Friday 1 March 2013

Christian Revival in China and Africa

*

I recently wrote about the nature and causes of religious revival

http://charltonteaching.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/what-happens-in-religious-revival.html

*

In revival, people are sensitized to the Holy Ghost, but also to evil spiritual influences.

Even though both sides are more polarized in a revival, since humans have free agency they are able to choose, and they may choose evil instead of good.

Or, to change the metaphor - in a religious revival, the veil between this world and others becomes thinner and more permeable: good things can be glimpsed and experienced more easily, but only at the cost of doing the same for bad things.

*

One consequence of this understanding is that a Christian revival in the West now would be unlikely to lead to good outcomes - since we are so very deep in spiritual corruption and purposive destruction of the good, any revival would be most likely to amplify and strengthen the forces of evil.

(But, nonetheless, despite such a tiny chance of good eventuating; a revival may be our only chance of arresting our media-distracted sleepwalk into hell.)

*

However, there seems to have been, and perhaps may still be, Christian revival outside of the West in China and Africa.

http://charltonteaching.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/70-million-christians-in-china-and.html 

And African Bishops have taken moral leadership within the Anglican communion:

http://charltonteaching.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/things-are-coming-to-point-in-church-of.html

*

From what I can gather, albeit I am not an expert on the topic but have merely picked-up hints here and there, Christianity in China and Africa has the character of revival - with 'gifts of the Holy Ghost' much in evidence: miracles, healings and the like.

For Western Christians this means that good things are at present probably more likely to come from China or Africa then from our own societies; but also that these are likely to be mixed-up, and eventually perhaps overwhelmed, with bad things.

Discernment will be needed - as always...

*

No comments: