a lively debate about whether the majority religion should be accorded special status. The former communist countries of Europe have undergone a huge shift since the early 1990s. From a complete ban on religious education under communism, a number of them have moved through a period where responsibility for religious education was held by the dominant religious tradition – Russian Orthodoxy in Russia, and Catholicism in Poland – to a situation where there is now a demand for multi-faith education. This has led to struggles between the Churches and the state education authorities. In many countries where there is no state religious education, religious groups run classes within the context of faith schools.
Religious Education
The relationship between State and religion is often revealed by a country’s attitude to religious education.
There are 1.6 million Christian missionaries, 99 percent of them working among existing Christians, and 70 percent in their home country. The 419,500 Christians working as foreign missionaries are managed by 4,100 mission boards and agencies. The annual cost of this work is $15 billion, provided largely by Church members. Just over 5 percent of Christian giving is for foreign mission work. As well as evangelization and Christian renewal, missionary work includes education, the provision of health programmes, partnership in development programmes including agricultural and environment projects, and work with communities on justice and peace issues. The largest numbers of missionaries still come from the traditional mission-sending countries in Europe and the Americas but, increasingly, former ‘mission field’ countries, such as South Africa, Nigeria and the Philippines, are sending missionaries to work abroad – sometimes back to the old, mission-sending countries themselves. In countries where foreign missionary activity is restricted or prohibited for religious or political reasons, internal missionary activity may not necessarily be banned. Where there is state opposition or community hostility towards Christianity and the sending and receiving of missionaries, in practice small numbers of missionaries may be sent or received, usually serving as chaplains or in secular occupations.
Christian Missionaries
The majority of Christian missionary work is among existing Christians. Most missionaries work in their country of origin.
While 72 million bibles were distributed in 2005, another 1.5 billion were estimated already to be in place – assuming that a bible lasts for 20 years. Agencies specializing in scripture dissemination keep account of six basic categories of scriptures: complete bibles; copies of the New Testament; portions of scriptures, which are usually a copy of one of the gospels; illustrated leaflets of up to eight pages; audio gospels; video gospels. These scriptures are distributed through commercial sales in bookshops, subsidized distribution in bible societies, churches and agencies, and free distribution by Gideons and similar organizations. In addition to publications of the Bible, some 45,000 Christian periodicals in 3,000 languages, with a combined circulation of 50 million, were produced in 2005. The USA publishes the highest number, with 8,000 titles. Since the 1990s, the internet has become a major means of access to Christian scriptures, literature and discussion. The complete Bible first appeared on the internet in 1996. By 2005, it was available online in 110 languages. In 2005 there were 420 million personal computers in Christian use, and an active Christian internet network of 360 million people.
The Word
The Bible is the most printed and widely distributed book in the world. In 2005 there were over 1.5 billion bibles in circulation.
In 2005, broadcasts on a Christian theme reached a worldwide audience of almost 2 billion people via commercial, governmental or specifically Christian stations. Two-thirds of programmes were on radio and one-third on television. Christian agencies and networks spent $6 billion on Christian broadcasting. The USA produces the greatest volume of Christian broadcasting and also has the highest regular audience. Worldwide, urban areas are likely to have more exposure to new forms of electronic media, but advances in satellite technology mean that programmes are increasingly being received in remote rural areas. Satellite transmitters are also reaching hitherto closed areas such as the Middle East, where certain states ban internal Christian broadcasting. Since its beginnings in 1921, Christian broadcasting has been the most effective form of Christian evangelism. One of the most successful broadcast ministries has been the Lutheran Hour. Started in 1930, it is the world’s longest-running Christian outreach radio programme. It is heard by 1.2 million people weekly over 800 radio stations across North America, but is also broadcast internationally on the American Forces Network, thereby expanding its audience to 40 million regular listeners.
Christian Broadcasting
Nearly 2 billion people listen to radio or television broadcasts on a Christian theme at least once a month.
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