by Robert Brow (www.brow.on.ca)
a. There is an experience of something other than the daily needs of the flesh (which I define as our instincts derived through our genes, see Romans 7:14-25).
b. When a person begins to talk about that experience, his or her explanation can be set out as a model (I use 24 common models of religions and ideologies in God of Many Names).
c. A world religion usually explains itself by a model (eg. Original Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Taoism), which may reflect the explanation of most of its adherents. But in Hinduism many alternative models are offered. And many people attend the worship of a particular religion while at the same time privately giving a quite different explanation.
d. To survive a world religion needs recognized Scriptures.
e. As Lindbeck points out, a person's religion is nourished by
"living within a specific historical religious tradition." Which is why
evangelism is not just preaching but baptizing disciples who will then
participate as disciples in a community of learners (Go
Make Learners)