Jesus Cropped from the Picture

Why Is That Old Man Crying?

Here in the West, Christianity is stagnant, but in Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia, it is burgeoning, at least statistically. The statistical center of gravity of the Christian Church worldwide has moved out of Europe and is now found in northern Africa. The face of Christianity is changing as a result. It is no longer predominantly northern, European, and Anglo-Saxon. Its face is that of the underdeveloped world. It is predominantly from the Southern hemisphere, young, quite uneducated, poor, and very traditional. The question Westerners need to ponder is why, despite our best efforts at cultural accommodation in America, God seems to be taking his work elsewhere.” 5 Bob Roberts summed it up this way: “Regardless of the religious right and despite the emergence of mega-churches, postmodern churches, and house churches, nothing has stemmed the tide of Christianity’s slow decline in the West. We continue to decline while the Church is simultaneously exploding in the East as the world has never known. ” 6 As I watched this phenomenon out of the corner of my eye, I was increasingly puzzled, but not sufficiently motivated to investigate the causes. I was too busy carrying out my missionary call in the inner city to give it much thought. Then I met Brian in Wichita.

He was going through a challenging season in his life, feeling that church life was becoming untenable. He still loved Christ, but the church was sapping his strength. As a pastor, the task of infusing life

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