With 2.18 billion adherents, Christianity has become a truly global religion over the past century as rapid growth in developing nations offset declines in Christianity’s traditional strongholds, according to a report released Monday (Dec. 19).

Billed as the most comprehensive and reliable study to date, the Pew Research Center’s “Global Christianity” reports on self-identified Christian populations based on more than 2,400 sources of information, especially census and survey data.

Findings illustrate major shifts since 1910, when two-thirds of the world’s Christians lived in Europe. Now only one in four Christians live in Europe. Most of the rest are distributed across the Americas (37 percent), sub-Saharan Africa (24 percent) and the Asia-Pacific region (13 percent).

“In two out of three countries in the world, the majority of the population identifies as Christian,” said Conrad Hackett, lead researcher on the “Global Christianity” report. “I had no idea about that. … I was surprised.”

The report confirms Christianity’s standing as the world’s largest religion, with 32 percent of the global population. Islam is second with about 23 percent, according to a 2009 Pew report.

A close look at the details reveals a few ironies:

— Although Christianity traces its beginnings to the Middle East and North Africa, only 4 percent of residents in these regions claim the Christian faith today.

— Meanwhile, the faith has grown exponentially in sub-Saharan Africa, from just 9 percent of the population in 1910 to 63 percent today. Nigeria, home to more than 80 million Christians, has more Protestants than Germany, where the Protestant Reformation began.

“As a result of historic missionary activity and indigenous Christian movements by Africans, there has been this change from about one in 10 (sub-Saharan Africans) identifying with Christianity in 1910 to about six in 10 doing so today,” Hackett said.

For its part, Europe is more religiously diverse than it was in 1910, when 94 percent was Christian. Still, Europe hasn’t abandoned its Christian heritage, according to the report. Today, 76 percent of Europeans self-identify as Christian.

“Many people may have the impression that a smaller percentage of Europe claims to be Christian” than is actually the case, Hackett said.

The report also sheds light on the difficult question of how many Chinese are Christians. Researchers have struggled to get reliable numbers since China’s policies on religion are thought to discourage Christians from self-identifying as such in official surveys.

Adjusting for such variables, Pew researchers believe Christianity has flourished despite a policy forbidding Christianity among Communist Party members. Researchers estimate the Christian community in China includes 5 percent of the population, or 67 million.

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More than a century ago Leo Tolstoy wrote about a greedy farmer in his tale, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” This farmer was discontent with his life because he never seemed to have enough. He moved town to town looking for greener pastures and greater opportunity.

On his journeys he heard rumors of a far-away place where a distant tribe possessed more land than anyone could walk over in a year; and it was all there for the taking. He went to investigate and found the rumors to be true. The farmer met with the tribal chief who informed him that he could in fact have all the land he wanted.

“Pay a thousand rubles and begin walking in a circle,” the chief instructed. Everything within that circle, so long as the circle was completed by sundown, would be his. So early the next morning, the farmer began his grasping acquisition of land. He began running, as quickly as he could, trying to make as large a circle as possible.

Late in the day the farmer realized how far from the starting point he was and began the desperate return trip. He ran with all his waning strength back to the beginning of his circle. Just as the sun was setting he arrived, sweating and wheezing, at where he had begun. The people cheered and celebrated. Never had anyone acquired so much land in a single day!

In joy they bent down to rouse the farmer from his exhaustion, but he did not stir. He was dead. Tolstoy concludes the story by saying: “The farmer’s servant picked up a spade and dug a grave and buried him. Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.”

How much land – you can insert different words here like “square footage” or “cars in the garage” or “clothes in the closet” or “number of gold certificates” – how much of all this stuff do you really need? Probably not as much as you think.

Any observer of culture would have to admit that our society is filled with greedy Tolstoy-like farmers, killing themselves in the chase to get just a little more, hoping that one more acquisition, conquest, accomplishment, beach house, or success will bring some satisfaction.

Beyond the obvious physical toll it takes, there is the not as obvious but just as real impact this land grabbing lifestyle has on our emotional and spiritual well-being. David Gushee calls this American way of life, “Affluenza:” Materialism, commercialism, and consumerism drive us, he says, to get the latest and greatest with no thought for the least of these, no thought for what it does to our own souls, and no thought for what it does to God’s good world.

When we chase after just more and more stuff, we are chasing a mirage. It is a lie to believe that having enough money in the bank, obtaining the most expensive piece of property, making the investment with the highest return, shaping the most clever fiscal policy, or acquiring the best performing stock will lead to economic safety, security, and some kind of relaxation and peace of mind. Not so. Such thinking is a death-spawning run in a circle.

I readily concede that the human heart needs something to pursue. To chase after the higher and better, to possess that for which we long and love is a crucial part of our nature. The challenge before us is to seek what is right and best, to seek what will actually fulfill that search and quench the thirst. The challenge, and the answer, is to seek what Jesus called “the kingdom of God,” a treasure more valuable than anything that might land on our bottom line.

Yes, we can enjoy the good things that come into our life, and we may be able to afford the monthly payment on a lot of different luxuries, but more and more stuff will never be enough to help us sleep at night. Rather, it may cost us more than dollars.

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Internet users can now view online five of the Dead Sea Scrolls that for the past decades have been kept in a climate-controlled display at Jerusalem’sIsraelMuseum.

The website, which was developed by the museum in partnership with Google, features separate pages for the Great Isaiah Scroll, the Community Rule Scroll, the Commentary on the Habakkuk Scroll, theTempleScroll, and the War Scroll.

These web pages come with a magnifying feature that enables online guests to scrutinize the high-definition digital version of the scroll. Aside from the magnifying feature, the web pages also include brief videos and description notes.

The aforementioned scrolls were captured through the use of a cutting-edge digital photography with a resolution of up to 1,200 megapixels each. This makes it possible for viewers to see even the minute details that are invisible to the naked eye. To lessen the risk of damaging the light-sensitive scrolls, photographer Ardon Bar-hama used UV protected flash tubes with an exposure of 1/4000th of a second.

Discovered between 1947 and 1956 in 11 caves near theDead Sea, these scrolls dates back from the third century B.C. to the first century A.D.

“We have seen how people around the world can enhance their knowledge and understanding of key historical events by accessing documents and collections online,” stated Yossi Matias, the managing director of Google’s Israeli Research and Development Center.

“We hope to make all existing knowledge in historical archives and collections available to all, including helping to put additional Dead Sea Scroll documents online.”

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A new study of Evangelical Christians in the United Kingdom showed recently that more than half of total respondents support the Allied intercession in Libya, but three-fourths were against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The study, Does Belief Touch Society? was conducted by the Evangelical Alliance and Christian Research, to help provide a more comprehensive profile of U.K. Evangelical Christians in the 21^st century.

The survey was conducted online with over 1,000 Christian respondents hailing from various denominations including Charismatics, Methodists, Anglicans, Free Evangelicals, Pentecostals and the Church of Scotland.

The study follows up the breakthrough 21^st Century Evangelicals Survey conducted last year with some 17,000 respondents. Both studies are designed to look into Evangelicals’ behavior, habits, practices and beliefs.

Steve Clifford, general director of Evangelical Alliance said in the study’s introduction, “We hope that this report, by holding up a mirror, will inspire us to seek — and be certain of — God’s truth in our lives and our communities.”

Demographics

The respondents to the study are a balanced representation gender-wise and come from a wide range of churches. However, limitations to the study are the under-representation of ethnic minorities and youth. Most respondents are highly educated. Because of the study’s limitations, only raw figures were presented.

The study’s validity lies in its contribution to the unfolding of a full census of U.K. evangelicals that may, in due time, provide a more nationally-representative demographic.

Findings revealed the following:

Faith

Most evangelicals overwhelmingly prescribe to the central Christian belief of Jesus’ death for the sins of all men and his resurrection. Furthermore:

• 99 percent believe the message of the cross changed their lives.
• 91 percent believe Jesus rose with a physical body from the dead.
• 85 percent strongly believe that Christians have eternal life.
• 82 percent strongly believe the resurrection shapes how they live now.
• 78 percent strongly believe that they will have eternal life after they die.

Practice:

•  95 percent went to church on Easter Sunday, but only 65% went to church on Good Friday.
• 57 percent go to churches that participated in inter-church activities during Easter.
• 41 percent participated in an evangelical activity over Easter.
• 23 percent visited friends, family, or went on holiday during Easter.

Public life

The study showed that most respondents are active participants in public life, with one-fourth of the total being trustees in a registered charity, nine percent serving as school governors, and four in 100 being with a political party. Nine out of 10 respondents voted in the AV referendum (compared to the national turnout of 42 percent).

Clifford said, of the findings, “There is much to celebrate in this report. Evangelical Christians are not bystanders. We are actively involved in our communities. But yet we must also rise to the challenge presented to us by some of these figures.”

To download the complete study, go to http://www.eauk.org/snapshot/does-belief-touch-society.cfm.

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John Stott, 90, a key figure in the resurgence of 20^th century British evangelism, died on July 27, 2011, from complications of old age.

Stott, who was ill for many weeks, died in the presence of family and close friends while listening to Handel’s Messiah. He was a lifelong bachelor who played a pioneer role in refashioning evangelicalism in the 20th century.

He authored the bestseller, Basic Christianity, which was translated into some 60 languages. Of 40 books that he wrote, others are Issues Facing Christians Today (1984), and The Contemporary Christian (1992).

He was committed to “[relating] the ancient Word to the modern world,” Baptist Press said. Stott is a founder of the Lausanne Covenant.

Stott, who graduated with highest honors in Cambridge in French and theology, is known for his special gift for grasping the meaning of the Bible and explaining the scriptures clearly to all types of people.

From the start he was passionate about evangelism, and even in University ran Scripture Union camps during the holidays which were strongly evangelistic in nature.

In 1945 he was ordained in the Church of England, and became rector in 1950 even as the church was damaged by the war. He distinguished himself as a Bible teacher and expositor, and built a reputation as an evangelist.

In 1950 evangelicalism had little influence in the Christian world, but Stott spurred its growth globally. In his church, All Souls, he led many to Jesus Christ and taught church members how to evangelize.

All Souls, an inner city church, had a mix of indigent and wealthy church members. Stott unified both sides through evangelism. In time he became a popular speaker at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship evangelistic campaigns in many British universities, especially Oxford and Cambridge; and later, North America and the Commonwealth.

Stott fostered organizations that encouraged young evangelical priests, and organized many evangelical conferences. His skill in clearly explaining the Bible with great depth was a tool in his success.

Stott was passionate about the Bible and how it could shape life. Through his works, a generation gained renewed faith from Scripture. He showed that simple Christianity could appeal to everyone, and transformed British evangelism into a major movement.

Stott came to know Billy Graham when the latter first came to England in 1946 and through the years their friendship grew and was pivotal to the founding of the Lausanne Covenant in 1974.

Stott chaired the drafting committee and is recognized as its chief architect. That year, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association convened an International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The congress was significant in showing that churches around the world can work together. It also helped leaders to recognize that social concern and preaching the gospel could not be done separately.

Stott said, “The Great Commission neither explains, nor exhausts, nor supersedes the Great Commandment. What it does is to add to the command of neighbor-love and neighbor-service a new and urgent Christian dimension. If we truly love our neighbor, we shall without doubt tell him the Good News of Jesus. But equally, if we truly love our neighbor, we shall not stop there,” Christianity Today reported.

“[Stott] imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior,” Benjamin Homan, president of John Stott Ministries, told Christianity Today.

A spokesman for Billy Graham told Christianity Today, “The evangelical world has lost one of its greatest spokesmen, and I have lost one of my close personal friends and advisers. I look forward to seeing him again when I go to heaven.”

R. Albert Mohler Jr., president, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary told Baptist Press, “You cannot explain English-speaking evangelicalism in the 20^th century without crucial reference to the massive influence of John Stott.

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church told BP, “I flew to the U.K.recently just to pray for him and sit by his bed. What a giant! [He was] one of my closest mentors.”

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A Bible that once belonged to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow escaped damage recently from a fire that ravaged a church in Maine that was over a century old.

The Bible, which contained the signature of the 19^th century poet, was donated by Longfellow to the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick, which occupied the church in 1885. It also contains an inscription to the church, The Times Record said.

The fire was blamed on electrical wiring that emanated from a back hallway’s light switch, according to WMTV.

Longfellow gave the Bible to the church in 1878. At the time, he was a professor at Bowdoin College, according to WMTV.

The Bible was kept in a case made of glass and wood, and was placed in front of the sanctuary. A framed photograph of Longfellow which hung above the case also evaded damage.

Longfellow belonged to a church that preceded Unitarian Universalist. Firefighters were able to save the historic Bible that the poet gave to the church in 1878, according to The Times Record.

The fire was reported by a passerby at about 1 a.m. last Monday, the AP said. Within minutes, some 60 firefighters responded, but the fire had already spread to two floors from the back of the church.

The firefighters came from Freeport, Topsham, Bath, Brunswick and West Bath. The fire lasted for two hours. By 4 a.m. the roof was charred and the floor was covered in a mesh of water and ash, The Times Record said.

Fire Chief Ken Brilliant told The Times Record, “[The fire] was all the way up through the gable end. We had a hard time (reaching hot spots) because of the cathedral ceiling and an attic space we couldn’t get to.”

Brad Mitchell, a former minister, told WMTV that the Bible is a part of history, and that the morale of the community has gotten a boost in knowing that it has been preserved.

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The Orthodox Christian Church of Cyprus thanked recently singer Boy George, formerly of the Culture Club band, for returning an ancient icon of Jesus Christ that had been missing for some 40 years.

George, 49, had bought the 18^th century icon from a London art dealer in 1985 and didn’t know that it had been stolen from St. Charalambous church in Neo Chorio, near Kithrea, during the Turkish invasion in 1974, The Daily Mail said.

George returned the 300-year-old icon, which for some 25 years was part of his art collection, after he was shown proof of its origin, according to the AP.

The ancient painting was spotted by a church bishop when the singer was featured on Dutch TV for a documentary television program about him. The artifact hung in the background, above the fireplace, in the singer’s Hampstead, north London gothic mansion, The Guardian said.

Brussels-based Bishop Porfyrios, who only caught a glimpse of the painting in the TV program, did some research and discovered its origin. After he verified his information with a St. Charalambous priest, he contacted George, The Daily Mail said.

Porfyrios told the AP, “Before this, I had no idea who Boy George was. He was positive about returning the icon.” According to The Daily Mail, George was glad to return the painting to where it belonged without seeking any payment for it.

George personally handed the artifact over to Porfyrios in St. Anagyre church, north London, The Guardian said. Porfyrios expressed “joy and gratitude” at receiving the relic, and said George “contributed to the efforts of the Church of Cyprus for the repatriation of its stolen spiritual treasures.”

In return, the bishop gave George a modern icon of the Jesus Christ Pantokrator artifact “with the wish that others soon follow his example,” according to The Daily Mail.

Archbishop Chrysostomos II, head of the Cyprus church, also expressed appreciation for George saying, “The moment he learned that the icon was stolen, I think that he did right to return it to the Church of Cyprus to which it belongs. We thank him and if he ever comes to Cyprus, we will certainly welcome him,” the AP reported.

According to the AP, icons, mosaics and scores of other church artifacts were stolen from Cypriot churches in Greece after Turkey invaded the northern part of the country. Many of the pieces later emerged on the international art market.

The Cypriot church has been trying to recover the relicss, with its biggest recovery being several valuable sixth century mosaics, the AP said.

According to the AP, The apostle Paul is believed to have preached the gospel in the Cypriot island in A.D. 45, and was responsible for the conversion of its Roman governor, Sergius Paulus.

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A historian in Italy said recently that the great-grandmother of Jesus could have been St. Ismeria.

Dr. Catherine Lawless, a professor of art and religious devotion from the University of Limerick, reached this conclusion after studying medieval manuscripts from the 14^th and 15^th centuries in Florence, Italy, the Toronto Star reported.

The documents were often overlooked or discounted by scholars, Lawless told the Toronto Star, and never received popular belief. “It’s a legend-a story-it has no origins in [bible] scripture or doctrine,” she said.

Neither is it known who wrote the legend. Lawless told the Toronto Star, “Some manuscripts like these ones were written or copied in monastic scriptoria, some were handed down as family heirlooms or lent between friends and copied in that way. We have no known author for this legend.”

However, Lawless believes the author could have come from Tuscany and may have been a layperson. The story may have been used to encourage charitable widowhood among the many hospitals in Florence, Discovery News said.

Lawless’ account is published in the Journal of Medieval History. Ismeria, who became a saint after her death, is mentioned as the grandmother of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Lawless told the Toronto Star this is stated only in the two documents she studied.

More commonly Ismeria is considered to be the aunt of Mary, particularly in the Golden Legend by the Dominican Jacobus de Voragine which he compiled in the 13^th century. The bible only mentions Mary’s paternal line, the Toronto Star said.

Lawless, quoting the two ancient manuscripts she studied, said Ismeria is the daughter of Nabon, from the tribe of King David. She married Santo Liseo and bore a daughter, Anne, who is the mother of Mary, the Toronto Star said.

After Ismeria’s husband died she moved, penniless, to a hospital where she miraculously filled an empty shell with fish that was used to feed the hospital’s patients, according to legend, the Toronto Star said.

Historical significance

While the story of Ismeria may not have any scriptural value, it does lend a view towards the cultural and religious life in Florence in the 14^th century. Also, it marks a change in belief because before then, sanctity was considered to be earned through martyrdom, Discovery News said.

Lawless says the shift may have occurred because most of the martyrs were killed in the fourth century. Also, the belief in purgatory came about–a place between heaven and hell to further repent for sins. Through penitence and good works one could lessen one’s time in purgatory, Discovery News said.

When Ismeria died, the Virgin Mary was informed by a hospital rector, the legend says. She, Jesus, the 12 apostles, Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome and Mary Cleophas then go to the hospital, Discovery News reported.

The sources for the legend of Ismeria are found in the 15^th century MS 1052 in the Riccardiana Library and the 14^th century MS Panciatichiano 40 in Florence’s National Central Library, Discovery News said.

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Muslims torched recently 10 Coptic Christian homes in a town in southern Egypt because they were enraged by a rumor that a Coptic Christian man and a Muslim girl were dating.

The incident occurred in Al Nawahiz, a small town some 289 miles south of Cairo. This is the second violent incident between Muslims and Christians in Egypt amid rising tensions, according to The National.

Quoting authorities, BBC News said the village has been cordoned off.  They said the incident is a symptom of a continual rise in tensions between Muslims and Christians, with both sides in fear of being attacked by each other.

The police have arrested a number of suspects and have also taken the Muslim girl and the Christian man into custody. The two had been seen together by locals in a cemetery, The Christian Post reported.

Historically, Muslims and Christians have lived together peacefully, sharing the same neighborhoods and going to the same schools. However recently with marked sectarian tensions Christians are moving into All-Christian schools and neighborhoods in increasing number.

The tension is blamed on Muslim extremist groups. In January, in a drive-by shooting, gunmen fired at Christians in Nag Hammadi as they were coming out of church after a service, leaving six dead and nine injured, The Christian Post said.

According to local sources, the gunmen were trying to target Bishop Kirollos of the Nag Hammadi diocese, because he publicly defended Coptic Christians in November after a Muslim riot, The Christian Post reported.

The Muslim riot, which occurred in November 2009, was sparked by claims that a Christian man had raped a Muslim girl. Coptic Christians said the Muslims fabricated the story to justify the attack, which destroyed 65 shops and caused $1 million in damage. In Farshoot town, rioters ransacked 80 percent of Coptic businesses, according to The Christian Post.

Coptic Christians have also reported that there are inequalities in terms of economic opportunities, government positions and education, The Christian Post said. Human rights groups have scored the government’s failure to adequately deal with the sectarian violence, even as the government claims that Christians have the same rights as Muslims, The National said.

The Apostle Mark brought Christianity to Egypt in the first century. In the seventh century, Islam was brought to the country and is now the majority faith, with Christians comprising only 10 percent of the population.

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Plans are afoot to display the alleged remains of St. John the Baptist in the favorite church of the people of Sozopol in southeastern Bulgaria.

Upon the order of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, a plan has been designed by finance minister Simeon Djankov to conserve and exhibit the relics at the church of saints Cyril and Methodius.

Also slated for display are a piece of the Holy Cross which Borissov donated to the town; and the relics of St. Andrew Protokletos, which were given to the town by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Standart said.

The church has been undergoing repairs for years and is still raising funds for its complete restoration. When completed, the display of the three holy objects will make it the most sacred place in the country and in Balkans, Standart said.

The remains of St. John were discovered while archaeologists were excavating the fifth century Monastery of John the Forerunner and the Baptist on Sveti Ivan island in the Black Sea, CNN said.

Also discovered on the site were several artifacts. However the marble reliquary (a relic urn) was built into the church altar and bore the name of St. John the Baptist.

The reliquary, shaped like a sarcophagus, was found by a team under Prof. Kazmir Popkonstantinov. It is made of alabaster and dates to the fifth century when the monastery was first built.

At that time the southern coast of the Black Sea fell under the Byzantine Empire which was ruled by Byzantium–now Istanbul, Turkey. This is the first reliquary to be discovered in the area.

It is believed the Byzantine church may have donated the relics to the monastery. Another of several sites which claim to have relics of John the Baptist is the Topkapi Palace museum in Istanbul.

The Monastery of John the Forerunner and the Baptist became a major Christian center in the area as indicated by a two-year excavation done on the site after 1985. The excavation revealed a library, several monastic cells, a royal residence and a portion of a fortified wall with a gate, The Sofia Echo said.

The reliquary was opened by Popkonstantinov on August 1 in a ceremony in Sozopol that was attended by several dignitaries including the Bishop of Sliven, Bozhidar Dimitrov who heads Bulgaria’s National History Museum, and government minister Yoanikii. Inside was a skull, a hand and a tooth, CNN said.

The Bible says that John the Baptist was beheaded on the orders of Herod Antipas. In his lifetime he prophesied the birth of Jesus and baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. He is a very significant figure in the Orthodox Church.

Further tests are pending. However Greek inscriptions on the sarcophagus indicate the birth date of the Baptist, which the Orthodox Church recognizes as June 24.

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