German Revival Challenges Spread Of Islam
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
STUTTGART/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Evangelists say a Christian “revival” is taking place in Germany that could spread across Europe after “thousands” of people” got “saved, delivered, healed, [and] baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
The events in Europe’s largest economy come at a time of growing tensions over the massive influx of migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty from mainly Muslim nations.
Germany has seen several Muslim rallies and even attempts to introduce Islamic religious police who patrolled the city of Wuppertalstreets as “Sharia police.”
Yet Christian evangelist Jean-Luc Trachsel said he was encouraged that thousands of young people packed the Porsche Arena in the German city of Stuttgart for the “Fire Festival” “to praise, worship, and hear the Word of God.”
He recalled that “after a short preaching of the ABC of the Gospel by my dear friend, David Rotärmel, hundreds upon hundreds of young people came at the altar to give their lives to Jesus. “Truly, it’s harvest time in Europe, like here in Stuttgart, Germany.”
Trachsel said the October 2-5 event ended with a “Jesus March” through Stuttgart.
“The last time I’ve seen and experienced this…was at the Brownsville revival in Pensacola [in the United States] almost 30 years ago. Today, it’s here in Europe,” he added in video footage of people being baptized in a pool.
‘THOUSANDS SAVED’
“I’ve seen with my own eyes thousands of people getting saved, and today it’s water baptisms in a glorious and joyful atmosphere,” he added.
The six-day event was the latest example of what evangelists say “is taking place by the Spirit of God” in Germany, Europe’s largest economy.
Night of Hope is another movement preaching the Gospel on the streets of Hamburg, Bremen, Munchen, and other German cities. Their outdoor crusades are marked by “prayer, salvations, and testimonies of healing,” Christians say.
“We are thankful to see what God is doing here in Germany,” the group stressed on Instagram. Attendees were recently encouraged to “leave old things behind” and embrace their new life in Jesus Christ.
The new believers are noted when religious Christianity has been impacted by declining church membership.
While Orthodox churches across Germany have grown substantially, the Catholic and Protestant churches are losing followers.
In 2023, Germany’s Catholic Church lost more than 591,000 members through church departures and deaths. According to official figures, it had 20.3 million members at the end of that year.
BORN AGAIN
In Switzerland, evangelists estimate that only three to five percent of the seven million people are “born-again Christians” who chose faith in Christ.
It isn’t much better elsewhere in Europe. According to a Pew Research survey, European Christians are expected to drop by about 100 million, from 553 million in 2010 to 454 million in 2050.
Europe’s Muslim population is due to increase by 63 percent in that time frame, according to researchers.
Yet evangelists note that massive revival gatherings may stop that trend.
Organizers say such gatherings have occurred throughout the continent, including in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Italy.