January 2009

December 2006 By Paulo Pascoal The Portuguese Evangelical Alliance is one example of the involvement of all denominational families within old Europe. Portugal and its Social and Religious Characteristics Portugal is a nation with more than eight hundred years of history and with ten million inhabitants distributed throughout an area of 92.065 km2. The country […]

October 2006 By Joshua Snyder Malaysia’s mission leaders outlined actions steps to respond to eight mission projects in a 17 July meeting of the Malaysian Center for Global Ministry (MCGM). MCGM billed the meeting as a “roundtable dialogue with mission leaders.” An estimated ninety-five percent of Malaysia’s mission agencies attended the meeting. “If the Church […]

April 2007 By Laurie Fortunak Central America The eight countries on the land bridge between North and South America sit on a strategic trade route between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. The region has many resources, including water, timber, oil and metals. However, it is also prone to natural disasters. It lies directly in […]

January 2006 By William Sunderland Where were you when the tsunami of 2005 devastated huge portions of Southeast Asia? I was celebrating the birth of Jesus, creator and savior of humankind, on a bright, sunny morning. However, it was not long before I began learning of the tsunami’s impact via reports on television. After listening […]

February 2007 By Todd Johnson This commentary and the accompanying table represent our twenty-third annual report on global mission prepared for the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (IBMR) each January since 1983. The full report is eight pages and includes five tables examining the total extent of Christ’s mission across the world. For this Lausanne […]

May 2006 By Tom Douglas   Millions in China need to hear the gospel. Over 140 years ago, Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International), wrote a small book entitled China, Its Spiritual Needs and Claims. The book introduced the Chinese people to the Western world and sought to mobilize more […]

By Laurie Fortunak The Diaspora Han Chinese have often prospered economically. However, they still need the gospel.   As the largest ethnic group in the world—numbering 1.3 billion—the Han Chinese reside in nearly every country in the world. The Diaspora Han Chinese in Cuba are included in this number. After the Mongol Invasion around 1276, […]

April 2006 By Arne Fjeldstad Fatima loves chatting on the Internet. Several hours usually go by quickly in the Arabian Peninsula Internet café. The web is new, exciting and fun; you can even chat with foreign boys from other countries! And you can ask questions that the clerics in the mosque do not want to […]

August 2006 By Justin Long (Editor’s Note: Our new Peoples of the World section will consist of three parts: an overview of a specific region of the world, a deeper look into the least-reached peoples of this area and a focus on a specific unreached people group. We hope this will give you both a […]

February 2007 By David Sills Many, like Fortunata, do not have much theological training. I was in Peru recently helping to train some national leaders. As always, I was thankful to be able to travel to teach humble Christian workers like these students. They are sincere believers striving to do the best they can with […]

December 2006 By Brian Considine Each 1 December since 1988 the world recognizes World AIDS Day as a day to remember the millions suffering globally with this pandemic. Activities are scheduled, campaigns launched, celebrities speak, the media reports and even United States President George W. Bush publishes a statement. A few Christian organizations and churches […]

August 2006 By Grant McClung Only the coming of the power of the Holy Spirit to those who are witnesses for Christ makes the work of evangelism possible. Evangelism has been the first priority from the very outset of the modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. The historical self-image in the “Pentecostal/Charismatic story” is that we were raised […]

February 2006 By Laurie Fortunak Afari woman Claiming to be descendents of Ham, Noah’s son, the Afar (Danakil) of Ethiopia have had a very turbulent history. The Afar are a proud people, valuing power and prestige, the latter which many times comes from killing one’s enemies. Other groups of Afar can be found in Djibouti, […]

August 2006 By Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu Pentecostalism is the fastest growing stream of Christianity in the world today. In fact, the movement is reshaping religion in the twenty-first century.1“Pentecostalism” may be defined as that stream of Christianity which emphasizes personal salvation in Christ as “a transformative experience wrought by the Holy Spirit.” Subsequent to that initial experience, […]