Itália...uma cultura de influência! Um grande desafio para um movimento de plantação de Igrejas
Italy has a culture of influence. The fingerprints of Italian culture permeate the Western world. Yet for the most part, Italians have remained untouched by the gospel of Jesus Christ. They live in a "Christian" culture; but in name only. A historically Christian nation, today less than 10 percent of Italians attend Catholic mass monthly.
Approximately 100,000 people are believed to be practicing magicians (psychics, witches, and fortune tellers). This is more than the number of Catholic Priests, and 324 times the number of Protestant missionaries and evangelists. Satanism is very strong in the north and is rapidly moving toward the south. Satanic practice includes praying for the removal of all Christian evangelical missionaries from the country. Approximately 80% of the Italian population have consulted or will consult a witch, psychic, or fortune-teller at least once in their lifetime. Many politicians consult witches and psychics before every election, and some big corporations consult them before investing in major projects. The magicians, fortune-tellers, and psychics have daily programs on local and national television.
During the first semester of 2007 we had the chance to establish the first contacts with some key leaders in Italy. These contacts had been enabled through the Evangelical Alliance of Italy, with its General-Secretary Gian Piero Marussich, and with a veteran church planter in the country. It was really helpful to enlarge our understanding of the needs in terms of church planting. The Italian evangelical community faces serious challenges in terms of religious freedom and unity among the Church and it does not possess any strategy for church planting.
The Evangelical Alliance of Italy is open to hear of the experiences of others and, over all, to invest in research efforts to evaluate the dimension of the needs in church planting. We believe that Portugal 2015 will be a good example to help this nation to achieve their goals in terms of church planting.
Approximately 100,000 people are believed to be practicing magicians (psychics, witches, and fortune tellers). This is more than the number of Catholic Priests, and 324 times the number of Protestant missionaries and evangelists. Satanism is very strong in the north and is rapidly moving toward the south. Satanic practice includes praying for the removal of all Christian evangelical missionaries from the country. Approximately 80% of the Italian population have consulted or will consult a witch, psychic, or fortune-teller at least once in their lifetime. Many politicians consult witches and psychics before every election, and some big corporations consult them before investing in major projects. The magicians, fortune-tellers, and psychics have daily programs on local and national television.
During the first semester of 2007 we had the chance to establish the first contacts with some key leaders in Italy. These contacts had been enabled through the Evangelical Alliance of Italy, with its General-Secretary Gian Piero Marussich, and with a veteran church planter in the country. It was really helpful to enlarge our understanding of the needs in terms of church planting. The Italian evangelical community faces serious challenges in terms of religious freedom and unity among the Church and it does not possess any strategy for church planting.
The Evangelical Alliance of Italy is open to hear of the experiences of others and, over all, to invest in research efforts to evaluate the dimension of the needs in church planting. We believe that Portugal 2015 will be a good example to help this nation to achieve their goals in terms of church planting.
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