Luis Bush, dynamic founder of the AD2000 & Beyond Movement, coined this useful term about ten years ago. The 10/40 Window is an area extending across Africa and Asia and lying between the latitudes 10 degrees and 40 degrees north of the equator. It includes the northern half of Africa, the Middle Eastern countries, India, much of China and southeastern Asia and Japan and the Philippines. The countries in or near the 10/40 Window are under-evangelized compared to most of the rest of the world. Though the Window covers only 35% of the earth’s surface, it includes 65% of its population. Missions scholar Patrick Johnstone, author of The Church Is Bigger Than You Think, declares that 95% of the 1.2-1.4 billion people who have never had a chance to hear the Gospel live inside the Window area.

But there’s more to it than that. Johnstone also tells us that over 90% of the world’s poorest, most deprived, most illiterate, and most abused people live in and around the Window. This is a part of the world where AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and similar diseases rampage largely unchecked. It is especially difficult to minister to people’s spiritual and material needs in the 10/40 Window because of a variety of antagonistic political and religious systems, climatic and other geographical difficulties, and lifestyle barriers. It is in and around the 10/40 Window that the Church faces many of its most powerful challenges.

Because of God’s concern for the entire world and because of Christ’s compelling love for all humanity, Christians are obligated to respond to the challenges of the 10/40 Window. We have committed ourselves to follow Christ and try to do what he calls us to do in this life and in this world. To follow him includes understanding the needs of our sin-cursed world and then responding. We need to know about and understand challenges like the 10/40 Window. We need to participate in meeting such challenges through intercessory prayer, admonition, encouragement, financial support and, for some of us, moving forward into the front lines of the struggle.

Have you read through the statement of the all peoples imperative? You may wish to review it before we continuing your look at the 10/40 Window.

This statement of the all peoples imperative appears in each issue of Beyond Our Walls. It is for those new to First Presbyterian Church and for those who find it helpful to review the scriptural foundation for our church’s worldwide outreach. You may want to use it from time to time as a devotional exercise.

Outreach is foundational to the life of our church. It is the backbone of the Old and New Testaments. It begins with God’s promise to bless all peoples of the earth through Abraham and his descendants. It is not an agreement to be carried out only if humans respond favorably. It is God’s unconditional declaration of what he will do through his followers.

We invite you to read and meditate on the following instances of God’s promise. The promise to Abraham: Genesis 12: 1-3; Genesis 18:16-18; Genesis 22:15-18. The promise to Isaac: Genesis 26:2-4. The promise to Jacob: Genesis 28:10-14. David’s recognition of the promise: Psalm 22:27-28. Isaiah’s recognition of the promise: Isaiah 44:22; Isaiah 49:1, 5-6; Simeon’s awareness of the promise: Luke 2:30-32. Jesus’ proclamation of the promise: Matthew 28:19; Mark 13:10; Luke 24:44-47; Acts 1:7-8. Paul’s recognition of the promise: Galatians 3:6-9; The promise in John’s Revelation: Revelation 5:8-9; Revelation 7:9-10.

The Bible contains many examples of descendants of Abraham, including Jesus himself, being a blessing to non-Jewish peoples. Any church that is functioning as God desires consists of Christians who are communicating Christ’s salvation and love through their words and lives to their spouses and children, relatives, friends, and acquaintances and, also, who are helping to send and support dedicated messengers of Christ’s salvation and love to people groups around the world.

Many of the people groups listed for "adoption" in the Adopt-a-People Program our church participates in are located in the 10/40 Window. The Dalits, (or Untouchables) of northern India lie within the Window, as does the entire country of India. The Suri of western Ethiopia also are found within the Window. Both have been adopted by our congregation for special concern and support. See the February and March 1999 issues of Beyond Our Walls for reviews of some of what is going on in these two adopted groups.

We help support work in other 10/40 groups, also. Wycliffe Bible Translator Donna Evans has been translating Scripture for a minority group in Southeast Asia. Don and Kim  are involved in educational ministry in southern China. John and Marnie Pickering, now on furlough in the U.S., have been working in Mongolia. Ron and Donna Pontier of the Africa Inland Mission have worked among groups in southern Sudan, though they are stationed in Kenya at the moment because of the severe dangers of working in that part of Sudan. Lu Stephens, while no longer living in Japan, is working among Japanese and other students from the 10/40 area of Asia. Finally, some of the literacy work guided by Joel and Barbara Trudell of Wycliffe Bible Translators is being done in African areas of the Window.

Some of these people are working in places very difficult or, even, dangerous for Christian foreigners. They need our encouragement and constant prayer. Though there are national Christians in all the places where these missionaries are, churches either have not yet been established or are very young. Commonly, new Christians are harassed or in danger because of their newfound faith. Only two years ago the Dalits weathered a severe attack by a militant Hindu group, and new Suri Christians have been targeted for death. We need to pray that new Christians in societies hostile to Christianity will find the strength and wisdom they need so badly.

If we open ourselves to God, He can lead us to pray daily for the coming of the gospel to all places difficult and dangerous for Christians. Johnstone lists the 10/40 countries of Algeria, Bhutan, Iran, Maldives, North Korea, Sahara, and Somalia as among the most dangerous for foreign Christians. Christian missionaries are not accepted in these countries, and national Christians, in those societies where there are any, are in danger.

Only limited tent-making ministry (see Acts 18:1-4) is possible in a number of other countries. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Comoro, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, Yemen, and Libya are examples. Open Christian witness in several other countries remains limited. Surely, we followers of Christ have much to know, much to understand, much to pray about, much to do!