2.6 Billion Expected to be Christian by 2020, says Study

Aimee Herd : Jul 22, 2013
Jessica Martinez – Christian Post

"Christianity is also expected to continue to grow quickly in Asia, rising from 4.5 percent in 1970 to 9.2 percent in 2020. Likewise, Christians in Africa are expected to increase from 38.7 percent in 1970 to 49.3 percent in the 2020." –Christian Post Report

A new study done by the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary is projecting that by 2020, 2.6 billion people will be Christian, according to their research.

The report is titled, "Christianity in Its Global Context, 1970-2010."

Director of the Center, Todd Johnson, warned that while 2.6 billion seems like a large figure, it also depicts a decline in Christian faith in both North America and Europe.

"Secularization is strong here, but it's far more pervasive in Europe. People are now choosing for themselves instead of following a religion established by a state or a country," Johnson told the Christian Post.

The report showed that Christianity in Europe rose from 75 percent to 78.6 percent in 2010, which was attributed for the most part, to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, but that the faith is expected to decline again.

In North America, Christianity will likely decline from 91 percent in 1970, to near 77 percent in 2020, according to the study.

Interestingly enough, the research did predict an increase of 3 and 4 percent among Evangelicals and Charismatics, said the report.

Johnson noted that "studies support the fact that people really desire a personal encounter within their religion and attributes Pentecostals and Charismatics as socially engaging which attracts even more people to join their movements," the CP report said.