The mystery of the plan...
Illustration
The mystery of the plan that the gospel might be spread beyond the covenant people to the whole Gentile world continues to expand in our own day. Philip Jenkins, in an article in the Christian Century magazine titled "Religion by the numbers," argues that by 2050 Africa's Christians will outnumber Europe's by more than two to one.
Jenkins explains: "Take the continent of Africa. In 1900, Africa had around 100 million people, or 6% of the global population. In 2005, the number of Africans reached 1 billion, or 15% of humanity. By 2050, Africa's population will be between 2 billion and 2.25 billion, which will then be about a quarter of the world's people… By that time about a third of the world's Christians will be African, and those African Christians will outnumber Europe's by more than two to one. The Christian world will have turned upside down."
Jenkins explains: "Take the continent of Africa. In 1900, Africa had around 100 million people, or 6% of the global population. In 2005, the number of Africans reached 1 billion, or 15% of humanity. By 2050, Africa's population will be between 2 billion and 2.25 billion, which will then be about a quarter of the world's people… By that time about a third of the world's Christians will be African, and those African Christians will outnumber Europe's by more than two to one. The Christian world will have turned upside down."
