Religious signposts at the close of the 20th century are full of surprises.
In a 1998 Gallup poll, more than two-thirds of Americans said religion could "solve all or most of our problems."
While the world's population has grown by 60 percent since 1970, the number of evangelical Christians has risen by 126 percent.
The Internet now carries some 140 million pages related to religion; "spirituality" is the fastest growing field in US book publishing.
Those who chart the course of religious trends--and communicate with believers across the United States and on other continents--see a religious transformation taking place that indicates we are entering a new era. An intense search is under way by millions to find a spiritual center for their lives.
Christianity's growth pattern (about 1.9 billion adherents) has now made it a majority non-Western religion, says Dr. Harvey Cox, who visited hosts of churches on four continents researching his book Fire From Heaven, the story of the remarkable rise of Pentecostalism around the world.
Pentecostals have spurred Christianity's growth in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. A statistical institute in Brazil predicts that half of that country's population will be evangelical by 2045.
The picture differs in Europe and parts of North America. Theologian Martin Marty says a "spiritual ice belt" stretches from west of Poland across western Europe, the northern US and Canada, and includes Japan. "In that part of the world," he says, "there are 3,000 fewer Christians now than 24 hours ago, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, there are 16,000 more Christians than 24 hours ago."
In Europe where there have tended to be established national churches, religious life has waxed cold and "nobody is much of anything," he says. Polls show that in Britain only 8 percent of the population attends church regularly.
Some sectors of religious life are flourishing while others are struggling. Mainline Protestant churches--the "establishment" of the 1950s--have seen memberships decline. The number of Americans who say they are Episcopalian, Presbyterian, or Methodist is one-third lower than 30 years ago, according to Princeton Religion Research Center. "The mainline lost a lot of young people, partly because of 'coasting,'" Marty says. "You have to win your own kids."
From Generation X downward, young people often find their religious communities in cyberspace. By the year 2010, 10% to 20% of the U.S. population will rely exclusively or primarily on the Internet for religious purposes and will never attend a church again, said David Kinnaman, research director of the Barna Research Group.
One of six teens say they expect to use the Internet as a substitute for attending church within the next five years, Barna found. "You may tell your grandchildren that back in the old days, when people wanted a religious experience they attended a church for that purpose. Chances are good that your grandchildren will be shocked by such a revelation."
The rise of religion contradicts predictions of just 30 years ago. Some theologians said God was "dead." Many observers tended to be condescending toward religion, which was considered declining in relevance, and saw science, reason, and technology as holding the keys to the future.
"I believe the greatest spiritual awakening of all time is taking place today," Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, told The Washington Times. "More people are hearing the Gospel. More people are responding to the Gospel." There are "many wonderful demonstrations that God is truly working in our time in a way that's truly unprecedented in all of history."