European churches hyped up the First World War in religious terms; preachers and theologians from many European countries portrayed the conflict as a “holy crusade for Christ” or necessary to “defend Mother Russia,” among other things (Jacobsen, 122). All in all, there was a wave of righteous fervor that swept throughout Europe and incited people to support a war that never should have occurred. Pope Benedict XV came out against the war, asking how followers of Jesus, who profess love and mercy, could hate each other so much that they are willing to kill their neighbors. After the first war, there was a movement among theologians to distance themselves from the “mindless nationalism” of the European nations (Jacobsen, 123). Scholars like Karl Barth and several French theologians emphasized the otherness of God and sinfulness of humankind. Russian Orthodoxy had to deal with communism and was brought to the brink of extinction. WW2 had a much less religious component, but many Christians still considered it a just war (123-4). However, European Christians failed to protect the Jews. When people learned about the horrors of the Holocaust, they started asking questions like, “Was God controlling history, or not? Why would God allow the Holocaust to happen?”
Laïcité was the policy of governmentally enforced secularization that arose in Western Europe in the early 20th century. This originated in France with the Law of Great Separation in 1905. Religion became less important in people’s lives, as shown by decreased church attendance.
Under communist rule, Christians were marginalized and persecuted, and, in the extreme case of Albania, religion was banned entirely (Jacobsen, 126). Churches were destroyed and pastors were arrested. However, after the fall of communism, Eastern Orthodoxy made a comeback that is continuing into the present day, with new churches being built and communities appearing in many countries formerly behind the Iron Curtain.
The idea of secularization and retreat from traditional Christian ideals arose in the period of Enlightenment in the late 18th century with the French Revolution. These revolutionaries had a radically different view of how truth should be sought. They advocated employing reason rather than faith or doctrine, which was in direct conflict with the Catholic Church, the dominant force in European religious life at the time.
The effects of secularization are especially apparent in Protestant European countries and less apparent in traditionally Catholic and Orthodox countries. It is interesting to note that Eastern European countries are less secular than Western countries despite spending time under the Iron Curtain where secularization was the law. Less children are being baptized, less couples are getting married in churches, and more babies are being born out of wedlock. Catholic leaders have come out against this decrease in fertility rate and advocated for remembering that God encourages the creation of new life (Jacobsen, 134). Also, they have called for a return to the traditional family, prompted by the LGBT and abortion movements.
Immigration has shifted the religious demographics in Europe, primarily considering the recent influx of Muslims in Western Europe. This primarily stems from the difference in how visible religion is in public life. European Protestant Christianity is mostly a private affair, with few outward expressions of faith, while Islam (especially its daily prayers) takes over the public and private lives of its adherents. Violent acts perpetrated by radical Islamic extremists have adversely affected Europeans’ sense of safety, but the cultural divide between European Christians and Muslims has, in a way, made Europeans more self-aware since they had unconsciously drifted away from God. Immigrants from Africa inspired by the missionizing efforts of Europeans during the colonial and postcolonial periods have planted large Pentecostal churches in Europe, and situations like these only figure to increase in occurrence.
European Christians have a greater acceptance of reason than other Christians because of their long history of being receptive to philosophical ideas. They argue that using reason is recommended in the Bible by the Apostle Paul. Augustine concluded that faith and reason are necessary and work together. As Jacobsen notes in his text, Europeans have always had an affinity for systematic theology, or a “rational examination of Christian belief” (Jacobsen, 138). While reason has been portrayed as being compatible with faith, science and faith have been in conflict. One source of conflict is the timeline of the origin of Earth, which Christianity traditionally claimed to be seven, twenty-four hour days and science claimed to be much longer than that. European Christians have shown a willingness to reimagine Christianity in light of new scientific claims, and this distinguishes them from other Christians around the world. Most European Christians now accept and embrace evolution as a viable explanation for how humans came to be.
If people do not believe truth is attainable, then they will have nothing to strive for on a daily basis. When people diverge from a previously-held common goal, society has the opportunity to become fragmented with a general loss of motivation to constantly seek out answers. I foresee the further decline of European Christianity with little chance of a return to a previous state of religiosity. Modern European Christianity was never as vibrant as African Christianity is today, and European culture has become so secular that they might be more likely to embrace the postmodernist idea of truth possibly being unattainable.