When the U.S. government imagines the global future, the term BRIC features prominently. The concept was created in 2001 when researchers at Goldman Sachs identified four critical emerging powers””Brazil, Russia, India and China. By 2050, claimed these experts, the BRIC powers would be challenging the U.S. for worldwide economic supremacy. U.S. officials have taken this forecast very seriously. Hillary Clinton recently listed these four “major and emerging global powers” as vital partners in any future attempts to solve the world’s problems.
The BRIC theory has political, strategic and military implications, but it also raises intriguing questions about the world’s religious future. The BRICs will be the scene of intense debates about faith and practice””about coexistence and rivalry between different faiths; about the proper relationship between religion and state power; and, conceivably, about the use of religious rhetoric to justify an imperial expansion.
I was not aware that Brazil could be considered to be in the same economic league as Russia, India, and China. I’ll have to get my head wrapped around that somehow.
Regarding Asia, the article says this: [blockquote] the Asian BRICs are not going to “go Christian,” at least not in our lifetimes. [/blockquote] I do not accept this premise, at least for China. First, I am not sure that the statistics given for Christianity in China take full account of the current size of the underground churches.
Second, the forecast of “steady growth” definitely does not take them into account. Steady growth is the mark of a mature church which has not yet settled into complacency. It certainly is not a characteristic of the underground churches. The two sets of churches that I know of, supported by two quite different American sets of churches, are experiencing explosive growth, and the stateside support teams are scrambling to keep up with the entirely indigenously-driven growth. These will not emerge onto the radar screen for another 10 years or so.
Third, China is due for a vast cultural change, and is becoming ripe for a Christian takeover. The sudden explosion of a free market economy and the pervasive, unstoppable influence of the internet have only begun to have their effects. Modern China has lost its central motivating force–Maoism–and the replacements for that central life are still in their formative stages. Tiananmen Square will not be forgotten, nor are its failures likely to be repeated.
I would not forecast a majority Christian component in China anytime soon. But I would contend that within a generation, Christianity will be a potent force to be dealt with in the spiritual life of China, and will be a formidable contender in the political sphere.
I am not aware of any similar explosive growth in India, although that may be more a function of where I have been than where they may be. The churches that I am aware of–outside the mainline denominations–are mature churches experiencing steady growth. Notwithstanding that, the Tamil ethnic group is currently a fertile field.
#1: Having traveled to all of these countries, first – believe the hype about Brazil. Brazil has a larger GDP than India and (depending on the index used) Russia. Their government responded very effectively to the economic crisis, which has resulting in a continuation of growth there. While the wealth gap between rich and poor continues to grow (and will get much worse before it gets better), Brazil will emerge to play a major role as these countries cooperate economically.
In terms of the Chinese church, his wide range on adherents is likely accurate on the high end of the scale (~100 million), including reliable estimates of the underground. Keep it mind the sizeable Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu minorities that continue to grow in certain regions of China. Also, while the memory of Tinanmen lives in the Western mind, the Chinese government has been extrodinarily effective in keeping cultural divisiveness to a minimum. While the economy grows in China, do not expect major change. People are too happy with the money rolling in to shake the boat too much. I am afraid that we will likely not see Chinese Christianity be a major force, particularly on the political side, in my lifetime.
Thanks for the input, rorymccorkle. I have only second-hand although reliable, information. Much of the growth of which I am aware is among those previously considered unreached people-groups. The Chinese base is now being used as a springboard to evangelize Mongolia. Mongolia! And from an even less-expected quarter, the most dedicated underground leadership in Pakistan comes from the same groups producing the Taliban, with one of our senior leaders being a former Talib. We are seeing spontaneous outbreaks of Christianity that cannot be attributed to Western-style evangelism. The Holy Spirit blows where it wist.