On Gandhi and Christian Evangelism

[Wilson L. Deaton]

Gandhi wrote, “I got an early grounding in tolerance for all branches of Hinduism and sister religions.”

Giving specific examples of experiences and exposure to other faiths, he added, “These many things combined to inculcate in me a toleration of all faiths.”

Sadly, he then went on to write: "Only Christianity was at the time an exception. I developed a sort of dislike for it. And for a reason. In those days Christian missionaries used to stand in a corner near the high school and hold forth, pouring abuse on Hindus and their gods. I cold not endure this. I must have stood there to hear them once only, but that was enough to dissuade me from repeating the experiment. About the same time, I heard of a well known Hindi having been converted to Christianity. It was the talk of the town that, when he was baptized he had to eat beef and drink liquor, that he had to change his clothes, and that henceforth he began to go about in European costume including a hat. These things got on my nerves. Surely, thought I, a religion that compelled one to eat beef, drink liquor, and change one's own clothes did not deserve the name. I also heard that the new convert had already begun abusing the religion of his ancestors, their customs and their country. All these things created in me a dislike for Christianity."

What if the missionaries had focused on the love of God and on Jesus’ rather than on bashing Hinduism? What if the missionaries had instead taken the Mars' Hill approach?

What if the missionaries had remained focused on spreading pure Christianity rather than on spreading their culture (things like diet and dress)? What if instead the missionaries had taken the, "all things to all men so that by all possible means," approach?

What does this say to us about our approach to Muslims (and others)?

Wilson

[John Kennedy]

One of the other reason I had heard for Ghandi's antipathy to Christianity stemmed from his having lived in South Africa for a time as a young man and having been ejected from a Christian church because of the rigid apartheidt (sp?) customs of that time.

In a somewhat related vein, from a slightly different perspective, in my student days I was having a real struggle with the tnedency of many Christians to attach too much baggage to the faith (legalism). I found my contact with many missionaries to be refreshing because they had found it desirable, even necessary, to pare the message down to the essential core beliefs. They realized their task was not to Westernize or Americanize the gospel. Their ability and willingness to do this was in refreshing contrast to the tendency of some to want to attach a lot of peripheral issues to the message of the gospel.

[Billy Cox]

What if the missionaries had remained focused on spreading pure Christianity rather than on spreading their culture (things like diet and dress)? What if instead the missionaries had taken the, "all things to all men so that by all possible means," approach?



Is it so easy to separate religion and culture? Is there a religion that has swept the world with a message of "I'm okay you're okay"?

It's not fair to judge yesterday's missionaries using today's postmodern yardstick. It wasn't so long ago that preaching on the street corner in Harare Zimbabwe or Calcutta India was thought of as grabbing people right out of the jaws of the Evil One. Followers of Hinduism were seen as agents of Satan and the resulting militant strategy is understandable.

[Dale Cozby]

[sarcastic rant on]
Yes. Wilson if the missionaries over the last 2000 years had done it right we would have won the world to Christ by now.

Maybe if they had embraced the pagan cultures a bit more we would all be worshipping together and celebrate things like Spring equinox(easter: http://www.religioustolerance.org/easter1.htm )and the winter solstice(Christmas) and the fall equinox( All hallows eve) and the summer solstice( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s_Eve )

Yes, we could have mother goddess worship (Virgin Mary) and maybe some mystism mixed in (Trans-substantiation) and maybe some form of eastern meditation in our religion too ( Hesychasm and the Rosary)

Yes, if we had just embraced the basics of the faith and not addressed those cultural issues how much faster the message of Christ could have been twisted...uh I mean embraced by other religions...uh I mean others of different religions.

Certainly the faith would be so much purer if the missionaries had done it right.

Isn't hind sight is so wonderful don't you think? I am sure we would never turn anyone off from the faith because we came on too strong, or watered it down too much, or somehow superimposed our own values over the values found in the Bible.
[sarcastic rant off]

[Wilson L. Deaton]

Is it so easy to separate religion and culture?

I didn't say it was easy. I believe we need to strive hard to do so.

Is there a religion that has swept the world with a message of "I'm okay you're okay"?

In the context of cultural issues, Christianity should be that religion.

It's not fair to judge yesterday's missionaries using today's postmodern yardstick. It wasn't so long ago that preaching on the street corner in Harare Zimbabwe or Calcutta India was thought of as grabbing people right out of the jaws of the Evil One.

I'm not judging the missionaries. I'm sure their hearts were right. I am judging their technique and/or approach and I believe it is fair to do so. In judging their technique, I think they were misguided and wrong. I think it very fitting that recognize their technique as being a mistake and learn from it.

Followers of Hinduism were seen as agents of Satan and the resulting militant strategy is understandable.

We aren't going to win Muslims by treating them as agents of Satan and by verbally bashing Allah.

Wilson

[Wilson L. Deaton]

[sarcastic rant on]
Yes. Wilson if the missionaries over the last 2000 years had done it right we would have won the world to Christ by now.
....
Isn't hind sight is so wonderful don't you think? I am sure we would never turn anyone off from the faith because we ...
[sarcastic rant off]

[sarcasm 1/4 on]
Truth is, one of the biggest miracles of all, is that God has been able to build his church in spite of our "bumblings" for the last 2000 years. While he has certainly used we humans, it's a good thing he didn't have to solely depend on we humans. He sent the Counselor for a reason!
[sarcasm off]

[very personal sharing from the heart on]
I know this will sound lame, but Gandhi is probably my favorite historical person. It personally distresses me greatly that he was not a professing Christian. I can't help but wish that his first exposure to Christianity had been more postive.

In fact, if I could emulate any role model, I would like to be like the person Gandhi would have been, if he had been a Christian. (Is it wrong for me to have a life hero who wasn't even a Christian?)
[very personal sharing from the heart off]

It further distresses me when I observe well-meaning Christians taking a similar approach with Muslims today. Hoping that we could learn from the Gandhi story is why I shared it here.

Wilson

[Billy Cox]

I didn't say it was easy. I believe we need to strive hard to do so.



In the context of cultural issues, Christianity should be that religion.



I'm not judging the missionaries. I'm sure their hearts were right. I am judging their technique and/or approach and I believe it is fair to do so. In judging their technique, I think they were misguided and wrong. I think it very fitting that recognize their technique as being a mistake and learn from it.



We aren't going to win Muslims by treating them as agents of Satan and by verbally bashing Allah.

Wilson

One of the major turning points in my spiritual journey was the realization that missionaries were often well-meaning (and sometimes not so well-meaning) pawns of Western Imperialism. There was a backdrop of cultural superiority and pride more akin to that of the Pharisees than to the spirit of the Great Commission.

For all of the vitriole about Muslims 'converting' people at the point of a sword, I think that we secretly wish that we could grow our church by government decree too.

[Wilson L. Deaton]

I think that we secretly wish that we could grow our church by government decree too.

I'm not so sure that is always so secret. ;)

Wilson

[Dale Cozby]

What if the missionaries had focused on the love of God and on Jesus’ rather than on bashing Hinduism?
I have a good friend who is a Nazarene pastor in India. Born and raised there.

He says most Hindu's don;t have a problem with accepting Jesus as a god. They do have a problem with accepting Jesus as The One and only God.
It not uncommon for them to win covnerts through the use of the Jesus film and in follow up to begin the process of de-hinduizing them. Getting them to recogonize thier household gods as mere wood and stone as it were.

At some point in a polytheistic culture one must address the exclusive claim of Jesus as savior of the world.

Concerning muslims, the issue in getting them to recognize the exclusive relationship Jesus has with the Father, namely His divinity and right to worship equally with the Father.

It further distresses me when I observe well-meaning Christians taking a similar approach with Muslims today

What have you seen Christians doing? I mean, it is one thing to go around calling them agents of Satan to thier face(isn't that everyone who isn't set free from slavery to sin BTW?) and another to acknowledge the false nature of thier religion to our fellow Christians. Or do you consider it wrong to say "they are wrong and here is why" to fellow Christians?

I only have contact with 30 or 40 muslims (not- including the gas station attendents and cab drivers I meet) and right now I interact with very few, perhaps 10-12 regularly(mostly parents in my son's school class). My brother has several close friends who are muslims though and they were very impressed with our families faith displayed at my mothers funeral. Perhaps thier closest contact with Christianity in thier life too.

Certainly, missionaries to Muslim countries wouldn't last very long if they called them "agents of Satan". They would get thier head handed to them(literally)

[Wilson L. Deaton]

What have you seen Christians doing?

I suppose it's more "heard" and "read" than "seen." I confess that the observations to which I refer have come to me second-hand....

So, nevermind....

Wilson

[Randy Wise]

Gandhi wrote, “I got an early grounding in tolerance for all branches of Hinduism and sister religions.”

Giving specific examples of experiences and exposure to other faiths, he added, “These many things combined to inculcate in me a toleration of all faiths.”

Sadly, he then went on to write: "Only Christianity was at the time an exception. I developed a sort of dislike for it. And for a reason. In those days Christian missionaries used to stand in a corner near the high school and hold forth, pouring abuse on Hindus and their gods. I cold not endure this. I must have stood there to hear them once only, but that was enough to dissuade me from repeating the experiment. About the same time, I heard of a well known Hindi having been converted to Christianity. It was the talk of the town that, when he was baptized he had to eat beef and drink liquor, that he had to change his clothes, and that henceforth he began to go about in European costume including a hat. These things got on my nerves. Surely, thought I, a religion that compelled one to eat beef, drink liquor, and change one's own clothes did not deserve the name. I also heard that the new convert had already begun abusing the religion of his ancestors, their customs and their country. All these things created in me a dislike for Christianity."

What if the missionaries had focused on the love of God and on Jesus’ rather than on bashing Hinduism? What if the missionaries had instead taken the Mars' Hill approach?

What if the missionaries had remained focused on spreading pure Christianity rather than on spreading their culture (things like diet and dress)? What if instead the missionaries had taken the, "all things to all men so that by all possible means," approach?

What does this say to us about our approach to Muslims (and others)?

Wilson

I am sure Gandhi read the new testament. It would be important as I have stated elsewhere in like manner to keep the subject forcused on the testimony written not the speaker. Gandhi appeared to have embraced the religion of his fathers. It is very difficult for those of other religions to leave their religion. Children tend to believe the religion taught to them by their parents. If the missionaries followed Christ Jesus then Jesus's message would become their message. Many people don't believe in or like that message. (Jesus is the only way to the Father)

Randy

[Wilson L. Deaton]

I am sure Gandhi read the new testament.

Yeah. He really liked the Sermon on the Mount. Actually, he read the OT, too, which he thought was rather dull.

It would be important as I have stated elsewhere in like manner to keep the subject forcused on the testimony written not the speaker.

I agree. (I even think this applies in politics. Take Al Gore for example...)


Gandhi appeared to have embraced the religion of his fathers. It is very difficult for those of other religions to leave their religion. Children tend to believe the religion taught to them by their parents.

True. Actually, this is an area I struggle with. Just how "responsible" is a person raised in such an environment (as a Hindu, for example)? Fortunately, I don't have to have all the answers, as God is the judge, not me.

If the missionaries followed Christ Jesus then Jesus's message would become their message. Many people don't believe in or like that message. (Jesus is the only way to the Father)

Yeah, again. Gandhi openly said that his biggest problem with Christianity was that he couldn't accept that Jesus was the ONLY son of God...

Wilson

[Randy Wise]

True. Actually, this is an area I struggle with. Just how "responsible" is a person raised in such an environment (as a Hindu, for example)? Fortunately, I don't have to have all the answers, as God is the judge, not me.

Wilson

I have been asked by one in Judaism did I think they would go to hell if they didn't believe in Jesus. My response was. "what I see is one day in the future you are standing before the Son of God and He states "I don't know you". I don't know you is what I see.

Randy

[Randy Wise]

Yes Wilson, I believe in regard to Judgment only what "God" says will prevail.
Randy

[Wilson L. Deaton]

Gandhi wrote: “…. I came in contact with another Christian family. At their suggestion I attended the Wesleyan church every Sunday. For these days I also had a standing invitation to dinner. The church did not make a favorable impression on me. The sermons seemed to be uninspiring. The congregation did not strike me as being particularly religious. They were not an assembly of devout souls; they appeared rather to be worldly-minded people, going to church for recreation and in conformity to custom. Here at times I would involuntarily doze. I was ashamed, but some of my neighbors, who were in no better case, lightened the shame. I could not go on long like this, and soon gave up attending the service.” (Boldfacing is mine.)

Unfortunately, this indictment is too true for too many churches today. (Not NazNetter churches, of course, but other people's churches.)

Wilson

[Dale Cozby]

Hey Wilson here is a website you might like. It is about Christianity and Hindu faiths: http://www.karma2grace.org/