Today the official website for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Portugal was announced and although I’ve been rather silent on the blog front for a few days, this caught my eye. Why should I care about the May visit of Benedict XVI to Lisbon, Fatima, and Porto and why should you? As you might guess, Portugal is a heavily Roman Catholic country with very ancient ties both to ancient Rome and to the vatican. It’s Roman Catholic population hovers somewhere around 88% while the evangelical Christian population sits at .08%. That’s a big difference! There are a number of reasons why his visit is important for Christians and missionaries concerned about Portugal and Europe:

• Ironically, his visit is occurring at the same time as our planned move.
• His visit will bring a heightened sense of spirituality to the country.
• The contrast between biblical Christianity and Roman Catholicism will be clearly seen.
• Those seeking God will be open to listening for his voice.
• His visit will encourage a very down-trodden people.
• Christians in America will be able to see how desperate Portugal really is for the Gospel.
• The pope will leave yet the Lord’s church will remain to help people come to really know Jesus.
• Many young people will be reminded of why they left Roman Catholicism and be open to finding a better way.
• The veil of sin will be lifted and it’s perverted, soul-stealing lies revealed for all the world to see.

I remember all normal programming on T.V. was stopped as Pope Benedict was revealed as the new pontiff. I remember being in Ireland, another ultra-Catholic country when he was crowned as “head of the church.” I remember hearing the hopes and dreams of millions of Irish come crashing down when after a period of time the event was forgotten and life went on. And I remember having the opportunity over the next days and months to share with disillusioned Catholics the truth and hope revealed in Jesus, the real head of the church. I truly believe that the Pope’s visit is an opportunity but only for those willing to see it as such.

Colossians 1:18

“And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

Tags: Portugal, Why Europe, Missions

I figured that the numbers were bad but I didn’t think they were that bad. It was last September and we were sitting across the table from Paulo in Bélas, Portugal on a warm summer afternoon. We were discussing the state of Christianity in Portugal from the statistical findings of a nation-wide religious study with our director, my wife, and one of Paulo’s colleagues. The numbers they had discovered during their study were far lower than they had originally thought. In fact as I sat listening to Paulo’s translation of the conversation my mind drifted back to the support requests we had sent out to dozens of people and the stats we had posted on our website for thousands to read. Our figures were wrong!

As I’ve learned about myself and seen in others, we missionaries tend to run a bit on the dramatic side. We like stats and numbers, especially when they favor our cause because they make things sound dramatically urgent. However, we also have a bad habit of sweeping those numbers under the rug when things are not as bad as we thought. Admittedly, there have been times in my past when my desire to see ministry happen in certain places caused me to pay less attention to the details than I should have. As Ed Stetzer discovered in his Christianity Today article Curing Christians' Stats Abuse, I am not alone-

“Reports of Christianity's demise in America have been greatly exaggerated. While the main thrust of good research does indicate that the percentage of Americans who self-identify as Christians is declining, these data are not necessarily a bad thing. If three out of four Americans call themselves Christians, we are in big trouble. Three out of four Americans certainly do not live like Christians.”

Looking at the facts and choosing to be honest with the numbers about our ministry fields helps clear the air by getting the information right so that we can plan accordingly,

“In the meantime, bad and misinterpreted data must not convince us that organized Christianity in America is dead and gone. Facts are our friends. The facts tell us that the church in North America is struggling but also, in many places, growing.”

Several years ago, a colleague of mine pulled me aside and pointed out my tendency to be overly-dramatic. Years have passed but I still hear his warning to me: “It’s not simply drama, it’s dishonesty.” In our case, Portugal’s numbers were worse than we thought forcing us to revise our numbers, our materials, and our website down. Sadly, the Portuguese demographical study found that only .08% of the population claimed to be a born-again Christians while only 1/3 of the 84% Roman Catholic population regularly attended mass. Ironically, I’ve felt a weird sense of vindication ever since then... I’ve asked myself since that trip if the numbers had come back better, would I have had the guts to revise my numbers upward possibly threatening support for ministry? I hope so. Readjusting our numbers in order to be honest, not fudging them to provoke drama or coerce money is a hard lesson to learn. But honesty is my (and your) only option. What about you? In your materials, on your blog, on your website, and in your missions presentation, are you honest with your numbers?

Tags: Missions, Portugal, Why Europe

In February of 2006 Portugal blocked the “marriage” of a lesbian couple challenging the country’s judicial position to not legally recognize their union. I remember the decision and supported the court. Yesterday however, Portugal reversed course when the Parliament forced a bill through effectively legally recognizing same-sex unions as “marriages.” Aside from the arguments that help to define what marriage is and isn’t I think that Portugal’s decision to legally recognize this is wrong. This is why:

Usually, the issue boils down to the idea of “equal rights” for all people. The problem is that heterosexual unions and homosexual unions are not equal by definition. One produces offspring, the other does not. It is in the government’s best interest to protect and aid stable, healthy, heterosexual unions because they produce offspring that ensure the survivability of the people and government. For example, future generations of stable, healthy individuals contribute to the economy through work and taxes, contribute to the safety of that country by providing military might, contribute to the furthering of that country’s unique language and culture through education, art, commerce, and food. By removing the protection and “uniqueness” of stable, healthy, heterosexual unions, Governments undermine their own survivability. As I’ve written before, this is not a moral issue it’s a public issue.

“Society needs strong, healthy families that naturally produce healthy children for the good of and future of the state. In other words, it is in the state’s best interest (for future tax revenue, military protection, job creation, education, etc.) to protect the institution of marriage. Homosexual couples by natural process do not produce future generations, therefore they should not be privy to the special protections guaranteed to stable heterosexual marriages that do. These protections ought to be denied to them because in this important distinction, they are not equal. This is not intolerance, it is simply stating what is.”

Notice that I am not denying homosexual’s the right to make long-term commitments to each other, the right to do things in private that they want, or the right to will their money to their partners. They can do all of those things as they see fit right now without government intervention. Rather, I am trying to make the argument that because these two unions are not equal the government should protect the one that contributes to it’s future through stable, healthy offspring. Beyond those few simple protections, government should stay out of the bedrooms of it’s citizens and leave them to their own lifestyles. Legally equating these two very different unions is wrong and in doing so, Portugal made a big mistake.

[Update]
After my post last week, this news item appeared in my news reader: “Portuguese Split on Same-Sex Marriage” by the Angus-Reid Global Monitor. What I find interesting are two stats: First, that Jose Socrates and his Socialist Party only won 36% of the vote in September 2009. Secondly, that over half of the Portuguese population oppose homosexual “marriage” and that nearly 70% of Portuguese oppose homosexual adoption! The fact that such a small coalition government can force the majority of Portuguese people to adopt a bill they oppose speaks volumes.

Tags: Portugal, Why Europe

Portugal today went to the polls to elect a new Prime Minister and form a new parliamentary coalition. Jose Socrates is expected to narrowly win out which will dissolve his absolute majority in the parliament but will maintain his socialist control over Portuguese government. May God be praised and exalted and the gospel spread no matter who wins!




http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4728316,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
http://www.euronews.net/2009/09/27/portuguese-elections-voting-underway/
http://www.euronews.net/2009/09/27/portugal-goes-to-polls/

"Due to the country’s serious budget deficit, public spending cuts or tax hikes are on the agenda no matter who wins. Job creation is another major challenge. Unemployment has soared to its highest level since the 1980s." - Euronews.net

Tags: Portugal

The Festa do Espirito Santo is a world-wide Portuguese celebration honoring the memory of Portuguese Queen Isabella who fed the starving masses out of her treasure. When the money ran out she pledged to give the last remaining item of worth, her ornate crown, to the Roman Catholic church if the Holy Spirit would intercede. Legend has it that the Holy Spirit did respond and ships filled with grain and food arrived in the harbor of Lisbon to feed the people. Today Portuguese communities around the world celebrate her memory with a festival (a festa), a parade, lunch for all, dances, music, and the naming of a queen.

Scripture tells us that there is one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ and that all who trust in him will receive eternal life. Festivals like the Festa do Espirito Santo are a great reminder to us to be in the world and not of the world. We look forward to the opportunity of sharing the message of hope in Jesus with the people of Portugal. If you’re near a Portuguese community this weekend check out a festa, you’ll love it!

Selma, California Festa
Santa Cruz, California Festa

Tags: Portugal

Angelina and I are preparing to move to Portugal to assist in church planting and one of the tasks we are pursuing is gaining Angelina’s portuguese citizenship for which she is eligible through her Portuguese mother. The slide in Portuguese population isn’t a new problem, it’s been slowly eroding as people left and never returned. A new report in The News, an English-speaking Portuguese newspaper states that the Portuguese population is shrinking at an almost unsustainable rate and by the year 2050 will have lost 1/4 of its population. If true, this is a devastating prognosis for the country and the government. In our travels throughout Portugal we have seen the effects of this in large unemployment and a lack of industry or innovation. Whatever the cause, the country and government now faces the tough question of its solvency in the face of a shrinking population. Portugal is not alone, many countries in Europe face similar bleak futures unless birth-rates and immigration increase quickly.

The Guardian wrote this in August 2008:

Europe from space ... a satellite image shows the population hotspots. The EU is currently home to 495 million people.
Photograph: Nasa/Corbis

“From 2015 onwards deaths would outnumber births, and population growth due to natural increase, would cease," says the survey, assuming a net migration inflow to the EU of almost 60 million over the next 50 years. "Positive net migration would be the only population growth factor. However, from 2035 this positive net migration would no longer counterbalance the negative natural change."

Portugal needs people almost as bad as it needs Jesus. If the population ever returns to a sustainable level the question must be asked, what kind of population should return? This is why we’re planting churches because our hope for the people of Portugal is the same hope that we have for ourselves, to know Jesus and be conformed to his image. Plus, we’re hopeful that there’s at least a few people around by the time we get there...

Tags: Portugal