In the end, I do not think Christianity will go the same way as Europe’s pre-Christian religions. Even if you don’t believe it is sustained by divine promises and by God’s grace, Christianity is conceptually resilient to a high degree, and its Scriptures ensure it can hardly slip from memory in the same way as an oral tradition. Furthermore, Christianity will remain strong for as long as there is no convincing alternative, and the current resurgence of interest in it is partly down to the failure of secularism and humanism to establish themselves as alternatives with sufficient cultural, emotional and psychological heft. Our concern should not be directed, therefore, at Christianity’s survival; rather, we should be concerned about the quality of any Christianity that survives in the context of the collapse of the institutional churches, which have traditionally guided believers.
A brilliant concise survey of this vital territory.