The Need
Italy is a country of 58 million people. Though 98% identify themselves with being Roman Catholic, many believe the number is much closer to 5% who practice their religion weekly (a percentage of 30% is a quote directly from the R.C. Church which identifies those who are practicing Catholics as anyone who has set foot in a church at least one time during a year).
Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church does not teach the doctrines of grace, meaning salvation is not taught as being received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone by His Word alone for His glory alone. Christ's sacrifice is not considered sufficient. As a result, it is impossible to find any true Roman Catholic who are sure they will go to heaven.
No, Italy is a land with little or no grace. Of 33,500 towns and villages in Italy, 32,000 have no evangelical church, no bible study, no Christian bookstore, no Christian TV or radio program, no Christians…no evangelical witness whatsoever. That means 94% of the towns and villages in Italy do not even have one Christian that could share God's love or the true gospel of grace...that we are saved by God's grace alone. Without the true gospel, Italians are a people without hope. Can you imagine 94% of all towns in the U.S. having no church, evangelical bible study or Christian bookstore or any kind of witness? 94%? In most regions of Italy, there is approximately 1 evangelical church for every 50-60,000 Italians. In comparison, there is 1 church for every 5,000 people in the states.
There are about 1.1% evangelical Christians in Italy. The fastest growing religion in Italy is actually Islam, like many countries in Europe. In some Italian cities however, the fastest growing religion is Satanism. In fact, there are more Satanists (100,000) then there are Roman Catholic priests. There are also over 100,000 fortune-tellers in Italy as fortune-telling and astrology are huge here. The younger generation is not interested in the R.C. Church, which has become a bastion of immorality, greed, corrupt financial practices, and pedophilia, and instead are turning to atheism in huge numbers. In Milan alone, there are over 1,000 suicides. As well, a large number of teenagers in Italy regularly smoke marijuana and drink alcohol heavily now, unlike any generation prior. Alcohol previously being for taste primarily, teenagers now meet for alcohol parties, seeing who can get the most drunk.
There is also a gigantic hurdle to overcome when trying to communicate the gospel to those who have heard a different story all their lives. Italians have been taught nothing free including salvation, it is something they must work for, if they are interested at all. The most common response we have when an Italian actually understands the grace of the gospel is, "If this is true, what you are telling me, how come in all of my life I have never ever heard it before?" That is likely why, on average, it takes 5 years to reach an Italian. Now some do come to the Lord much sooner but it always involves a relationship of trust. And once, an Italian trusts you and lets you into their lives, you are a friend for life! And of course, they want to know about everything that is important to you, including your faith. It is this way that we have begun to have a significant impact on the hearts and minds of many Italians.
Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church does not teach the doctrines of grace, meaning salvation is not taught as being received by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone by His Word alone for His glory alone. Christ's sacrifice is not considered sufficient. As a result, it is impossible to find any true Roman Catholic who are sure they will go to heaven.
No, Italy is a land with little or no grace. Of 33,500 towns and villages in Italy, 32,000 have no evangelical church, no bible study, no Christian bookstore, no Christian TV or radio program, no Christians…no evangelical witness whatsoever. That means 94% of the towns and villages in Italy do not even have one Christian that could share God's love or the true gospel of grace...that we are saved by God's grace alone. Without the true gospel, Italians are a people without hope. Can you imagine 94% of all towns in the U.S. having no church, evangelical bible study or Christian bookstore or any kind of witness? 94%? In most regions of Italy, there is approximately 1 evangelical church for every 50-60,000 Italians. In comparison, there is 1 church for every 5,000 people in the states.
There are about 1.1% evangelical Christians in Italy. The fastest growing religion in Italy is actually Islam, like many countries in Europe. In some Italian cities however, the fastest growing religion is Satanism. In fact, there are more Satanists (100,000) then there are Roman Catholic priests. There are also over 100,000 fortune-tellers in Italy as fortune-telling and astrology are huge here. The younger generation is not interested in the R.C. Church, which has become a bastion of immorality, greed, corrupt financial practices, and pedophilia, and instead are turning to atheism in huge numbers. In Milan alone, there are over 1,000 suicides. As well, a large number of teenagers in Italy regularly smoke marijuana and drink alcohol heavily now, unlike any generation prior. Alcohol previously being for taste primarily, teenagers now meet for alcohol parties, seeing who can get the most drunk.
There is also a gigantic hurdle to overcome when trying to communicate the gospel to those who have heard a different story all their lives. Italians have been taught nothing free including salvation, it is something they must work for, if they are interested at all. The most common response we have when an Italian actually understands the grace of the gospel is, "If this is true, what you are telling me, how come in all of my life I have never ever heard it before?" That is likely why, on average, it takes 5 years to reach an Italian. Now some do come to the Lord much sooner but it always involves a relationship of trust. And once, an Italian trusts you and lets you into their lives, you are a friend for life! And of course, they want to know about everything that is important to you, including your faith. It is this way that we have begun to have a significant impact on the hearts and minds of many Italians.