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We’ve been in Germany for over a week now on our family vacation and it has been a wonderful time filled of memories that I know my family will never forget.
From the time we landed in Berlin, we hit the ground running, taking in all that we can of this beautiful country. Fighting against jet lag, I’ve been sleeping hard and waking up groggy. This has greatly affected my quiet time in the morning. I’ve struggled to concentrate.
We’ve also kept a fast pace, starting out first thing in the morning and then returning exhausted from exploring each night. This may sound a bit weird but I find myself “missing Jesus.”
Yes, I spend a short time reading my Bible in the morning, and I talk with Him in quiet prayer throughout the day but I miss that uninterrupted time of study. This always seems to happen when I get out of my routine. Maybe you can relate.
I’ve seen some amazing historical sites. So much history here: the tearing down of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the liberation of the victims of the horrific Holocaust in 1945, the Protestant Reformation in the 16-century and many others. These were all signs of hope restored. .jpg)
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PINIMAGESomething I noticed on our six-hour drive from Berlin to Munich, with stops along the way, is that there is a church in every town and village. Not 10 churches. I only noticed one prominently placed church with an intriguing architecture and steeple poking out over the beautiful landscape. The church seems to be held in high esteem. 
PINIMAGEIt looks picture perfect but something is missing.
I’ve been wondering about the spiritual condition of the German culture, so, this morning I researched the spiritual climate here and read some statistics that seems to put into words what I couldn’t put my finger on.
Many sources will tell you the number of “Christians” in Germany is somewhere in the 50-70 percent range. The problem with this number is significant. Why?
Here’s an excerpt from the Evangelical Focus website:
“Germany demonstrates that nations cannot rely on a rich Christian tradition but need constant renewal” “Christian history is often just a cultural decoration”, says German theologian Evi Rodemann in response to a Pew Research survey which confirms the rapid decline of Protestantism.
The Pew survey shows that more Protestants in Germany believe in astrology (33%) and reincarnation (24%) than in God with certainty (11%) or pray daily (9%). What does this tell us about German Christianity at this point? Answer. Belief in Jesus Christ as a vibrant, living, currently present person in this world and their lives is unthinkable to the vast majority of Protestants in Germany today. If at all interested in spirituality, their spirituality can best be defined as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD), a phrase coined by Christian Smith1. What does this mean?
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- “Moralistic” – God wants me to be a good person and not a jerk.
- “Therapeutic” – God or religion should help me feel good.
- “Deism” – God is a concept to decorate our lives with but not an agent who really does anything.
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As Schindler describes it, “German Protestantism is anaemic at best, irrelevant at least”. German Protestants have to a huge degree lost their Christian identity and Christian history is often just a cultural decoration. Once known as the land of the reformation, Germany is in dire need of a new reformation.
So as you can see, this country would call itself largely Christian, but when polling to find the percentage of evangelical Christians, the number is in the single digits, between 2-5%
BTW –
(The term evangelical comes from the Greek word, “evangelion,” which means the good news or the gospel. The sixteenth-century Protestant reformers, here in Germany of all places, used evangelical to emphasize their reliance on the gospel message they found in scripture.)
– taken from “When did Evangelical Christianity Begin?” – gospelcoalition.org
What am I saying? With the popular cultural opinion being that somewhere between 50% and 70% of Germans are Christian, and only 2-5% being Evangelical Christians…well…
I’m saying, it looks like a lot of people are “missing Jesus.” And not in a warm-hearted, relational way like I described I had been feeling.
They are actually missing the Christ of Christianity.
They are missing the Gospel – the Good News!
The other day, we were in route to our next historical landmark of the day and I sat quietly staring out the window, expressing to God that I’ve really missed that quiet time with Him. I told Him I felt distant and I didn’t like it.
We got out of the cab and before long we were entering the doors of Emperor William Memorial Church, a Protestant Church built in the late 1800s, in downtown Berlin. It had been bombed during WW11 and now its remains still stand. It’s a popular stop in Berlin for sightseers. People talked in quiet whispers and the atmosphere was reverent. The church was beautiful and I could imagine what it might have looked like in its original state. I saw Jesus depicted in many ways inside including murals and statues. But I didn’t feel people were there to celebrate Him as much as they were curious about this landmark. I know this is only my perception but it seemed Jesus was…missing.
PINIMAGEI was caught up in my thoughts once again after visiting and seeing all the beauty in the building. But I stopped in my tracks when I stepped outside its doors. What I found myself looking at was a message scrawled in graffiti. In a way it didn’t belong but it spoke more to me than my visit inside. It said…
Jesus is alive!
I stood there and my heart filled with joy.
What a profound statement!
What a promise of hope for those who will trust in Him!
What a Savior!
It struck me. This was the greatest sight I’d seen all day! The most important occurrence in all of History, was recorded here in graffiti on plywood.
I looked around as people passed and wondered…
How many people here know that JESUS IS ALIVE!?
What a beautiful gift to know Him!
What a wonderful transaction to have my sins forgiven and to be reconciled to God because of Jesus’s great sacrifice!
What mercy and grace I daily receive because Jesus is alive!
I woke up earlier than usual this morning and found myself humming a hymn I learned as a little girl. It goes like this…
I serve a risen Savior
He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
He’s always near.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart.
The message in graffiti still stays with me.
Thank you, Jesus, that You still save! Thank you that You continue to call the lost unto Yourself. Thank you for calling me. Thank you for giving me hope that is eternal.
I have made many new friends here and I’ve felt a heavy burden for them to go from “missing Jesus” to knowing and loving Him. Truly, it’s the hope for all mankind.
How about you? Are you missing Jesus?
Kim long - When Visiting Mexico one would see many beautiful Catholic Churches laced in Gold and always empty inside. As well as Iceland, Greenland, and Brazil, empty churches and the lost faith.