Second Vatican Council
While many conservative Catholics decried the decisions that came out of Vatican II, most embraced the changes and the short-term results were largely a more committed and biblically educated laity.
While many conservative Catholics decried the decisions that came out of Vatican II, most embraced the changes and the short-term results were largely a more committed and biblically educated laity.
King’s application of the Christian principles of non-violence changed the social landscape of the United States.
By the time of the Second Vatican Council in 1962 Pope John XXIII had taken a more conciliatory tone by stating that Protestants and Catholics should meet regularly to pray for unity.
These and other scholars influenced many people to become Christians who might not have considered the faith otherwise, especially college students.
The list of accomplishments achieved by Billy Graham during his fruitful life is too long to itemize. What can be said with certainty is that from publishing to mass media to education, he has used every tool at his disposal to spread the Gospel. The result is that an estimated 100 million people have heard him preach and over two million have made a commitment to Christ.
Christian Democrats became the strongest political party in post-war Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. Their strength has waned in recent decades due to their center-right political stances and corruption scandals.
The World Council of Churches does not make binding decisions on its members but attempts to provide consensus among member groups on issues ranging from racism and poverty to worker’s rights and social justice.
The early church leader Tertullian wrote during the Roman persecutions that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” What was true then is true today as the worldly sacrifice of brave Christians serves to inspire others to take their place and continue preaching the Gospel message.
After the war, with churches lying in ruin and many Christian leaders killed, Germany became very secular. In fact, Europe, the cradle of the Reformation, is today the least religious continent in the world.
For nearly 60 years, between the mid-1920s and the 1980s, Fundamentalism was a separatist movement that had little public influence. This changed when preachers like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell took up the mantle of past leaders and began stressing the need for national repentance and a return to conservative values.