and political life. Leicester boasts of its diverse character and has become a model for multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious existence. There are at least twenty-one mosques, at least eighteen Hindu temples, six Sikh Gurdwaras, two Buddhist temples, two synagogues, one Jain temple, and a large number of Christian churches of all denominations.
The Leicester experience represents a post-war shift in religious identity and a new context in Europe. Grace Davie, sociologist of religion, describes it as “believing without belonging,” nominalism rather than secularism, where Europeans are not less religious but differently so. 5. “Mission is no longer about crossing the oceans, jungles and deserts, but about crossing the streets of the world’s cities.” 6. In this pluralist context, mission today requires a global perspective with globally minded congregations that work in partnership with multiple agencies, social services, churches and other religious groups. Modern cities such as Leicester are culturally, ethnically and religiously cosmopolitan. Its citizens adhere to different beliefs and convictions that are drawn from different traditions. The claims of the Bible have to compete with the Qu’ran, the Hindu Vedas, the writings of Buddha, the Jehovah Witnesses’ New World translation or the Book of Mormon. Claims for its authenticity have to be won in the marketplace of competing truth claims. “Although it is imperative that Christians argue for the probity and reliability of the Bible against unreasonable scepticism and misrepresentation, in the last analysis, living with consistency the good news of Jesus and the Kingdom of God, in the power of God’s Spirit, is the most cogent demonstration of the reality of what we declare to be true.” 7.
Religious pluralism, on one hand, describes the variety of religious groups and expressions. We are now dealing with increasing numbers of non-Christian faiths. It has been argued8, however, that the increase in Muslims is not only numerically significant but that from a historical perspective a non-Christian majority religious presence in Western Europe is novel. 9.Religious pluralism, on the other hand, can also refer to the breakdown of Christian faith as a whole through the decline of historic institutional churches and growth of non-institutional faiths. Alternatives present themselves in New Age and even witchcraft, which is significant because it points back to a reality in the Christian worldview that people thought had died out with the Enlightenment. Grace Davie suggests that religious pluralism offers two scenarios for the Christian church. Followers of secularization suggest that “growing religious pluralism necessarily undermines the plausibility of all forms of religious belief” whereas rational choice theorists (mostly in North America) “argue precisely the reverse: religious pluralism enables the religious needs of increasingly diverse populations to be more adequately met.” 10.
How are evangelical Christians to engage a religious pluralism that is about more options, lifestyles and preferences or promotion of religious diversity? The world port of Rotterdam contains a population that is largely non-Dutch. It is said that half of all babies born in the city have at least one parent who was not born in the Netherlands. Its ethnic and religious pluralism is illustrated in a guide to non-Dutch churches that details the stories of one hundred and thirteen churches that serve a majority of immigrants. 11. In 2007 the Roman Catholic Raboud University in Nijmegen calculated that “the savings which the Rotterdam municipality earns annually from all churches’ work amounts to around one hundred and twenty million euros.” 12. It is confidently estimated that the social value of the migrant (non-indigenous) churches amounts to some fifty-five million euros. In order to create a means of dialogue and distribution of services, the municipality instituted a new platform for ideological and religious organisations in Rotterdam in April 2008. Its objectives included the “stimulation of mutual dialogue on the need to participate in society.” 13. The birth of the platform arose through evangelical Christians networking in the City Hall. Evangelical and Pentecostal churches and parachurch ministries were among the first members of the council that involves representatives of different faiths, Christian denominations and none (humanists). The Protestant Churches involved stated their intention: “as a church to be visible and transparent in a dynamic community.” 14. It seems that denominational agencies, parachurch groups or even local churches can no longer afford the luxury of working in isolation. The sheer complexities of the task, realities of globalization and limitations of resources all call for a renewed commitment to multi-level partnerships.
The sociologist of globalization, Robert Robertson, suggests “religious factors will almost certainly be intimately involved in those variegated strategies for relating individuals and national societies to the emerging global order.” 15. Religion appears to have a special role in reinforcing individual and community identity. For the most marginalised peoples, Gerrie ter Haar concluded that for African Christians in the Netherlands “their adherence to Christianity constitutes the most important element of their social identity.” 16. In this age of migration, religion has become a key factor in global change and the creation of transnational societies. Religious identity helps to deal with pain of being uprooted and alienated, and, in this way, religion has a key role in providing meaning and purpose. Faith can offer a basis for forming personal values and identity in an era when social-economic forces give rise to loss of roots, indifference to local space and lack of community. In the clash between religious forms of the West and the rest of the world, there is potential for new kinds of religious community. 17.
It has often been stated that Christianity in Europe is in decline. In 1900, 71% of the world’s Christians lived in Europe, but by 1960 it had dropped to 46% and by 1990 to 30%. Institutional churches that are declining are characterised as having: (1) large numbers of nominal Christians, (2) false security in apparent large numbers, (3) inability to change quickly, (4) inflexible structures, and (5) inhibition to experiment. 18.Despite this, a revival in worship has taken place in Evangelical and Renewalist churches. 19. Over the last fifty years the historic institutional churches in Europe have developed new and radical approaches to worship: Taize (France), Wild Goose (Scotland) and the Thomas Mass (Finland). At the beginning of the twenty-first century, a Croatian pastor reflected on the role of the historic institutional churches:
The local church in much of Europe is like a crippled man. We must not turn in disgust and abandon this hurting man. We also must not criticise him for how he got himself in this position, or walk around him to get our tasks done. We must come alongside him and help him to walk straight and powerfully. Indeed, this man could bring great hope to his people if first healed and directed onward!” 20.
The contours of the religious map of Europe is not so much being withdrawn as being re-drawn. Christian and Evangelical identity is being shaped by the secular (including new religious forms) missional context.
In Eastern Europe, the Orthodox Church in Romania, Russia and Greece is facing a new pluralism of Christian presence and secularization in society. In the Greek port of Piraeus (near Athens) and in the city of Vollos to the north, students cleaned up the beaches with black bin-liners. In 2003 Evangelical and Orthodox leaders worked together to give them out to Greek tourists with an environmental message and portions of the New Testament in modern Greek.
In Southern Europe, governments of nations previously considered Roman Catholic are separating themselves from former sympathies. In a city on the north side of Lisbon, the newly elected mayor by-passed the traditional priest and visited an Assemblies of God church containing many migrants to seek a blessing from the evangelical pastor. The church had grown from thirty to three hundred but the real reason for the visit was that the municipality knew this new church for its holistic care for drug-addicts and the elderly. It was conservatively estimated that of the 75% who go back into society from their rehabilitation units, not only do more than 50% join a church but more than 25% find regular employment.
In Western Europe, in the centre of Antwerp, a Dutch couple worked with Turkish young people, and as a result the ‘Bible-house’ has become the spiritual home for a number of Muslim families originating from southern Turkey. Young men who had gotten into trouble asked the Dutch evangelist rather than the imam to visit them in prison. Jaap and Ina Hansum recognized the need for loving personal witness rather than waging personal war.
In Central Europe, churches in atheistic societies are bearing witness to the Gospel through community building. The soul-less housing blocks in Eastern Europe pose an enormous missionary challenge and what may be the largest housing estate in Europe is four metro-stops long in the south of Prague. One pastor there has had the joy of building a new church in the grounds of an asylum-seekers’ centre. The invitation to do so came from its atheist director who was moved by how much better her children performed after regular visits from members of the church.
In Northern Europe, when the Iron Curtain came down in 1990 a new synergy took place in Berlin when Christian ministries on the two sides of the wall (care for elderly in the East and addiction ministry in the West) came together. Moreover their five hundred employees make up the largest City Mission in Europe, with their sixteen churches acting as mission or preaching stations across a metropolis of four million people (many of whom are from Eastern Europe, Turkey and Asia). The City Mission owns three hotels in the city, is seeking to reach German professionals who are not already confessing Christians, and also has programmes with Turkish and Arabic peoples, in so doing bearing witness to the love of Christ with people of other faiths.
Do these and our own stories of mission adequately address the secular age of 2010? The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization’s consultation 21. in Pattaya, Thailand, stated: “We as European Christians must:
Thirty years after Pattaya 1980 we may want to reaffirm some of these calls but also highlight other approaches – such as emerging church and relational strategies. Europe’s church history of violence should also not be forgotten as evangelical Christians seek to call the church back to humility, integrity and simplicity. The challenge of secularity is to make the case for the truth of Christ in societies that are pluralistic and globalized and to build the peace of Christ in societies that are broken and divided. Evangelical Christians, who need to critically engage rather than to escape the challenge of this secular age, are empowered for this by the astonishing announcement that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” 22.
© The Lausanne Movement 2010
Keywords: secularity, Europe, industrialisation, globalisation, deism, authenticity, pluralism, diversity, multicultural, authenticity, identity, community engagement, participation, challenges, mission, witness, service
Views: 37061
Comments: 36
Recommendations: 4
Conversation Post Comment
United States
The Bible calls Christians to take special care of the widows, orphans, and foreigners. Many Christians even get caught up with stereotypes and act hatefully towards those who are different than they are. However, as Christians we are to love all people. Mission in this context means learning about people different so you are not ignorant.
08.12.2012
United States
I like the commen on p. 5 which explains that “mission is no longer about crossing the oceans, jungles and deserts, but about crossing the streets of the world’s cities.” Towns are becomingly increasingly diverse as people move more and more.It is important that Christians seek to build relationships with people unlike themselves rather than only forming relationships that are comfortable.
08.12.2012
United States
I really enjoyed reading this article. It seems that the Christian communities mentioned have put a good deal of importance on relationship building. I think it is great! It allows others to see Christ within in us. It really plays of John 13:35. Through these relationships, they are willing to show compassion and love to others, which allows us to bring the light of Christ into the world. With all the different competing faith groups out there, it can seem difficult to preach the Gospel so that others see it as truth. But actions definitely speak louder than words, as we see in this article. It has caused me to think of how I am going to structure my ministry here in the United States. If taking Christ to the people can work in Europe, then it surely can work here.
03.11.2011
United States
@ jdb11583:
I think you hit on a key truth- God works within relationships. We, as humans, are meant to build relationships with others. It is beautiful that God is active within our interactions with one another.
24.11.2012
United States
It was noted that “in this pluralist context, mission today requires a global perspective with globally minded congregations that work in partnership with multiple agencies, social services, churches and other religious groups."This is a relevant insight. What are some examples of how this has been done?
24.11.2012
United States
The examples in the article of successful church growth seem to stem from getting back to the basics. Being churches of Christ living out Christ’s example to the worls--offering unconditional love, non-judgment, and acceptance.
07.04.2011
United States
@ PAHayes:
I believe that if most churches in the United States would take this approach of being more like Christ in our efforts to reach the unchurched we could see a dramatic change in membership as well as a change in society.
17.04.2011
Netherlands
Thank you for a fine paper regarding the diversity and secularity of Europe. Thank you also for documenting the hope that there is in renewal of Christian expression in Europe.
I am wondering if you can comment on the role of biblical literacy in addressing secularism. Your paper title speaks about dogma, but what about biblical literacy - first in the church and then in society. In your opinion, how might raising biblical literacy counter the issues of diversity and secularism in Europe?
22.11.2010
United States
Thank you very much for your paper and the attached PDF documentation about patterns of immigration in Europe which is pure gold as far as I am concerned. It is especially helpful for someone like me who works almost entirely within the Catholic Church where the conversation about the meaning of immigration to Europe is seldom missional in nature and most likely to be defensive. I’ve only have the time to scan it so far but I am so excited already that I return to read it closely.
Sherry Weddell
18.10.2010
Brazil
O processo de secularização fez com que as igrejas tradicionais perdessem muito da sua força moralizante e a sociedade começou a construir seus valores sob outros referenciais que não os religiosos, muito embora a religião esteja presente como nunca na sociedade moderna. A diversidade religiosa, etnica, cultural vividas na Europa e também em outros continentes tornou a fé pluralizada. As igrejas etnicas podem ser vistas como um fenômeno social, pois a participação em grupos sociais reforça comportamentos e identidades. A espiritualidade coletiva (igreja) tem o poder de catalisar os processos de inclusão e exclusão frente aos demais grupos. As avaliações de Calvert neste artigo são excelentes pois nos mostra o quadro atual ao mesmo tempo em que nos aponta caminhos para trilhar.
16.10.2010
Taiwan (ROC)
Thank you, Robert, for presenting a vivid scenario of European Christianity from various angles. It gave me a better basis to consider some interpretive discussions by others’ responses. I am still coveting more biblical reflections on this significant issue.
15.10.2010
France
Cornelis’ comment catches my attention "... because of our sin there is a real deep separation between God and us. ... evangelical Christians need to show towards Muslims and secular people more humility because it is only by grace that they can tell them about Gods love for us."
I appreciate this comment because I sense that we in the church too easily interface with those outside of the church as the "spiritual haves" to those who "have not." Yet, in fact, we share with our secular and religious neighbors alike a deep & desperate ongoing need for the grace of God. This is a profound connecting point with individuals as well as with the larger societies in which we live, and I believe that embracing the commonality of our human condition opens a space where people can - over time - consider Jesus.
Joining forces with others - civic and/or religious entities - to serve those in need as Robert has described strikes me as a powerfully concrete way to affirm respect for and identification with our ’neighbors’ as human beings ... something our Savior demonstrated so well ....
14.10.2010
Norway
In a quote from Stevo Dereta you describe the local church in much of Europe as ’a crippled man’. When we recently had a group from the Global South evaluate the Church of Norway, they used the term ’a sleeping giant’. Some of our established churches in the northern part of the continent are large in membership (85 % in Norway and in Denmark) but tiny in terms of commitment. Many of us ’locals’ are therefore tempted to loose hope and accept that the Lord may move ’the candlestick’. However, the friends from the South saw potential instead: Pray and work for renewal and the power of the Gospel may wake up the sleeping giants of established churches.
Knud Jørgensen
Oslo
13.10.2010
Ireland
Great paper Robert.
I loved the way you celebrated churches’ engagement with the secular society and called for critical engagement rather then retreating into defensive complaining that we can no longer get our way.
Yes, A Secular Age is a must read.
"Europe’s church history of violence" is not the only factor which should drive us to humility, integrity and simplicity. There are many other examples of the abuse of power which call for an attitude of servanthood and love of enemies.
By the way, is "parachurch" still used today? "Para" means beside as in "paranormal" but since I work for a so-called parachurch organisation I consider it part of the church and not something which sits along side it.
12.10.2010
Netherlands
Friends, again many thanks for all of your helpful feedback. I am concerned to avoid the impression of accepting the secularist assumptions but this is the world we live in - if I understand Charles Taylor rightly. I think his "A Secular Age" is a must read. I agree with Tudor about how secularity raises questions on the realignment of churches. For me the options are well spelled out by Wilbert Schenk in his outline of five possible responses. I would want to position myself between mainstreaming (a big fear of evangelicals) and a reactionary position. I would opt for what he calls "critical engagement" - this is what we need to work out. The field I am involved in (so you know where I am coming from) is city-centre church, preparing leaders and new ministries. Juliette’s comment about deterioration of discipleship rings true to me and as we need to prepare Christians to act as salt and light in society. Sometimes it seems that churches position themselves against each other - which is to ignore that each church is only part of the body of Christ in the city and not a complete representation. Why can we not act together as limbs, joints, tendons, etc? Emma makes this point well in using a different metaphor of churches behaving as ’islands’. The callenge of the new atheism in the media and government is well made by Michael. I tend to see new ministries with immigrant Christians as a sign of hope here. I am thinking of amplifying on the story of the religious platform set up by the city of Rotterdam in this regard. Well, it is not long now and I look forward to reflecting more with you, perhaps in a more face to face way. Greetings, Robert
10.10.2010
Singapore
An excellent paper that traces the history and development of security and aptly draw our attention to the commitment drawn up at the conference in Pattaya.
We must also counter the lie that sharing the gospel with pre believers is "intolerance" and "disrespectful" of other faiths. What is needed is knowing how to creatively share respectfully and not NOT sharing.
10.10.2010
Singapore
An inspiring paper that paints not only a historical basis of Secularity but also one that sets the stage of cultural context where ethnic diversity, religious plurality and a materialistic mindset in a postmodern world where individuality with a focus on the self weaves a ’tapestry’ of reductionsm, denial of God, distance from the other [inclusive of God], relativism, etc ’driving humanity down the road of perfition. Concuring with you, I also feel that this has arisen due to the deterioration of societal morality, dysfuntionality of the family, discipleship that is relevant & deep sorely lacking and a deep sense of fear causing the individual to attempt to control his/her own destiny. Your examples vividly brought the points home clearly. Thank you!
08.10.2010
Netherlands
Thank you, Robert, for painting us a picture of what has been going on. It made me also think of chapters in a book on prayer. In ’Listening Prayer’, by Leanne Payne, the influence of neognosticism within the Christian thinking is explained. How it tied us to secularism and subjectivism, leaving us incapable of seeing truth outside if our own perception. The I becomes god and therefore sin is no more. We need a Christ-centered spirituality, understanding absolute truth again.
Having said that, when reading the paper and reading the line: ’We as European Christians must: 1. Recover prayer in personal and corporate life’, my head and heart said: ’YES.’ And at the same time the question came, as it has before: why don’t we pray? what has happened? This week, I was talking to a church team really struggling with issues in the church. Though, when time came to pray, very little was spoken to God. And I see this happen time and again.
07.10.2010
United States
For a U.S. based evangelist, this is extremely helpful in bringing insite into the cultural context in Europe. Thank you Robert. I most resonated with the call to restore the gospel’s credibility and to demonstrate its power through partnerships outside the church (e.g. social action). This is primarily what I’ve focused on these last 10 years in the area of slavery (specifically child prostitution) with my friends at IJM, World Vision and others. For a quick look at how we’ve brought this together, check out the video from our last evangelistic campaign where over 300
06.10.2010
United States
@ R_York_Moore:
sorry...wasn’t finished before I posted: For a glimpse at how we’ve done this, take a look at the video where 300 students came to Christ at www.osupriceoflife.org or on my site, www.tellthestory.net. Thanks again!
06.10.2010
United Kingdom
Thank you, Robert, for a stimulating paper.
I think the roots of secularity lie earlier than the end of the nineteenth century. In many ways when the church seemed at its strongest in Europe during the 19th century, cracks were beginning to show in the foundations.
The question of migration into Europe and whether it is necessary is a huge political issue, and it is troubling that it is fuelling some extreme right-wing reactions in different countries across the continent.
You refer to relations with Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, and I wonder whether these could be developed further. The Pope’s recent visit to the UK and his bold comments about the challenges of secularism and the need for Christians to respond with positive witness rang bells for many evangelicals. Secularity raises questions about the realignment of the churches in Europe, where distinctions between those of us who believe in a challenging and transforming orthodox Christian faith and liberals who are more shaped by the agenda of secularity are becoming more significant than the Reformation distinctions between Protestant and Catholic.
06.10.2010
United States
Having lived and worked in Southern France, I lift an amen to this. Our hope was to reach those who were marginalized, and by God’s grace, that work is being carried on without us, by Europeans. Being salt and light in Europe looks more like rescuing and loving people than saying a bunch of things.
05.10.2010
South Africa
A loud Amen to the call for a renewed commitment to multi-level partnerships - a prayer for a united church that has the Gospel at its core. What saddens me though is that there are now so many churches that prefer to remain islands. We need to think through how we actually develop these kind of partnerships- helping churches, parachurches and individuals to build trust with one another rather than skepticism - showing Christs love to one another and being open and willing to have real, open conversations with one another that speaks the truth in love and points one another to Christ. I wonder if Jesus’prayer in John 17 is what we need to go back to as we seek to do this.
05.10.2010
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