Church Growth

A Brazilian apologist has said that a recent report released by BBC Brazil on April 27 grossly overestimates the number of members attending "all-inclusive" churches in the country. The report focused on churches willing to overlook traditional biblical teachings on homosexuality, and stated that the 10 "all-inclusive" congregations had a combined total of about 10,000 members.

However, apologist and founder of the Institute for Religious Research (INPR), Johnny Bernardo, has reviewed the figures himself and stated on his website that the BBC's report grossly "exaggerated" the number of members in the rogue churches. According to Bernardo's calculations the 10 liberal churches have no more than 4,500 members in total.

Bernardo has told The Christian Post that according to his research there are only two main gay congregations in Brazil; the Metropolitan Community Church (ICM), which has six branches that are concentrated in major cities and towns in Brazil, and has approximately 1,400 members; and the Contemporary Christian Church (ICC), which is concentrated in the State of Rio de Janeiro, and has approximately 1,000 members. more >>

The United Methodist Church is set for some notable restructuring after a vote during the denomination's 2012 General Conference determined that representation of the UMC should be increased in Africa, Europe and Asia – a decision that may help counter the body's dwindling membership in the U.S.

Mark Tooley, President of the Institute on Religion & Democracy who is attending the conference taking place from April 24 to May 4 in Tampa, Fla., called the vote "historic."

"Significantly, representation on church agency boards will increase from 10 percent to over 30 percent, reflecting overseas growth. U.S. church membership has fallen to 7.5 million from 11 million 44 years ago. The overseas membership, almost all of it in Africa, is now 4.5 million and fast climbing," Tooley shared in a statement emailed to The Christian Post. more >>

A decennial census of U.S. religions in America was released Tuesday by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB). The results show a dramatic increase in the number of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, and Muslims, a modest increase in the number of evangelical Protestants, and a drop in the number of Catholics and mainline Protestants.

Muslims saw the greatest growth rate among the five main religious groups studied. Their numbers increased by 66.7 percent in the 2010 census from a decade earlier. Latter-day Saints saw the next highest growth at 45.5 percent, followed by evangelical Protestants at only 1.7 percent. The number of Catholics decreased by five percent and the number of mainline Protestants decreased by 12.8 percent.

Notably, when combined, nondenominational and independent churches are now the largest faith group, with over 12 million adherents, according to the report. more >>

Churches willing to overlook traditional scriptural beliefs with regards to homosexuality are experiencing growth in Brazil, according to a new report. However, they are being criticized by evangelical and Catholic Churches in the country as watering down scripture, with one apologist even calling them an "apostasy."

According to the BBC the study reveals that there are at least 10 different congregations that now accept and welcome homosexuality as a normal lifestyle. These churches, combined, have in excess of 10,000 registered attendants in the country, according to the BBC.

The churches are concentrated mainly in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, and statistics reveal that they are comprised of mostly homosexuals. The growth of these gay activist churches commenced when some felt the Church's traditional teachings that homosexuality is a sin, was not "inclusive." So they set up churches to cater for those who wish to believe the church should accept homosexuality as a standard acceptable lifestyle. more >>

An evangelical group is promoting "Internet Evangelism Day," a day meant to spread awareness of the value social media and the Internet in advancing the Gospel.

Created by the Internet Evangelism Coalition and sponsored in part by Global Media Outreach, IE Day will be observed this coming Sunday.

"I think the Internet has become absolutely vital for evangelism for a range of reasons," Tony Whittaker, Internet Evangelism Day Coordinator in the United Kingdom, told The Christian Post. He noted that the Internet "is usually the first port of call for any area of information or need." more >>

In his new book, Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat argues that orthodox American Christianity has weakened since the 1950s to be replaced by a number of heresies, both conservative and liberal. This "bad religion" has resulted in adverse consequences for American society, politics and culture.

In a Thursday interview with The Christian Post, Douthat talked more about his thesis, responded to some criticisms, and discussed how his diverse Christian upbringing (charismatic, evangelical and Catholic) helped inform the book.

The following is an edited transcript of that conversation: more >>