*ARCHIVED OCTOBER 2007 // CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT DATA
Tibet (click here to view a satellite map)
Tibet, South Asia
Population: 2,600,000 (http://www.tibet.com/WhitePaper/white8.html) 2000 estimate)
Christians: <1%
Dominant Religion: Buddhism
Persecution Ranking: Not Ranked
Political Leader: President Hu Jintao (under China rule)
Religious Freedom in Constitution: Yes
Even after years of patient and often heroic missionary labour, the Tibetan church is still developing. One key reason may be that Christian spiritual vocabulary is largely meaningless to the Tibetans, whose religion revolves around the making of merit—the antithesis of the Gospel of grace.
Tibet has been governed by China since the Dalai Lama (Tibet’s ‘god king’) fled to India in 1951 to set up a new government in exile. Although there are no written laws against holding a Christian meeting in public or preaching the Gospel, those caught participating in those activities are almost always arrested and might be imprisoned. By one estimate, there may be as few as 300 Christian Believers in Tibet, and they are opposed by their government, their culture, and Tibetan Buddhism. God is working among them, however, and new churches are appearing in various places. The opening of Tibetan borders to travellers in 1986, has provided a miraculous opportunity for Christians to enter the country as tourists.
Prayer Points
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Pray that political leaders will keep the doors open to travellers, and that they will open doors to foreign workers. |
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Pray that completion of the first railroad into Tibet will accelerate the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Tibet and not the cultural destruction feared by many Tibetans. |
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Pray for Christian Believers to find ways to express the Good News of Jesus Christ in ways that are meaningful to Buddhists. |
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Pray for Christians to grow in fruitfulness and for churches to multiply. |
God our Father, we thank You for those in Tibet who know and love You. We ask that You would give them favor with family members and neighbors, along with opportunities to share the hope that they have in You. May Your Spirit fill them with joy, wisdom, and courage. Answer their prayers with wonderful evidences of Your power and saving love for the people of Tibet. May they see breakthroughs in places where there has been little fruit. Amen. |
