140AA. DIG DEEPER - WORLD RELIGIONS

1. Christianity tops the list with 34%
2. Islam (Muslims) follows with 25%
3. Hinduism 16%,
4. Atheists; Agnostics 17%
5. Buddhism 6%
6. Tribal Religions (Animism, traditional) 4%.
7. The remaining 8% comprises a large number of smaller groups including Sikhs and Jews.

To see some very comprehensive charts, click here.

These statistics are open to many different interpretations. Our ultimate goal is to preach the gospel, so here is how we could look at the stats from an evangelical mission perspective.

• Split the Christian segment into Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox. 
• Further divide the Protestants into evangelical and nominal Christians. 
• Recognize that many Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist groups are really Animists (spirit worshipers) overlaid with a thin veneer of the official religion. 
• Understand that Atheism is really a religion. Otherwise, why would they be so passionate about something they didn’t believe in.

Wikipedia is a well respected encyclopedia on the Internet. See what it says about major world religions. Click here. 

Bear in mind that this is a secular publication. As you read, remember the words of Jesus.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way” (Matt 7:13).

Operation World has maps and statistics of the world’s major religions on Page 908. To obtain a copy Click here

105. The 10/40 Window

Look at the “10/40 Window.” 

This is a name coined for a large section of our world. 

10/40 Window

Starting in Africa, find the area between latitudes 10 and 40 degrees north. Now follow this across Africa and Asia. 

You’ll see the Arabic/Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East, the Hindu’s of India and the Communist controlled countries like China. 

This area contains great poverty and low quality of life, combined with lack of access to Christian resources. 

Many governments are formally or informally opposed to Christian work of any kind within their borders. It represents a great missionary need. Of course, missionaries are also needed in other parts of the world.

An in-depth look at the 10/40 window.
Unless something changes soon, huge numbers of these unreached people will never hear the Gospel. Why? Well, researcher Justin Long has estimated that only about 10% of the global missionary force is working there. Open evangelism is difficult and even impossible because of governmental restrictions in many 10/40 Window countries.Read More

Getting to The Core of the Core by Luis Bush
The first and most fundamental reason why committed Christians must focus on The 10/40 Window is because of the biblical and historical significance of this area.Read More

155. Buddhists

BUDDHISTS

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Books on Buddhism from William Carey Library. Click here

Buddhism (ˈ b u d ɪ z əm) is a nontheistic religion nor philosophy that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to Gautama Buddha, commonly known as the Buddha ("the awakened one"). Click here to read the Wikipedia article.


Peoples of the Buddhist World: A Christian Prayer Guide. by Paul Hattaway. Researcher and author Paul Hattaway graphically presents prayer profiles of more than 200 Buddhist people groups around the world, beautifully illustrated with color pictures throughout.  Click Here.

145. Muslims (Islam)

ISLAM (MUSLIMS)
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BOOKS ON ISLAM

William Carey Publishers has several books on Islam. Click here.

A Wind In The House Of Islam: How God Is Drawing Muslims Around The World To Faith In Jesus Christ -- David Garrison.(Kindle, Paperback, Hardcover, Audio Book.) Dr. David Garrison's global survey of Muslim movements to Christ reveals that we are in the midst of the greatest turning of Muslims to Christ in history. Click Here

WEBSITES THAT FOCUS ON ISLAM

AnsweringIslam - A Christian - Muslim Dialogue,  contains many topics such as, The Qur'an, Women in Islam, Islam and Terrorism and articles like, "Understanding Some Muslim Misunderstandings." and "Outline of Islam." Click here

COMMA is the Coalition of Ministries to Muslims in north America. They say, "COMMA is a place where we can think missionally about Islam. There are a lot of strong opinions about Muslims and Islam, but our greatest passion is how to reach our Muslim neighbors with the Good News of Jesus Christ." One article explain the "Different types of Muslims in the Modern World." Another shows testimonies of why Muslims became Christians." Click here.

BACK TO THE STUDY GUIDE. Click here.

150. Hindus

HINDUS

Hindu gods

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Hinduism is the dominant religion, or way of life, in South Asia, most notably in India and Nepal. Click here for Wikipedia article.

Introduction to Hinduism: Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub-continent and has over 900 million adherents worldwide. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no single founder, no single scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings. Click here to see this BBC review.

South Asians in the USA.  You don’t have to go to a country like India to share Christ with South Asians. They probably live in your area. Download this PDF set of maps showing South Asians in the United States. Click here.

Visit PeopleGroups.info to find more detailed information on people groups within North America

Some Pointers for Personal Evangelism Among Educated Hindus. Friendship evangelism is usually easy to initiate with Hindus. Most Hindus esteem religion in general and are free and open to speak about it. Read more.

Books on Hinduism from William Carey Publishers. Click here.

110. Become more savvy about Countries

HOW TO BECOME MORE SAVVY ABOUT COUNTRIES

Resources

Here are some ways to help you get up-to-speed with both countries and religions.

1. Get some resources.

• A copy of Operation World
• A world map. 
• A notebook

Both the map and the book come in different formats. You can get details from Operation World

If you prefer a different map, or even a globe, make sure you have a political map that clearly shows country names and boundaries.

2. Listen for country names. 

Keep an ear open when you watch the international news. Look out for travel posters or magazine ads. Talk to friends who have traveled a lot. Jot down the country names.

3.Pinpoint that country. 

Let's say you're looking for Singapore. Spend a few minutes searching your map. If you’re stuck, go to Google Maps. . Type in the country name (Singapore) and you’ll see the map. In this case, Singapore is a very small country, so zoom out and you'll see that it's at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula. Now go back to your own map and find it. After a while you will get a feel for the names so you know what continent they're on.

4. Study a list of country names.

There are 257 so-called countries in the world. Only about 191 are officially recognized, but for the purposes of missions, we’re interested in all of them. You can look at a list by going to Countries of the World. If you have a copy of Operation World,you can find a list under Contents on page xiii. You’ll probably see some names you have never heard of. Others, like Fiji, will sound like tourist destinations. Don’t be misled. Missionaries in Fiji tell us that tourists never come to the area where they work with Hindus.

5. Look at the “10/40 Window.” 

This area contains great poverty and low quality of life, combined with lack of access to Christian resources. 

Click here for details.

BACK TO GROUP DISCUSSION #1. Click here.

160. Dig Deeper - Cultures

LEARN ABOUT CULTURES.

We have looked at languages and peoples. Cultures are closely related, but there are differences.  Missionaries must communicate in terms of the culture of the people without changing the message of the Bible. So, let’s find out a little about the subject.

There are different meanings of the world “culture,” but in our context we are thinking of how a given people group behaves and believes. Two cultures may use the same word or phrase but attach different meanings to it.

An Example

I was talking to a fellow worker in Nigeria who is a national. I used the phrase, “You can’t teach old dogs new tricks.” I asked him if he understood what it meant. He replied, “I understand very well. The old dogs know all the tricks, so you can’t teach them anything new.” This highlighted the difference between our cultures. His culture respects and honors old people for their wisdom and experience. Ours tends to write them off as being set in their ways and unteachable. Knowing this would give the missionary a clue as to how to approach these people with the gospel message.

Gestures Are Also Important.

For instance, in some countries in Africa a visitor might see men shaking their fists at him. This could be quite intimidating if the person didn’t know this was a friendly greeting. If you offer the smallest gift to a person from the Xhosa culture, they will hold out two cupped hands. This could be interpreted as a demand for something bigger. In fact, they are saying, “Your gift is so big, I need two hands to receive it.” In some Asian countries, you have to receive a gift with your right hand. This was difficult for me to remember, because I’m left handed.

These are a few of thousands of examples of cultural differences that could cause a missionary to unknowingly offend or misunderstand the people they trying to reach. Because of this, most missionaries take general cross-cultural communication courses before leaving for the mission field. They also try to learn as much as they can about the specific culture of the people they are planning to reach. Sometimes this is only discovered by trial and error, so the missionary needs to be sensitive and willing to learn.

Culture Shock.

Missionaries often experience culture shock when moving to a new society. After being away for many years, they may experience reverse culture shock on their return. They may be so engrossed in their new culture that they have forgotten how to act at home. On the other hand, they may find that the home culture has changed significantly during their absence.

DIG DEEPER!

Click here to find out more about cultures