Sept. 30, 2011
For Immediate Release
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| Dr. Jim Denison, president of the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture, spoke at Campbellsville University’s chapel service on the Global Great Awakening. (Campbellsville University Photo by Nicholas Osaigbovo) |
By Aaron C. Presley, student news writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. – “Connecting faith and culture by engaging contemporary issues with Biblical truth”—this is the mission of Dr. Jim Denison, president of Denison Forum on Truth and Culture of Dallas, Texas.
Denison presented a view of the current world in terms of Christianity to students and faculty Sept. 28 during the university’s weekly chapel series.
Denison gave statistics about the growth of Christianity around the world—what he and other scholars call “the Fifth Great Awakening.” He said this awakening has caused the largest “explosion of evangelism” in 20 centuries.
Denison said this explosion is causing quick and radical change in countries all over the world. He also shared his experiences from traveling to various countries and the spiritual awakenings he has witnessed:
Denison cited the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea as a likely beginning of this Great Awakening. The church began in 1958 with just six people, and has grown to 1.2 million members to become the largest church in the world.
“In Nigeria, 90 percent of people attend church on a given Sunday, but in America, only 23 percent of people attend church on Sunday,” he said.
The People’s Republic of China, he said, can now be considered the largest Christian Nation, ever, with over 300 million Christian citizens; it is estimated that over 100,000 people convert to Christianity every day in China.
While preaching at a service in Cuba, Denison witnessed 330 professions of faith in just one service.
Currently, more Muslims are converting to Christianity than ever before—there are an estimated 16,000 conversions daily— many because of amazing dreams and visions of Christ these people experience.
Denison said that unlike the “booming” growth of Christianity around the world, America is experiencing an increase in atheism and agnosticism, a demographic that has grown four times greater in the past 20 years.
He encouraged those in attendance to take part in the current Great Awakening and to pray for our nation. “Every one of the great awakenings either started on a college campus or went there immediately. Every spiritual awakening has been fueled by young people,” he said.
Denison stressed the importance of trying to bring the Great Awakening to America where Christianity is decreasing, in what some scholars call the “demise” of the country.
Denison describes the choice of becoming a Christian as an individual and daily decision that must be made now. He urged audience members to accept the Lord and to become active as a group in prayer and duty in hopes of furthering the Great Awakening and making America a part of the growth.
“God is the great ‘I am,’” said Denison in closing, “not ‘will be!’”
Denison is a cultural apologist, building a bridge between faith and culture by engaging contemporary issues with biblical truth.
The Denison Forum on Truth and Culture was launched to respond to the critical need of rebuilding the moral foundations upon which our democracy depends.
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with over 3,000 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master’s degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.