Research paper on VARIOUS METHODS OF SHARING THE GOSPEL IN MONGOLIA

It is known that some Mongolians have changed their religious views and today they have a belief in God. Historian state that the conversion of Mongolia to Buddhism

__________________________________

1. Ibid., 158.
2. Ibid, 387-388.
3. Ibid., 424.

 

precluded any hope of the spread of Christianity in that region.”³⁴ However, due to various methods that have been used to share the gospel with people in Mongolia, Christianity became one of the religions in today’s Mongolia. According to Morris Rossabi, “the Western Christians registered as educators and illegally proselytized for Christianity.”³⁵ It is also known that today the Mongolian government does not prevent the spread of Christianity. The Gospel is spread by the missionaries.

According to the historical data, Buddhism in Mongolia has been destroyed in the period of Soviet regime. Many churches have been built across the country and a large number of people in Mongolia were turning to Christ. In the late 1990s, thousands of books about Christianity were published and spread among Mongolians. It has been found that “Mongolian’s modern Christian Church continues to bear a solid witness to Christ in the nation and to live out the power and truth of the Gospel.”³⁶ the following methods have been used to share the Gospel with Mongolians: the spread of Jesus films, regular Christian radio broadcasts, audio recordings about the Gospel, children’s Bible stories, etc. In addition, it has been found that one of the Christian organizations in Mongolia “created the nation’s first independent television station, facilitating western standards of journalism in Mongolia along with sharing Christ.”³⁷

_______________________________________

4. A History of Christianity. (New York: Taylor & Francis, 2005): 608.
5. Morris Rossabi. Modern Mongolia: From Khans To Commissars To Capitalists. (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2005): 234.
6. Paul Hattaway. Peoples of the Buddhist World: A Christian Prayer Diary. (Singapore: William Carey Library, 2004): 176.
7. Tom Terry. Faith & Freedom. (New York: Xulon Press, 2005): 51

Moreover, many foreign Christian missionary groups work to spread Christianity in Mongolia. They include Roman Catholics and Lutherans, Russian Orthodox and  Presbyterians, Seventh-day Adventists and a number of evangelical Protestant groups, the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The statistics show that today there are more than 200 Churches in Mongolia.³⁸

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, it is necessary to say that today Mongolians still face serious religious challenges connected with economic hardships. However, it is clear that the situation can be changed due to the establishment of new Buddhist monasteries and centers, which will help Mongolians to support and obtain inspiration of the compassionate teaching of the Buddha. Buddhism is in the heart of every aspect of Mongolian culture. The revival of this powerful Buddhist heritage is critical to Mongolia’s future peace and happiness. Although hundreds of Buddhist monasteries were destroyed in the 1930s, when Mongolia was under control of the Soviet Union, and Mongolians had to restrict their Buddhist teachings and rituals to secret meetings, today the situation has changed. Since Mongolia’s return to democracy, the citizens of the country rediscovered their strong religious heritage. Today hundreds of Buddhist followers are free to attend ancient Buddhist monasteries and temples that have been restored across the country.