VIEWPOINT MAGAZINE Volume 2.1 October 2013 | Page 15
UPGs
Reaching the Unreached
By Peter Cho
A third of the earth’s population, nearly 2.18
billion, claim to be Christians, making Christianity
the religion that has the greatest number of followers.
Looking at this number gives you the impression
that Christianity is the most prevalent religion in the
world. However, Christians should not be satisfied
simply by these numbers alone, because there are
more than 16,500 UPG (Unreached People Group).
In fact, the number of UPG is greater than the
number of Christians in the world. This fact should
seriously concern many missionaries, organizations,
churches, and individuals as it shows that with every
passing day, thousands of souls are living their lives
without ever hearing about Jesus, the main focus of
Christianity.
Before going further into discussion, the definition
of UPG needs to be clearly explained to avoid any
confusion. UPGs (Unreached People Groups) are
any ethnic groups that have never heard of the
Gospel or have had little access to viable
churches. Coincidentally, many UPGs are located in
the 10/40 Window, a geographical area which
stretches from North Africa all the way to Asia. The
term “10/40 Window” was coined by
Christians, because most of UPGs are located in
that region, mainly by two important reasons.
The first reason is that there are many other
dominant religions in these areas, including Islam,
Hinduism and Buddhism, which prohibit and
discourage other religions. While Hinduism and
Buddhism are relatively mild regarding persecution
against other religions, Islam uses harsh treatment to
those who convert to Christianity.
The second reason is the prevalence of harsh
geological barriers in these regions, including the
Gobi desert, the Himalayas, the Sahara Desert, and
Siberia. These barriers prohibit many missionaries
from evangelizing in these regions. Naturally, as less
missionaries venture into these harsh regions, less
people living in the area have access to the Gospel
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