Snapshots of Christianity in Asia

According to the United Nations' geoscheme, how many countries/special regions are there in Asia?

• 29

• 36

• 46

• 50

Answer explanation

According to the United Nations (UN), there are 50 countries/special regions in Asia. The UN geoscheme classifies Asia into several subregions:

1. Central Asia – 5

2. Eastern Asia – 7

3. South-Eastern Asia – 11

4. Southern Asia – 9

5. Western Asia – 18 (including Israel!)

According to church history and tradition, which of the following countries first encountered Christianity?

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Answer explanation

1. 1. India - 1st century; according to tradition, St. Thomas the Apostle brought Christianity to Kerala (Malabar Coast).

2. 2. Kazakhstan - by 334 CE, a bishop's see of the Church of the East existed

3. 3. China - 635 CE, by the Church of the East

4. 4. Japan - 1549 CE, by Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier

Which of the following Asian countries was never colonized by a Western power?

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Answer explanation

Thailand has escaped Western colonization!

Indonesia - by the Dutch from the 17th century until 1949

Malaysia - by the British in the 19th century until 1957

Vietnam - by the French from the late 19th century until 1954

In 2020, what was the second largest religion in Asia?

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Answer explanation

Christianity only ranks 6th (including Protestantism, Catholicism, and Orthodox Christianity), making up a smaller share of Asia's religious landscape...

In 2020, where did Asia rank in terms of the number of Christians among the continents of North America, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Oceania?

• 1st

• 2nd

• 3rd

• 4th

• 5th

Answer explanation

Asia ranks 4th!

In 2020, there were 385.1 million Asian Christians, making up 15.3% of the total world Christian population. However, they accounted for only 8.3% of Asia’s total population, the lowest percentage among the six continents. In contrast, Latin America had the highest percentage at 92.1%, followed by Europe at 75.9%, Oceania at 73.4%, North America at 69.1%, and Africa at 48.8%.

(Source: World Christian Database)

In 2020, which UN region had the largest number of Christians?

• Central Asia

• Eastern Asia

• Southern Asia

• South-eastern Asia

• Western Asia

Answer explanation

Number of Christians and % out of total population:

South-eastern Asia: 155.9M, 23.3%

Eastern Asia: 133.1M, 8.0%

Southern Asia: 76.4M, 3.9%

Western Asia: 15.2M, 5.3%

Central Asia: 4.4M, 5.9%

Total: 385.1M

Andrew Walls: Serial expansion of Christianity through shifts of the center of gravity

(Source: World Christian Database)

In 2020, which of the following Asian countries had the highest percentage of Christians?

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Answer explanation

1. 1. Armenia - 94.7% (2.66M) - First Christian nation

2. 2. The Philippines - 89.9% (100.9M)

3. 3. Georgia - 85.8% (3.23M)

4. 4. South Korea - 33.1% (17.1M)

(Source: World Christian Database)

In 2020, where did South Korea and the Philippines rank among the top five missionary-sending countries globally?

• 1 and 2

• 2 and 3

• 3 and 4

• 4 and 5

Answer explanation

• - Asian churches are missionary-sending churches!

• - In 2020, South Korea (35,000) and the Philippines (25,000) ranked 3 and 4, respectively.

• - Most South Korean missionaries are Protestants, whereas the majority of Filipino missionaries are Catholics.

• - Some Asian churches have established a multinational presence. For example, the Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea has 657 missionaries in 63 countries, establishing 1,218 churches and guiding over 140,000 people in faith. Similarly, the Jesus Is Lord Church from the Philippines reports over one million members across 60 countries as of 2023.

How did Chinese Christians preserve Scripture during the Cultural Revolution when Bibles were destroyed?

• Bibles were hidden underground or in secret locations

• Oral transmission was vital; many memorized entire chapters to ensure preservation

• Radio broadcasts from Hong Kong or the Philippines provided Bible readings that were copied by hand

• All the above

Answer explanation

All the above!

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Christianity was outlawed, churches were closed, and Bibles were systematically destroyed. However, this is only a snapshot of the persecution of Christians in Asia, which spans centuries. It is estimated that millions of Christians have faced persecution, and hundreds of thousands have been martyred. The Catholic Church alone has officially recognized over 200,000 martyrs from Asia, testifying to the resilience of faith in the face of suffering.

Where is the largest Bible printing facility in the world?

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Answer explanation

The world's largest Bible printing facility is located in China. The Amity Printing Company (APC), based in Nanjing, has produced over 200 million Bibles since its establishment in 1988. Operating in an 85,000-square-meter facility, APC prints Bibles in more than 130 languages for distribution in over 140 countries and regions.