A Voice from the Back Seat

How close are we to taking the gospel to all the corners of the earth, and how soon will the gospel be known by every kindred, tongue, and people? According to some, one of the signs that Christ’s second coming is imminent is that the gospel has already been preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations as a fulfillment of the conditions set out in Matthew 24:14 for Christ’s coming. Is this fact or wishful thinking? An often-quoted statistic is the number of countries with an established Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) presence. In 2001 Adventists were working in 203 of the 228 countries recognized by the United Nations. Although twelve of the countries with no Adventist presence are small, with a majority of the population Christian, a closer look at the demographics and conditions in the remaining thirteen countries reveals significant missiological challenges. Unfortunate circumstances in North Korea have been in the press recently. Christianity in North Korea has been suppressed. No reports concerning SDA work there have been received since 1959. Not as well known are the conditions in the small Buddhist nation of Bhutan, between India and China, which has resisted influence from the outside world by controlling trade and by prohibiting all foreign missionary activity and proselytism. For both of these countries the church’s recent efforts have focused on Jerry Chase served as Research Project Director for A d v e n t i s t Frontier Missions (AFM) from July 2000 through January of 2002, developing the People Group Information System (PGIS). He currently works for the Southwestern Michigan Commission as their geographic information system (GIS) and US Census data specialist. He has continued his relationship to AFM with the PGIS project as a volunteer. Journal of Adventist Mission Studies 1 Chase: A Voice from the Back Seat