A new prediction from the Pew Research Center says that Islam could be the dominant religion by the end of the century, as the Muslim faith grows at record rates. “Another way of thinking about it is Christianity had a seven-century head-start on Islam, and Islam is finally catching up,” Pew Director of Religion Research Alan Cooperman told NPR, who reported on the study. But Southern Evangelical Seminary President and Evangelical leader Dr. Richard Land is not so sure this trend will hold true. Land recently wrote about world religion in an editorial, titled “Despite What You’ve Heard, World Is More Religious Than Ever,” Land states, “Everybody knows the world is becoming more secular, right? Wrong.”
The Pew study partly attributes the growth of Islam to a young Muslim population with high fertility rates. According to Pew, “Between 2010 and 2050, the world’s total population is expected to rise to 9.3 billion, a 35 percent increase. Over that same period, Muslims—a comparatively youthful population with high fertility rates—are projected to increase by 73 percent. The number of Christians also is projected to rise, but more slowly, at about the same rate (35 percent) as the global population overall.” FULL REPORT
