I too live in a very unchurched area of my country, and what we see is this inevitable vacuum that needs to be filled. There is all sorts of spirituality, attempts to fill this need. I believe it is because we are all made in the image of Creator God, whether we acknowledge this or not, so in that image we seek difference, not indifference — truth and spirit, light and hope… meaning. It is sad that many feel let down by the church, feeling perhaps the church is indifferent to them.

Interestingly. We are discussing in small group this morning that who needs God in the UK which has a very generous, comprehensive and imaginative welfare state when the state meets all one’s material needs–sensory rooms for autistic children, grants for teenagers with ADD or dyslexia, grants to stay in school beyond 16 etc. etc. A Christianity Today article I read a couple of years ago said that Africans flock to Reinhard Bonnke’s crusades because they can’t afford doctors or medicine or surgery. A miracle is their only hope, and when it happens, well, it’s the Gospel as good news!