thumb
A word whose five letters help us remember five blocks of unreached people.
Here is what thumb can mean in world evangelism
T – Tribal
H – Hindu
U – Un-religious / Chinese
M – Muslim
B – Buddhist
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1. Tribal (usually animistic)
Believes in spirits that live all around us: in trees, fields, rocks, and on rooftops.
People must try to keep these spirits happy and enlist their help.
Animists usually live with a certain amount of fear that a spirit will be unhappy with them.
2. Hindu
Believes in hundreds or thousands of gods.
Believes in reincarnation — that is, when you die, you come back to life as an insect, a cow, or even a better (or worse) person.
3. Un-religious
This conglomerate category includes the following:
Chinese
The largest bloc of unreached peoples in the world is in China. Some follow Confucius; others follow a mixture of animism and even Buddhist teachings.
Secularist
Believes there may or may not be a God. The Bible is a fascinating historical book, but is not divinely inspired.
Nominal Christian
May have been baptized as a child. Considers himself/herself a Christian, but has no connection with the church now. Goes to church only for funerals and weddings.
4. Muslim
Believes in Allah.
Allah is to be worshiped, but He is too high and far away to think of as “father.” In fact, to call him “father” would be blasphemy. Jesus was a great prophet, but He was not God. Christ was not crucified for our sins;
5. Buddhist
Follows a path of discipline in order to reach enlightenment. Often there is no conception of a god at all
