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March 17, 2005

Jesus Freaks in Europe

I was in Germany for two days a few yeears ago and while there we took a tour of the city of Frankfurt. The tour, of course, included some churches that were rebuilt versions of very old buildings that had been completely destroyed in WWII.

Our tour guide made it a point to explain how the protestant reformation began in Germany with Martin Luther. He ended his dissertation proudly stating that, "Much has changed. Germany is no longer a Christian country. We're very secular."

Arguably, the church is breathing its last breathe in Germany, and perhaps in all Europe. Fortunately, Christians worship a God who is all about ressurection. Europe is beginning to see the marks of a new revival, energized not by the organized, state-run churches, but by young men and women who want nothing less than an authentic relationship with the Living God:

They don't take drugs, don't believe in sex before marriage and slam homosexuality as a disease, but for all that, the Jesus Freaks distance themselves from the idea of political conservatism. Rather than running around bashing their bibles, they are more likely to be found banging their heads to the din of trash metal.

It all began back in 1991 in a bedroom in the city of Hamburg. Three spiritual souls came clean and admitted their shared wish to make Jesus a part of their lives. United in their belief that their saviour rose from the dead 2,000 years ago and is still alive today, they made it their mission to activate him in their lives. It was the first time they had felt free enough to drop their guard and began to pray.

"In front of God, we were able to be ourselves and we wanted everything he had to give us. Most people who joined our meetings later, came because they believed in Jesus but had struggled to be accepted as they are," the freaks say on their Web site.

Posted by bubba138 at March 17, 2005 11:01 AM