Parenthetically, the missionary task still confronting Christians is obvious from the fact that only a third of the world's inhabitants are even nominal Christians. The number of "Christians" included in the tabulation is itself almost meaningless, since it includes most of "Christendom" and thus most of the population of Europe, and North and South America. The number of genuine, Bible-believing Christians who have been personally regenerated through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ would probably not be more than 5 percent of the world's population at most.
Islam (meaning "submission to God") was founded by Mohammed (A.D. 570–632). An orphan, given to mysticism (some historians think he was an epileptic), Mohammed's character was a mixture of generosity and cruelty, religious zeal and sensuality. He was the recipient of a series of "visions and revelations" which were purportedly an extension of the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments, with which he was superficially familiar. These collected writings, 114 "Suras" in all, became the Koran, the sacred book of the Muslims. Salvation and heaven are earned by the Muslim through belief in one God (Allah), angels, the Koran, the prophets (of whom Mohammed was the last and greatest), the final judgment and God's decrees, and through the faithful practice of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, recital of the creed ("No God but Allah and Mohammed his prophet"), and once in a lifetime, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Hinduism has been from ancient times the national religion of India. It is extremely diversified in time and space, and generalizations are difficult. Most of it was originally brought into India by the Indo-Aryans, and was essentially identical with the theistic polytheism of the early Greeks and other ancient peoples. These beliefs were gradually written down as the four Vedas (Veda means "knowledge," and has the same root as the English "wisdom"). Much later, additional scriptures were appended, known as the Brahmanas and Upanishads. These became more and more philosophical, and eventually incorporated the two doctrines known as Samsara (reincarnation) and Karma (works, decreeing that a person's deeds in his current incarnation determine his type of existence in the next). The only release from these endless cycles is the attainment of nirvana, which in effect means cessation of existence, either by good works, transcendental philosophic understanding, or ritualistic devotion to the gods. For most Hindus, the latter is followed and India is a land of multitudes of gods and goddesses, temples, and rituals.
Buddhism was founded by Gautama (563–480 B.C.) partially in reaction to the popular Hinduism of his day. He received what he called "enlightenment" at age 35, attaining a foretaste of nirvana and rapidly won great numbers of disciples. Eventually Hinduism won out in India, however, and Buddhism has been stronger in other lands. He taught that nirvana could be achieved by the eightfold path of right beliefs, aspirations, speech, conduct, means of livelihood, endeavors, mindfulness, and meditation. There have, of course, been many offshoots of Buddhism, different in different countries. Gautama is not the only "Buddha" ("enlightened one") in the view of many; there have been other Buddhas before and since. Lamaism in Tibet and Zen Buddhism in Japan are examples of variant forms of Buddhism. The popular practice of Buddhism often is polytheistic and animistic. Shintoism is a specialized sort of national Buddhism in Japan. In China, it has been somewhat incorporated into Confucianism and Taoism.
Confucianism is named after the Chinese practical philosopher Confucius (551–478 B.C.). It is primarily an ethical system, rather than religious, and is silent, if not actually skeptical, toward the existence of God and a future life. The Analects of Confucius were collected by his disciples and form the guide book most used by Confucianists, although various other semi-sacred writings are attributed to him. He did teach ancestor worship and at least condoned the religious polytheism of the people, though probably he himself was strictly a humanist. Later, in many areas of Confucianism, he was himself deified and worshipped. The pantheism of Tao ("the way") and the polytheism of Taoism are commonly mixed with it and elements of Buddhism.
Animism is a sort of generic term for a great variety of religious beliefs, ancient and modern, centering in the worship of nature and the spirit beings who control the various processes of nature. Though it has no scriptures (except in the form of ancient traditions handed down in each tribe) and no common center or acknowledged founder, it nevertheless is essentially the same religion the world around, whether among the black tribes in Africa, the Indians of the Americas, the natives of the South Pacific, or the aboriginal tribes of Asia. In essence it is not much different from the polytheistic religions of antiquity, from the spirit and ancestor worship of the modern eastern religions, nor from the widespread spiritism and other occult religions found even in Christian countries today.
All of the above religions, as well as various other smaller systems, while diverse in many details, are really one religion of works-salvation, centered in man's own authority and philosophical insights. The same judgment could be lodged against even many so-called "Christian" systems, to the degree in which they also teach salvation by works, and interpose some human authority instead of the Lord Jesus Christ as a necessary mediator between man and God.
Selected books for further study:
Anderson, Norman. 1976. The World's Religions. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 244 p.
Bavinck, J.H. Introduction to the Science of Missions. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed.
Clarke, Andrew D., and Bruce W. Winter, eds. 1993. One God, One Lord: Christianity in a World of Religions Pluralism. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. 256 p.
Clendenin, Daniel B. 1995. Many Gods, Many Lords. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. 176 p.
Gaebelein, Arno C. 1927. Christianity or Religion. New York, NY: Our Hope Publications.
Kretzman, Paul E. 1943. The God of the Bible and Other Gods. St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House. 196 p.
Lewis, C.S. 1948. The Case for Christianity. New York, NY: Macmillan. 56 p.
Lewis, C.S. 1960. Mere Christianity. New York, NY: Macmillan. 190 p.
McDowell, Josh, and Don Stavant. 1983. Handbook of Today's Religions. San Bernardino, CA: Here's Life Publishers. 567 p.
Morris, Henry M. 1988. The God Who is Real. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House. 96 p.
Nash, Ronald H. 1994. Is Jesus the Only Savior? Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House. 176 p.
Sire, James W. 1976. The Universe Next Door. Chicago, IL: Inter-Varsity Press. 238 p.
Zwemer, Samuel M. 1945. The Origin of Religion. New York, NY: Loiseaux Brothers. 256 p.
Chapter III
The Authenticity of the New Testament
Importance of Historicity
As pointed out in the preceding chapter, an important aspect of the uniqueness of Christianity is the fact that it is founded on historical events rather than merely on ethical teachings. It is not surprising, therefore, that non-Christians and skeptics in general have consistently sought to attack and refute the true historicity of these events. If the events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ — His virgin birth, the miracles, the resurrection — did not actually happen, then the whole structure of Christianity collapses. "If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17).
The same is true concerning the history of the Early Church and the initial establishment and spread of Christianity as recorded in the Book of Acts and the Epistles. Critics have tried to persuade people that the books of the New Testament were written long after the period of the Apostles and that they, therefore, contain much that is legendary and non-historical, especially those parts which describe miracles. A great deal of this