WILL DOWNTURN LEAD to REVIVAL?
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
-Andrew Strom.
I recently saw a very interesting article from the New York Times
entitled "Bad Times Draw Bigger Crowds to Churches". It seems
the Downturn in America may already be starting to produce some
of the spiritual hunger that would be needed to see a real Revival
break out. But I guess we could question whether it is real spiritual
hunger - or perhaps just anxiety for the future? Here are some
extracts from the article:
"The sudden crush of worshipers packing the small evangelical
Shelter Rock Church in Manhasset, N.Y. a Long Island hamlet
of yacht clubs and hedge fund managers forced the pastor to
set up an overflow room with closed-circuit TV and 100 folding
chairs, which have been filled for six Sundays straight.... since
September, pastors nationwide say they have seen such a burst
of new interest that they find themselves contending with powerful
conflicting emotions deep empathy and quiet excitement as
they re-encounter an old piece of religious lore:
"Bad times are good for evangelical churches.
"... In Praying for Recession: The Business Cycle and Protestant
Religiosity in the United States, David Beckworth, an assistant
professor of economics at Texas State University, looked at long-
established trend lines showing the growth of evangelical
congregations and the decline of mainline churches and found
a more telling detail: During each recession cycle between 1968
and 2004, the rate of growth in evangelical churches jumped by
50 percent. By comparison, mainline Protestant churches
continued their decline during recessions, though a bit more slowly.
"The little-noticed study began receiving attention from some
preachers in September, when the stock market began its free
fall. With the swelling attendance they were seeing, and a sense
that worldwide calamities come along only once in an evangelists
lifetime, the study has encouraged some to think big..."
[SEE- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/nyregion/14churches.html ]
Could it be that there are already signs this economic crisis may
lead to a great Revival or Awakening in America and other countries?
Or does it have a long way to go yet before it produces that genuine
hunger for God and His truth?
We have had a lot of interesting comments since posting this on
our website a couple of days ago. Please take the time to comment
on it, my friends?
Here is the link to our website to read all the comments:
God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.