Pollsters regularly claim that 30–40 percent of Americans attend church at least twice a month. In Great Britain, that number is a mere 2–9 percent.
Over the past century in western Europe, faith in Christ has slowly dwindled. True believers were followed by generations of nominal believers. Their children drifted into agnosticism, and many of their grandchildren are convinced there is no God at all. Biblical knowledge has eroded to the point that few have a real grasp of who is God, Jesus, or the Bible.
Since 1979, Ken and Dawn Houghten (shown above) have been bringing God’s truth back to light in England. One of their tools is Christianity Explained, a seven-week course offered to unsaved contacts. The Houghtens found that unsaved people initially feel more comfortable coming to a Christianity Explained course rather than to a church service. And they rarely come to the Lord from a single contact. It takes a week-by-week presentation on God, Jesus, sin, and repentance to help them grasp their lost condition.
Ken and Dawn often invite contacts to a “Friends Meal” or a barbecue, where they encourage them to take the course. Week One starts out with God, telling of His holiness and role as Creator. The first session ends with the bad news: because of man’s sinfulness, we’re separated from God. Ken always follows with, “You need to come back next week and find the good news.”
The majority come back, and they follow Ken’s encouragement to read through the gospel of Mark twice. The Houghtens have seen people receive the Lord, although usually one or two at a time. It is not a large number, but it is still a remarkable work of God’s grace in a country that has largely forgotten its Creator.