Why Western Christian Culture Will Triumph

Can Western Christian culture triumph?

The eminent historian Tom Holland was asked recently if western civilization was dying? His immediate answer was, “I don’t know.” Then he suggests three future possibilities. First, the secular, progressive society will maintain itself without Christian faith. Society will take the values it inherited from Christianity and maintain them even though they no longer believe in Christianity. Second, the values of the ancient world will be re-enshrined. Weakness will be condemned and power, and glamour, and swagger will be praised. This would be the eradication of Christian civilization, something that the Nazis, Nietzsche, and the modern Progressive Left prefer. Third, Holland suggests, people will recognize you cannot have Christian values without Christian beliefs. There will be a return to the value of Christianity. He sees it as a current trend. And then he admits that any of the three might happen. But he admitted, “I am not a prophet like Isaiah.”

My own view: You cannot have Christian culture without Christian belief in Christian doctrine. That’s how the culture was built and that is how it will be sustained. And I think that Holland’s third scenario—the resurrection of Christian belief—is the most likely to happen. I think Christianity will become more dominant in the West in future. Here’s why:

1.                         We currently are still dominated by Christian culture.  Even the Progressive Left—as Holland suggests—retain many Christian beliefs even if they do not know they are Christian. Recently, I was with my physical therapist and she asked me what I did. I said I was a college professor who specialized in the impact of Christianity on culture. She said she really didn’t get religion. I said, “Yes, you do.” I asked her, do you oppose human trafficking? Of course. That’s the influence of Christianity on your values. I asked her if she was married. Again, yes. I asked her if she expected her husband to be faithful to her. She gave a startled look then said, absolutely. I said that’s the influence of Christian culture. Christianity has created the only culture in the history of mankind that restrains male sexual behavior. The Progressive left believes in the equality of all humans. They are committed to social justice for all people. These are exclusively Christian ideas. They come straight from the Bible; Genesis 1:27 to be specific. And I could cite many others. So even though we call our culture post-Christian, it is still very Christian in many, many ways.

2.                         We are back to my favorite word, demography. Christians have far more children than the secular Progressives. Ryan Burge recently had a graph showing that Atheists and Agnostics—most of whom are politically on the Left--have only half as many children as Protestant Evangelical Christians—who are mostly to the right. One generation from now there will be millions more people who grew up in Christian, not secular, homes. Just look at how that would affect elections. In the 2020 election a change of one tenth of one percent of the voters in three states would have caused the election to have a different outcome. What would three percent or five percent have done? Make no mistake, children tend to vote like their parents. This is why the Left is ferociously trying to hang on to their control of education. They have to to maintain their power.

3.                         Immigration. Christianity may be experiencing a decline in the West but not in the rest of the world. Africa, Latin America, and Asia are seeing huge, spectacular revivals of Christian faith. You ask, how does that affect us? Enormously.  Millions of serious Christians are pouring into Europe and the rest of the West. Many are vibrant and aggressive and will be a powerful force for Christian culture. A recent article in the secular British publication, Unherd, asked, What is the most religious city in England? It is London by far. Why? Hundreds of thousands of Christian immigrants. Kingsway Christian Center in London currently runs 12,000 in worship on Sunday mornings at its main campus. I was recently preaching in Laramie, Wyoming, and we had a Nigerian couple attend our services. I had lunch with them afterwards. They said they loved our church because it was small—there were about 35 in attendance. I asked how many attended their services at home in Nigeria. The wife paused for a moment then said, “About 50,000.” She showed me a picture of her church auditorium. It looked like a giant basketball arena. They filled it four times on Sunday. It amazes me how the Progressive Left thinks the Africans don’t matter. But boy do they ever. They have more children than anyone else in the world, by far. And they are the bearers of Christian civilization and will sustain Western culture.

4.                         The Progressive Left will be weakened because education is undergoing a revolution in the West, especially the United States. The Left depends on controlling education and their grip is loosening. Ten states have passed voucher laws giving parents money to go to any school of their choice. Many will choose to put their children in non-public schools where they will not be indoctrinated with left-wing ideas. Colleges and universities are rebelling against the woke administrators in their schools. New colleges and universities are being started. Many will be successful. Homeschooling has doubled in the last five years. All this portends big changes for our culture.

5.                         Christianity’s preeminent religious competitor is weak. The Progressive Left is a weak religion and everywhere it has been the state religion it has failed. Marxist ideology does not make one a better person; it has no ability to change people’s lives. Leftists have low levels of commitment to their cult. They do not sacrifice for their ideals. I have asked them directly what they have given up to achieve their ideological goals. The answer is always essentially nothing. The Christian faith for two thousand years has produced millions of followers of Jesus Christ who are willing to give up everything to follow him. Millions sacrifice daily to serve and be witnesses for Christ. The Holy Spirit is continuing to produce people of enormous commitment. Our competitor is weak. We are strong.

6.                         God Himself will respond to the prayers of millions of Christians, pour out His Holy Spirit, and bring a powerful revival to the West. Christianity creates new men and women. It transforms them into extraordinarily productive human beings. Richard Wurmbrand said by their fruits ye shall know them. Christ turns men into saints. Marx turns them into murderers.

So rejoice and be hopeful. Our God is still in control and will triumph. And may He bless in a mighty way.

More: Holland’s lecture raising the three possibilities for the future: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDa4vpkNKeQ&t=0s

Ryan Burge: Atheists Don’t Have Many Kids; https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/atheists-just-dont-have-many-kids?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

Ross Douthat, Does God control history? 

John Gray on Christianity’s contribution to Western culture: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/november-web-only/john-gray-liberalism-new-leviathans.html

What can save civilization?

Is a Christian revival underway?

The decline of Christianity is followed by terrifying new gods: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ar-BB1kZdRj

C.S. Lewis, the prophet: https://wng.org/opinions/a-prophetic-voice-rings-out-1700652470

Gerard Baker; The New World Order is Crumbling Around Us; https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-new-moral-order-is-already-crumbling-climate-europe-immigration-australia-25d21439