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of all , the rapid accretion of hy–
gienic and medica! knowledge. The
first nine missionaries on the
Guinea coast of Africa died of "Af–
rican fever." By 1826, of79 roen and
women who had entered this region,
65 had died. And similar situations
existed elsewhere in tropical and
backward Jands.
Use of native African personnel
was the solution attempted to avoid
the devastating elfects of "African
fever. " But there was no substitute
for the goodwill gained for the spiri–
tual cause by providing the natives
with the services of the developing
medica! art itself. The medica! ap–
proach was used in the Far East as
early as the 1820s. lt has been ever
since a major part of opening the
doors to Christianity worldwide.
Without modero medicine, espe–
cially tropical medicine, little reli–
gious headway could have been
made.
Where to from Here?
Today's world has forgotten, or fails
to recognize, the fact that was so
obvious nearly a century ago. At
least since the beginning of the
Dark Ages, the door had been
closed to the worldwide spread of
Christianity (whether the true brand
or a counterfeit). Then it was
opened.
"In 1800 three of the six conti–
nents were practicaUy unknown to
Christendom" (Leonard, p. 415).
Steadily, through the century, the
door opened wider. "The progress
of the kingdom will appear sti ll
more remarkable," says Leonard,
"if we divide the century into two
equal parts, and note how little that
is visible and tangible was accom–
plished during the first fifty years,
and how the closing decades [and,
we may now add, the century which
was to follow) are fairly crowded
with progress" (p. 420).
Today the door is still open. To be
sure, there have been setbacks, as in
China and for a few years in the
Soviet Union, not to mention the
turo away from religion in France,
Britain and Westero Europe. Major–
ities in southero Asia are still non–
Christian, and the Muhammadan
Arab world has scarcely been
The
PLAIN TRUTH September 1978
Here and ThereWith
Christians Around theWorld
• Kenya in 1900 had less than
2000 Christians; today there are
more than six mill ion. In Zaire,
which was first opened up to mis–
sion influence by two Protestant
missionaries in 1880, nearly 60 per–
cent of the people today identify
with Christian traditions.
• All Africa is composed in a
religious sense of 41.7 percent Mus–
lims (mostly m the north), 40.6
percent Christians (a clear sub–
Saharan majority), and 17.7 percent
pagans.
• Since 1950, Islam has made few
solid advances below the imaginary
"Muslim line," 100 miles south of
the Sabara. The Christian church is
growing more rapidly than Islam in
most parts of black Africa.
• There are more evangelicals
behind the lron Curtain than in
Westero Europe! The persecuted
Baptist Church of Romanía is the
fastest growing church of Europe,
adding 20,000 converts ayear.
• Proportionately less is being
done for world evangelization by
non-English-speaking Europe now
than at the turn of the century. At
the present time about 2300
English-speaking missionaries are at
work in Westero Europe.
• A new Israelí law, elfective
April 1, 1978, has raised a storm in
Israel and in the U.S.
It
provides a
five-year prison term for olfering
(and three for receiving) "material
inducement" to get one to change
touched. But Islam no longer is
sweeping southward in Africa-in–
deed, Africa south of
th~
Sabara
may now be considered a Christian
continent- and in nearly every
country of the world Christians are
·sJowly increasing their percentage of
the total population.
·
But this cannot be the end of the
story. What remains is in every way
as important as anything which has
gone before. As the percentage of
professing Christians in a nation in-
his rel igion. Claims are made that
70 to 80 Jews convert annually. Of–
ficially, only 19 Israelí Jews con–
verted to Christianity during the
years of 1974 to 1976, and bribery
was involved in none of the con–
versions.
• Though the ad "Churches de–
molished free of charge. Jmmediate
cash settlement" runs in England's
Brilish Weekly and Christian World,
the Church of England has its advi–
sory board save sorne for their histo–
rie and aesthetic value.
• More than one-third of Nor–
way's 1700 churches are closed and
empty each Sunday for lack of
clergy.
• The Marxist goveroment of
Burma, a predominantly Budd hist
nation, has published 10,000 copies
of the Bible in Burmese for the use
of Christians who could not obtain
foreign currency to import Bibles
from abroad or paper to print their
own.
• Chu rch buildings in post-1949
Communi s t China , like the
mosques, pagodas and temples of
other religions, are no longer in use
for religious purposes. Yet reports
indicate that Christianity continues
to survive in most areas, and even to
increase. Furthermore, all or most
of China is in range of Christian
radio broadcasts from Taiwan, with
sorne known results, as owner.ship of
sma ll radio receivers prolife–
rates.
creases to and beyond a majority,
the goal of evangelization gradually
shifts toward a process of the more
thorough teaching of spi ritual prin–
cipies, of deeper and fuller biblical
doctrine. To the goal of upgrading
the spirituallevel of Christians in all
countries, many of whom are Chris–
tians in name only, unsaved, unre–
pentant , untaugh t as to wha t
salvation really is all about, those
who are truly conceroed must dedí–
cate themselves.
O
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