Why don’t Italians know the Gospel?
Posted by Drew | Filed under General
One of the things I often say as I share about what compels me to Italy is that the average Italian, if he wants to know truth about God, does not have access to someone who will offer that truth in a clear and relevant manner. I often hesitate to make that comment without a thorough explanation or at least answering questions. The perception is that while most Italians don’t attend church, the churches which can be found throughout every city in Italy are still operating and still teaching God’s Word. Well… not exactly. These churches are still in operation - most of them. But most Italians would not find answers there. That statement also needs explaining. They wouldn’t find answers because of 2 reasons, and the most common reason is no fault of the church. Most Italians have simply concluded for themselves, for a variety of reasons, that the church does not have the right ideas about God. Past errors such as political corruption from the days when the church was the government, the Crusades, or more recent crimes involving immorality on the part of the priest in their home church. So the first reason may or may not be valid, but the second reason would validate the first, though not in ever case. The second reason is that some churches simply do not teach a clear or even accurate Gospel. I’m not clear on how the teaching varies from church to church because I have not been to a lot of Catholic churches, but I have talked with a lot of Catholic Italians. And it is clear that some congregations are more doctrinally sound than others. or at least, some churches emphasize certain teachings that parishoners perceive in such a way that would cause an outsider to believe that the church is actually teaching false doctrines. For example, I honestly believe that for many churches, if you were to only study the practical faith of the church members, you would conclude that Mary is the central figure of Christianity. More than one Italian student has suggested to me that Mary is the third person of the Trinity. That’s an extreme example, but from my perspective, it confirms that Italians are not guaranteed to hear clear truth about God by going to a church.
That’s why we are in Italy. We as outsiders are there because we want Italians to know God, and we believe that necessarily will result in worship. But Italians will hear the Gospel from another Italian more than they will from a foreigner. That’s why we are praying that God would raise up Italian leaders, and that they will begin taking truth to the rest of Italy, so that it can no longer be said that Italians don’t have access to clear and meaningful truth about who God is.
Italy for Allah?
Posted by Drew | Filed under General
I wanted to add some content here about why ministry in Italy is compelling. The following is from my January support letter.
Here’s something that I think is especially compelling (compelling because it’s so sobering). It involves the apparent cultural direction of the European continent. This information comes from research done by Josh McDowell, who made the statement that by the end of this century, Europe will be a Muslim continent. The cause will not be Islamic evangelism, but the stark contrast between population growth between European countries, and their neighboring Muslim nations. Actually, it’s population growth versus population decline. And Italy has one of the sharpest declines in Europe.
I don’t know if anything can be done to prevent this cultural transformation. But it may not have to coincide with a spiritual transformation. I’m confident that the Christian church in today’s Italy will offer very little resistance to the flourishing of the Muslim faith of any immigrants. But what I believe could happen is that a growing church that is clearly alive and bearing fruit will prove more appealing to the land’s newcomers than the religious traditions of their home country.
But if the church is to become alive by the end of the century, I believe it must begin to change today. That’s why we are in Italy. That’s what we are partnering together to do. Please continue to pray for the Italians, and pray with urgency that God would move and build His church so that Italians would truly believe and truly worship.
Thank you for playing a role in this very important and strategic ministry. Your work in prayer and financial support is essential. And I am very grateful.
