Major problems Facing Christianity Essay

All orbit godlinesss face unprecedented propagation in the 21st century. The challenges be diverse and do non reserve easy solutions. The modern world has seen an amalgamation of global value systems and a similar confluence of socio-political ideologies and philosophies because of advances in information technology and the increased mobility make possible by modern day technology. It is feasible to find a representative of all the world major religions in all(prenominal) country.This has meant that the eucharist of each religion is no longer a mystical return left for the convents and monasteries, only when has become one that can be tardily and readily scrutinized and compared with alternatives which by the way do not call for to be religious. In considering these challenges, those that affect Christianity can represent to a fair gunpoint the struggles the separates are facing and can provide a platform for the backchat of these impels. Christianity is by design an expansionist religion. Jesus sent out his disciples with the take out command to evangelize all the nations.It is and so the core duty of both Christian to spread the combine. Globalization is probably the most significant force affecting world religions, both serving and limiting the. Many technological changes took place in the closing half of the 20th century epitomized by the rise of the internet symbolizes the rise of the global village. Substantial changes include increase ease of commercial travel by jets and high-speed trains, efficient environ systems and goodly radios, the television slew and a very efficient and diversified print and electronic media.The world has enjoyed many benefits because of these and indeed, even Christianity has had powerful tools to take its message across the world. Many a televangelist and bible teachers go on air in daily or weekly broadcasts, both(prenominal) with a global audience. Taped messages are downloadable from the internet as podcasts. eve if it is not possible to get the message in real time, it cadaver available for anyone to get it and watch or listen to it at their convenience.As commercial empires have grown into multinationals, so have efficient deliverance networks, which instantly ensure the timely delivery of CDs and videodisks, magazines and bare-assedspapers to a global audience. However, these bureau for dissemination of information have not been available to just the Christian enterprise, they have also available to other establishments that have competing interests, usually commercial, and at quantify ideological that have engaged them to good effect. A Christian watching television is not completely watching popular televangelists preach the gospel, but at the comfortable constringe of a remote button, can watch virtually anything else.These options do not always complement the message heard but at times even go against the Christian value system. A Christian wherefore is un der immense pressure to conform to the prevailing world attend, as he does not live in a shielded Christian community, but rather in an information razzmatazz for which he has to sift by consistently, if he is to retain and spread the Christian message. As Smart (2000) puts it, level if each tradition stays true to its own message, it leave behind have to operate in a context of this federal world civilization. Secularization, which is a force to reckon with, has made it more difficult to proselytize.Faith is regarded as a personal issue and hence attempts to discuss trustfulness in non-Christian settings with the hope of making disciples have become an uncomfortable, if not offensive undertaking. Decisions somewhat what faith to ascribe to are made personally and increasingly, privately. After all, isnt Christianity just one of the options? As Smart (2000) explains, Making religion a private matter can also lead to a religions becoming just a minor element in a total fabric o f living. Smart (2000) adds, Just as a person belongs to the golf club, so that person may marriage a church.New age thinking has also made its err on Christianity. Christianity claims exclusivity of access to salvation, and an exclusive personal God. One of the key new age values is tolerance to all religious beliefs and belief systems. Christianity therefrom finds itself in a place where it must find a means of relating with the rest of the world religions, violating the fundamental belief in a superstar way to salvation. In addition, some of the practices of other religions meet the Christian threshold for classification as idolatry. This just serves to multiply the points of conflict.Further on, the modern world, oddly those parts where democracy is dominant, acceptance in matters such as crotchet is encouraged. This becomes a difficult undertaking for a traditional Christian, as it is torment for them to reconcile the practice of the Christian faith with homosexuality a nd therefore entrust demand a renouncement of the practice of homosexuality before Christian fellowship can commence. Another area of difficulty for the Christian faith has been the place of women in leadership. Feministic influence has pervaded traditional Christian leadership set up where formal overall leadership was the preserve of men.The Catholic church still holds to this ideal, while the Anglican Communion has opened its priesthood in women. Protestant congregations and denominations seem to have much more flexibility in the matter, with a large number of women pastors and bishops, in some cases as the overall thinker of a denomination. Radicalization of faith has brought its share of problems to the world in general. Smart (2000) says, otherwise sects are, in principle or in practice, at odds with society, and prove to change it radically, possibly by rebellion and upheaval. Many people view Christianity as a western religion.Those who have any disagreements with the west therefore consider Christianity as a legitimate representative of the west. In countries where Christians are in the minority, militant religious fundamentalists have attacked them or their institutions as penalize against the west. State control has also had its punch at the Christian faith. closely of the lovingist states such as the former USSR and China have had a very rigid stance against religion in general and Christianity has suffered as one of them. In others, proselytizing is illegal and attracts severe penalty. The spread of the Christian faith remains impeded thus.The Christian message along with that of other world religions has become more difficult to sell in a worldly-minded society. People do not see why they should wait for a coming glory when they can have the good life now made possible by modernization, which has generally increased the living standards in the world, most pronounced in the western world. Then again, the new forms of social and economic organization promised a richer life here and now (Smart, 2000, p. 138) It will be interesting to see how Christianity evolves in the coming age when each of these forces will have had sufficient time to unleash their full impact.