Jul
7
LDS Contextualization and Christian Missions
Filed Under Communicating with those of other faiths, Great Commission, LDS, New Religious Movements, missiology | Leave a Comment
I came across an interesting article in the Salt Lake Tribune about how the LDS church is seeking to contextualize their faith around the world. From the article, it appears that the church is trying to remove some of the American cultural trappings that have been such an important part of the LDS faith up to this point. It will be interesting to see how much contextualization can take place in light of the ecclesiastical structures that are foundational to the LDS faith.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries many Protestant missionaries failed to contextualize the Gospel. Missionaries, knowingly or unknowingly, often exported not only the Gospel message but also western culture. This often led to syncretism, theological confusion, and surface-level Christianity. Therefore, in many of these places Christianity remained a foreign religion.
Thankfully, since that time, missionaries have realized the need to contextualize the Gospel. The Gospel message stays the same, but the ways in which it is communicated should take different forms depending on the context. However, contextualizing how the Gospel is communicated is not enough.
The ways in which Christians live and worship must also be contextualized. This type of contextualization, although assisted at the start by a missionary, should ultimately be done by the local believers. Local believers, under the guidance of the Bible and the Holy Spirit, are able to best determine how the gospel and their churches are to look in their context. When local believers contextualize the Gospel and their churches, Christianity has a far greater chance of not being seen as a foreign religion. A great resource on Contextualization is David Hesselgrave’s Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally
Jan
4
A few days ago I finished a study on the Gospel of Mark and realized just how many times Mark notes that Jesus was surrounded by a crowd of people (18 different times from what I saw). Although many rejected Jesus during his three-year ministry, he always attracted crowds because of his teachings, miracles, and lifestyle. I think we can learn from this as we seek to communicate the Gospel to those of other faiths.
One of the most important things we can do is to point others, especially those in other religious traditions, to the life of Jesus. This would include not only encouraging them to read the Gospels, but also for us to fill our thoughts and words with Christ. As we live out a Christ-like life and point others to see the beauty of Christ in the Gospels, others will be drawn to Him.
This past summer I heard the testimony of a sister in Christ who left Hinduism after seeing Jesus’ moral superiority over the Hindu gods she had been worshiping. In a similar way, many Buddhists have been drawn to Christ because of his compassion and selflessness. Many Muslims have been drawn to Christ as they see his love and experience his forgiveness. Also, many animists have been drawn to Christ because of his power to cast out evil spirits and heal the sick. As during his three-year ministry, Jesus continues to draw people to himself.
For example, in China there are now between 50-89 million Christians and some estimate that by 2010 there will be 119.5 million Christians. Moreover, in 1900 there were only 8.7 million Christians in Africa (8% of the pop.); however, in 2000 there were 346.5 million Christians in Africa (44% of the pop.).
May Christ continue to build up his Church by drawing all the nations to himself!
*Stats come from Disciples of all Nations by Lamin Sanneh.
Jul
8
Who can use the word “Allah”?
Filed Under Communicating with those of other faiths, Islam, Sikhism | 1 Comment
I recently came across a story in the Times of India which describes how in Muslim-majority Malaysia, Sikhs are going to court for the right to use the word “Allah” in their sacred scriptures. The Malaysian government has banned non-Muslims from using the word. What is even more interesting is that the Sikhs are not the only ones fighting for this right; even a Roman Catholic newspaper is going to court to keep its right to use “Allah” for God.
As you might know, the use of “Allah” by Christians when referring to the god of the Bible is a controversial issue in missiology. Some argue that ”Allah” is simply the generic Arabic word for god and as such, it can be used by Christians. On the other hand, others argue that the word “Allah” is too closely tied to Islam, and using it leads to doctrinal confusion.
There are many issues to consider:
1. Can the word “Allah” be separated from Islam?
2. What do you do if you are in an Arabic-speaking context and there is no other word for God?
3. What word have Arabic-speaking Christians used for God through the centuries?
4. How would using “Allah” for the god of the Bible confuse a Muslim, a new believer, etc?
5. How would the issue be different in a Muslim context as opposed to a non-Muslim context?
6. How would the issue be different in an Arabic-speaking context as opposed to a non-Arabic speaking context?
7. How would this issue affect Bible translation? Translation of Christian materials? Evangelistic materials?
8. How would using “Allah” facilitate or detract from the communication of the gospel?
9. How would not using “Allah” facilitate or detract from the communication of the gospel?
These questions are by no means exhaustive, but they do show how the issue is more complex than many make it out to be. No matter where you stand on this issue, the reality is that a new believer needs to be taught about the nature of God as revealed in the Bible. If the new believer was a Muslim then he must be taught the difference between the god of the Bible and the god of the Qur’an. Similarly, if the new believer was an atheist then he must be taught the difference between what the Bible says God is like versus what he has heard about God from those around him. This is true for all believers. We should continually check to see how our view of God lines up with God’s self-revelation in the Scriptures. As A.W. Tozer once wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think of God is the most important thing about us.” (The Knowledge of the Holy, Chapter 1)
Jun
13
Is it ok to “baptize” the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths?
Filed Under Buddhism, Communicating with those of other faiths, Great Commission | 4 Comments
The Buddha’s teachings can be boiled down to The Four Noble Truths and The Eight-fold Path. The Four Noble Truths are:
1. Life is dukkha (suffering, dislocation, transience. Life is not the way it should be)
2. Dukkha is caused by tanha (desire, thirst for permanence)
3. Dukkha can cease when tanha is removed…cessation of tanha is Nirvana.
4. Tanha is removed through the Eight-fold Path:
1. Right views
2. Right intent
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
In “Evangelism in the New Millennium: An Integrated Model of Evangelism to Buddhists Using Theology, Anthropology, and Religious Studies” Ubolwan Mejudhon advocates presenting the gospel to Buddhists with a Christian version of the Four Noble Truths.* His “baptized” Four Noble Truths are:^
1. Suffering is a fact of life
2. The cause of suffering is sin
3. The cure for sins is the suffering of Christ
4. The way to deliverance is through faith in Jesus Christ
At first I thought it was a clever idea. However, I then began to question my initial judgment since these Four Noble Truths clearly do not contain the full gospel message. They contain truth but not the entire truth. Nevertheless, I still think these “baptized” Noble Truths can be useful in communicating the gospel to Buddhists as long as they are supplemented with the rest of the message.
*Article is in Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World, edited by David Lin and Steve Spaulding (2003).
^He credits J.T. Seamand with this version of the Four Noble Truths. Seamand, J.T.. Tell It Well: Communicating the Gospel across Cultures (1981).
Jun
10
The Gospel in Chinese
Filed Under Chinese Religion, Communicating with those of other faiths, Great Commission | Leave a Comment
I just finished reading a great book on Christianity in China. In Confucius, The Buddha, and Christ: A History of the Gospel in Chinese Ralph R. Covell presents an outstanding history of Christianity in China. He discusses the traditional Chinese worldview, Nestorian Christianity in China, the various methods missionaries have used among the Chinese, how Christianity has interacted with Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism, and modern attempts of making Christianity Chinese.
Although the book is dated (1986) and only includes limited discussion of the underground house church movement and the amazing growth of Christianity in China since the 80s (some estimate over 100 million Christians in China), it is still a great work for those who are planning on working in China or among Chinese in the Diaspora. The book is even a great resource for those who are not planning on working among the Chinese people. Throughout the book Covell discusses the issue of contextualization, which all cross-cultural communicators of the gospel must deal with. At times Covell does advocate too much contextualization for my theological liking, but he does raise some good points. I would recommend this book to anyone planning on engaging in cross-cultural gospel communication.
Apr
4
Why Christians should study other religions (Part II)
Filed Under General religion | Leave a Comment
4. Helps us clarify our own beliefs: As we study other faiths we inevitably compare our beliefs with those of others, forcing us to think through theological issues we might not have otherwise. For example, by studying the Hindu understanding of avatars (physical manifestations of deities), I have to think through in a more detailed fashion the implications of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation. Essentially, by studying other faiths you are able to better appreciate the subtleties and beauty of biblical teaching.
5. Helps us communicate the gospel: Every time we tell someone about the gospel of Jesus Christ we have to contextualize the gospel. That is, we need to present the gospel in a way in which the hearer can accurately understand the message we are trying to communicate. The gospel message does not change, but the way in which we present it does change depending on the culture and religious views of the person we are talking to. Clearly, you will present the gospel differently to an atheist as opposed to a Mormon. By understanding the faith of other people you will be better equipped to engage in spiritual conversations with them.
6. Helps missionaries develop strategies for reaching different people groups: As missionaries attempt to engage unreached people groups they must take into account the religious beliefs of that particular group. If missionaries do not understand the beliefs of those they are trying to reach they cannot contextualize the gospel or their methods. Moreover, by understanding the religious beliefs of their people group missionaries are better able to identify theological “bridges” or points of contact between the gospel and the group’s beliefs. These “bridges” will in turn facilitate communication of the gospel.
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