Seminary students challenged to reach World A for Christ

By Cindy Kerr

FORT WORTH, Texas (BP)–If Texas were like the area known as World
A, the state would have 20 small churches, 18 of which would be composed
of Nigerians, Germans and Koreans — no Texans. Only two or three, 10 to
15-member congregations would actually be composed of Texans. About 500
Texans would have heard the gospel while traveling outside the state and
upon return, would be scattered, not knowing about other Christians. In
fact, they would be secret Christians, finding it very difficult and
even life-threatening to share their faith.

That describes life for the 150-million people living in World A
regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania, according to Donald Dent,
International Mission Board regional leader for Southeast Asia and
Oceania.

"The obstacles are linguistic, cultural, political and
spiritual, but Jesus told us to be light," Dent said. "He
didn’t just die for part of the world."

Dent’s challenge to change worldviews came as part of "Push
Back the Darkness … Pray," a day of prayer at Southwestern
Baptist Theological Seminary for the region Oct. 29. The Southwestern
community was invited to prayerwalk around the campus, using sites along
the route as prompts to pray for the region. E-mail containing urgent
requests from Southeast Asia and Oceania missionaries poured into the
school’s prayer room throughout the day. The World Mission Fellowship
sponsored a program later in the evening that allowed more dialogue with
missionaries to that area.

"Imagine you’re in a dark room," said Dent, who spoke at
the day-of-prayer chapel. "It’s so dark you can’t see anything at
first. The longer you sit in the dark, though, you notice lots of light
that you didn’t see before. Then you notice another room with far less
light. The darkness you’re in is actually brighter. America is a dark
place, but there is a darker place than the one you’re in."

Dent spoke of a region where 135 unreached people groups of at least
100,000 each have no access to the gospel even if they wanted to know.
Islam and Buddhism, crowd out the gospel’s light to 400 million more.
These lost souls live in the countries of Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Austria, New Zealand and
Fiji.

While millions of Westerners are attracted to the region’s religions
that teach the denial of human desire, the area is itself known for
easy-to-get "booze, babes and buzz," Dent said. About 300,000
prostitutes, which equals three quarters of Fort Worth’s population,
inhabit one city. A large percentage of these women are sold into
prostitution between the ages of six and 10 for $200 to $300. The girls
spend the next 10 to 15 years in prostitution. Then around the age of
20, old and worn out, they are sent back to their villages to find
husbands and start families often with just a few years to live because
of AIDS, Dent said.

Meanwhile the women have boosted the region’s economy, which
receives one in four dollars from prostitution, he added.

When death does claim one in this region, Dent said monks chant
death cries like, "This brother is gone and will be no more. This
friend is departed and not coming back. This life has ended and there is
nothing else."

"Can you imagine such darkness?" asked Dent. "These
lost people are, as Paul described them, they’re strangers and
aliens."

Dent explained the region’s history, which has often been resistant
to Christianity. For 350 years Dutch Calvinists controlled the area and
built beautiful chapels, uplifting God but brutally putting down
opposition.

"These (indigenous) people brought to us something you’ve
probably already had a cup of this morning — java," Dent said.
"You wonder what they think of Christianity. They are aware of
Christians and know bits and pieces of what Christians believe, but they
were taught that Christians are not righteous and their religion is
false. They know the name of Jesus but nothing of his love for
them."

Yet modern missionaries are pushing back the darkness, according to
Dent. For two years he said he visited a village in the northern hills
of Thailand that sold its children into prostitution and was controlled
by an ex-communist guerilla. He and other Christians shared the gospel,
and today, he said, every person in the village claims the name of
Jesus.

A few weeks ago 450 Bibles were distributed in one of the most
restricted areas of the world where law prevents the use of words like
God, Jesus, gospel and prophet. Foreigners have freedom, though, where
villagers have none, and under tremendous prayer shield Bibles were
passed out. Only ten people rejected the gift, Dent said.

"This is so symbolic of people in this region," he added,
reporting in one country the number of Christians grew from 5,000 to
80,000 in seven years, churches have been started and recently seven
monks who dedicated their lives to studying Buddhism were led to Christ
by an 80-year-old International Service Corps couple.

"We can push back the darkness. It’s a deep darkness, but God’s
in it," said Dent. "I’m reminded of 1st John, which speaks of
the darkness passing and the true Light already shining."