by R. Herbert | May 25, 2014 | The Church & the World
We should remember that the more we know about other areas of the world and understand their people, the better equipped – and motivated – we become to help them. But many of us do not fully understand the needs and potentials of Africa. Consider these three aspects:
Outline of Africa showing that the United States, China, India, and most of Europe would fit within this giant continent. Image by Kai Krause.
1) Size: At 30.2 million square kilometers (a little under 12 million square miles), Africa represents 20.4 percent of the total land area of the earth. If you haven’t already seen it, the “True Size of Africa” map above, by Kai Krause, startles in clarifying just how big the African continent is. As the map shows, Africa could comfortably hold the United States, China, Japan, India and most of Europe with room to spare. This huge size means that there is very little infrastructure – not even any roads – in many areas, and many schools, hospitals and churches have to serve huge territories.
2) Population: Growing at an amazing rate, the population of Africa is projected to reach huge proportions in the coming decades. At current growth rates, by 2050 African cities will hold over 6.25 billion people and Lagos, Nigeria, will be the largest city in the world. The high population density in many areas and the fact that 50% of Africans are 19 years old or younger already affects many aspects of life from social problems to agricultural needs. Some 40% of Africa’s people live in slums. Starvation and malnutrition can be frequent realities under such conditions.
3) Peoples: Africa is home to a great number of peoples of different ethnic and cultural groups – ranging from indigenous Bantu and Swahili to “Bushmen” and Pygmies, as well as Arabs and others. Each people is further divided, in many cases, by language groups, and UNESCO has estimated that almost two thousand languages are spoken in Africa. Ethnic and religious differences lie behind much of the ongoing violence, claiming a great many lives in some areas. This situation makes missionary work and Bible translation more complicated, time-consuming and costly, but the need is considerable. This is a continent of people needing our prayers and support in a great many areas.
by R. Herbert | Feb 4, 2014 | Fellowship, The Church & the World
One of the very encouraging things about running a website such as TacticalChristianity.org (or our sister site,
LivingWithFaith.org) is seeing the web traffic – people coming to the site from all around the world.
Our site receives visits from people as geographically far apart, for example, as the United States and Russia, the United Kingdom and Pakistan, Dubai and Zanzibar. It’s good to think that although we are so scattered around the world, we are friends in the faith. Many people may log on from areas where they have fellowship with Christian friends, others doubtless come to the site from areas where they feel alone as Christians and without that same feeling of friendship in the faith. If you are in this latter category, realize that we think about you and that you do have friends here and around this world. Although you may not see tangible connections any more than you can see the internet connections, they are there and you have friends at TacticalChristianity.org and among our readers everywhere.
We certainly welcome all of you coming to the site from distant areas – we think of you as our Russian friends, Zanzibar friends, or friends wherever you are, and want you to feel just as much a part of the site as our friends here in the United States. If you have suggestions for material that would be helpful to you in your own circumstances, don’t hesitate to leave a comment at the end of this post. We’ll be glad to provide needed subjects in the postings and articles as much as we are able. That’s what friends are for!
by R. Herbert | Nov 2, 2013 | Persecution, The Church & the World
I had no sooner uploaded a blog post late last month on the seemingly endless number of special days that now exist (pointing out the very worthwhile National Forgiveness Day, however), than I became aware of another very worthwhile “day”. November 10 is designated as International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted (
http://www.persecution.org/). Often people think about the persecution of Christians as something that happened in ancient Rome or in the Middle Ages, but in the past 100 years an estimated 35 million Christians have been killed for their faith, and the problem is ongoing in many parts of the world – it is real and it is now.
Although we can rejoice when facing unavoidable persecution (Matthew 5:10-12), that does not mean we should ignore the needs of those in peril in this way. In some cases there are things we can do to aid those in danger because of their faith (see the persecution.org website “Take Action!” link for suggestions), but according to the organizers, the number one thing persecuted Christians ask for is prayer. As the website reminds us, even when we can do nothing physically, we are equipped to meet that need! This day is not only an opportunity to pull together on behalf of those who face persecution, but also a good reminder that the need is ongoing and that there
is something we can do about it.
Recent Comments