United Kingdom

• In the West, people need to experience faith in order to believe because of the deconstruction of the meaning of words and metanarratives.
  
• Church attendance is very low
• Social cost of going to church is high (churchgoer=moron)
• Innovative Christian witness at New Age festivals, etc (Belonging before Belief)
• 1% of 18-35 go to church

Scandinavia:

• Faith was usually instituted through conquest
• Impacted significantly by Reformation

Denmark

• Impacted by Christianity in 10th century
• Church attendance is 1-4%
• 50% of the people say that they pray (Believing without Belonging)
• People seem to believe without belonging to a church body
• The official state church is the Evangelical Lutheran Church
• 1/4 believe in a personal God
• 1/4 believe in a life force
• 3% Muslim

Sweden

• Considered the most secular country in Western Europe
• The first believers in Sweden came to faith in the 9th Century
• The switch to the Lutheran faith took while because of deeply entrenched pagan religiosity
• In 1900, 99% of the Swedish self-identified as Christian.
• 4-5% attend church now and only 54% would describe themselves as 'Christian'

Norway

• 1/3 of population believes in God
• 50% believe in some form of life force.
• Move from Catholic to Lutheran church was forced by authorities

Lithuania

• First believers came to faith in 14th Century - last European country to be pagan.
  
• Strongly Catholic (80%) up until the Soviet occupation.
• 50% say that they believe in God.
• Between 1990 and 2000, many Western missionaries came to Lithuania
  

Latvia

• Conquered by German invaders ("northern crusades")
• Converted to Lutheranism during the time of the Reformation.
• 90% either believe in God or a life force
• low church attendance - close to about 2%

Estonia

• Converted to Lutheranism during the time of the Reformation
• Close to Finland in terms of culture and history
• The level of faith is very low in Estonia - 76% of people say that they have no religion.
• There are, however, growing Evangelical and Pentecostal churches.

Finland

• Early form of Christianity was militant
• Influenced by Reformation - establishment of Lutheran Church

Eastern Europe


There is a dividing line between the Orthodox faith and the Catholic faith (Poland/Ukraine)

Bulgaria:

• King Boris converted in 863.
  
• 70% in Bulgarian Orthodox. 12% Muslims. 80% believe in God or a life-force.
  
• 10,000 Muslims saw a vision of Jesus and were converted as a people movement? 20,000 Roma came to faith, Baptist/Pentecostal missions.
  
• About to enter the EU. Trend for countries entering the EU: secularization (Ireland, Poland).

Belarus:

• Converted about 1000 yrs ago.
  
• Did not separate itself too much from Russia. The remaining dictatorship of the countries in Europe.
  
• Some evangelical Christians and peaceful protests, but very sparse.
  
• Russian Orthodox is the state church.

Ukraine:

• Converted about 1000 yrs ago. Eastern Orthodox.
  
• Many missionaries went here after dissolution of the USSR.
  
• Battle: will Ukraine go with EU or with Russia?
  
• Church involved in political protests (e.g. Orange Revolution): church as the main public space apart from homes and government.

Czech Republic:

• Slavic. Roman Catholic Faith.
  
• One of the highest athiest/agnostic populations even though the church was instrumental in the peaceful revolution.
  
• Only 9% of Czech citizens believe in God. 50% believe in life-force.
  
• Challenge for Christians: embody the faith in a way that is spiritual but not institutional. Historically non-Catholic churches were persecuted.
  
• Average age of priests: 69.

Slovakia:

• Slavic. Roman Catholic Faith.
  
• Small percentage of Protestants, historically persecuted.

Hungary:

• Became a Christian kingdom in 1000. It became reformed, but was re-converted to Catholicism through the Inquisition. No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!!!!!
  
• Revivals under Communist rule, uprising in 1956 put down by the Russian tanks.
  
• Pentecostal church network. There is an evangelical seminary in Budapest.

Moldova:

• State Moldovan Orthodox Church.
  
• Turkish and Gypsy people coming to faith.

Poland:

• came to faith around 1000. Combined with Lithuania for a long time.
  
• Recently, Poland was decimated by WWII: ¼ people died.
  
• Roman Catholics: JPII, first Polish Pope. The Church was huge part of Solidarity movement in the 80s. There was high church attendance then: 60%, but now it has gone down.
  
• Entry into EU? One of the poorest countries in the EU. Some Evangelical presence there.

Romania:

• Romanian Orthodox, not a State Church.
  
• Long time brutal dictator who was anti-religion: Ceausescu
  
• High number of evangelicals historically, but not growing. 2-4% go to church.
  
• Renewal movement within the Romanian Orthodox Church: “Lord’s Army.” 300,000.

Is the secularization that accompanies entry into the EU a form of ideological imperialism?