Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 26, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1881 — Progress of Christianity. [ARTICLE]

Progress of Christianity.

The Rev. Dr. Dorchester delivered an address in Wesleyan Hall, Boston, on the progress of Christianity in the whole wotlvl, since 1600. Until the present century, says the lecturer, there was no trustworthy data of the world’s population. Prior to 1830, it was variously estimated from 642,000,000 to 737,000,000. In 1860 it was reckoned at 1,000,000,000. Prof. Schem’s estimate make*, the present population 1,437,000,000. The progress of Christianity from the fourth or fifth oentury up to 1600 was confined almost entirely to Europe. The nominal Christians in the world in the third century numbered 5,000,000; up to the eighth century they had increased 30,000,000 ; in the tenth century, 50,000,000; in the fifteenth century, 100,000,000; in the last 300 years the increase has been 200,000,000, or as much as in the previous fifteen centuries. In 1880, there were 410,900,000 nominal Christians. In 1500 there were 80,000,000 Catholics, 20,000,000 Greek Christians and no Protestants ; in 1830, 116,000,000 Roman Catholics, 70,000,000 Greek Christians and 42,000,000 Protestants; in 1880, the respective numbers were 209,000,000, 88,000,000 and 113,000,000, showing an increase of 80 per cent, umong the Papists, 26 per cent, in the Greek church and 176 among the Protestants. The probable number of nominal Christians in the world in the year 2000 was estimated by Dr. Dorchester at from 1,200,000,000 to 1,950,000,000. The populations living under Christian Governments in 1500 numbered 100,000,000 ; in 1700, 155,000,000; 1830, 388,000,000; 1876, 685,000,000, divided as follows: Papal, 80,000,000 in 1500, 90,000,000 in 1700, 134.000,000 in 1830, 181,000,000 in 1876; Greek, 20,000,000ia 1500, 33,000,000 in 1700, 60.000,000 in 1830, 96,000,000 in 1876; Protestant, none in 15Q0, 32,000,000 in 1700, 194,000,000 in 1830, 408,000,000 in 1876. Of the 52,000,000 square miles of the earth’s surface, 32,000,000 are under the control of Christian governments and 20,000,000 under Pagan and Mohammedan. Of the area under Christian domination 15,500,000 square miles are ruled by Protestant governments, 9,500,000 by Roman Catholic and 8,500,000 by the Greek church. In 1800 the Bible was printed in onefifth of the languages of the world; it is now printed in nine-tenths. Three million Bibles had been printed in 1800; 160,000,000 in from 200 to 250 languages aild dialects have since been circulated. In the Sunday-schools in 1830 there were 2,000,000 officers, teachers and scholars; there are now over 14,000,000. In the Protestant foreign missions in 1830 there were 70,289 comfnunicants; in 1850, 210,957; in 1880, 857,332, Adding those at missions not reporting the aggregate would probably be 1,050,000 communicants and 2,500,000 hearers or adherents. Of the 857,332 communicants < 63,813 were formerly Pagan, and 193,449 Papal, Jewish or Rationalistic.