Are Animistic Beliefs Disappearing?
At one time missiologists believed that Animism would fade away. They presumed that participants of animistic rites would forsake these rites to become participants of world religions. In 1973 Tippett gave Animism “ten years, at the very utmost twenty” to disappear (Tippett 1973, 9). Phil Elkins in the 1960s wrote of the urgency of missions to receptive animistic areas: Within the present century the progress of the world will bring all primitive or animistic people into some advanced religion. They will become Christians, Roman Catholics, Muslems, Hindus, Buddhists, or Communists. . . . If pure animists, who can be won today, are spurned by Christians in favor of trying to win irresponsive Muslems, Buddhists, Hindus, then in the next forty years these animists will become Muslems, Buddhists, Communists or something else. (Elkins 1964, 10) However, Animism has not died; in many cases it has extended itself. In writing about missiological trends, David Hesselgrave says, “Cults and the o
