Author: H.L. Richards
Publication: Mission Frontier
Date:
Friendship evangelism is usually
easy to initiate with Hindus. Most Hindus esteem religion in general and
are free and open to speak about it. A sincere, nonjudgemental interest
in all aspects of Indian Life will provide a good basis for friendship.
Personal interaction with Hindus will lead to a more certain grasp of the
essence of Hinduism than reading many books. A consistently Christ-like
life is the most important factor in sharing the gospel with Hindus. The
suggestions that follow should help to break down misunderstandings, of
which there are far too many, and help to build a positive witness for
Christ. Yet learning and applying these points can never substitute for
a transparent life of peace and joy in discipleship to Jesus Christ.
DO NOT:
1. Criticize or condemn Hinduism.
There is much that is good and much that is bad in the practice of both
Christianity and Hinduism. Pointing out the worst aspects of Hinduism is
hardly the way to win friends or show love. It is to the credit of Hindus
that they rarely retaliate against Christians by pointing out all our shameful
practices and failures. Criticizing Hinduism can make us feel we have won
an argument; it will not win Hindus to Jesus Christ.
2. Do not argue or debate on points
where we must disagree with our Hindu friends. Most Hindus sit lightly
to their theology or philosophy. God is above our definitions and debates,
and the man of God should stand above human disagreements. Often points
are raised to deflect a conversation from Christ and his compelling demands;
keep a focus on him and avoid debate.
3. Never allow a suggestion that
separation from family and/or culture is necessary in becoming a disciple
of Christ. To insist or even subtly encourage a Hindu to leave his home
and way of life to join the "Christian" way of life in terms of diet and
culture, etc., is a denial of biblical teaching. (See 1 Cor. 7:17-24.)
4. Avoid all that even hints at
triumphalism and pride. We are not the greatest people with the greatest
religion, but some Hindus are taught that we think of ourselves in this
way. We do not have all knowledge of all truth; in fact we know very little
(1 Cor 8:1,2). We do not desire all India to become "Christian." (Think
of what that means to a Hindu--India like America or Europe!) But we do
desire all India to find peace and joy and true spirituality. Be careful
in using testimonies of Hindus who have found Christ, since triumphalism
is often communicated and offends Hindus. Testimonies must be given with
evident humility, and with love and esteem for Hinduism.
5. Do not speak quickly on hell,
or on the fact that Jesus is the only way for salvation. Hindus hear these
things as triumphalism and are offended unnecessarily. Speak of hell only
with tears of compassion. Point to Jesus so that it is obvious he is the
only way, but leave the Hindu to see and conclude this for himself, rather
than trying to force it on him.
6. Never hurry. Any pushing for
a decision or conversion will do great harm. God must work, and the Holy
Spirit should be given freedom to move at his own pace. Even after a profession
of Christ is made, do not force quick changes regarding pictures of gods,
charms, etc. Be patient and let a person come to full conviction in is
own mind before taking action.
7. Do not force Christian ideas
into passages of Hindu scripture. We must be scrupulously honest in interpreting
the scriptures of all religions, and must diligently study the larger context
of all quotations. There are abundant points of contact between Christian
and Hindu scriptures on broad thematic issues; claiming references to Christ
where none exist only hurts our credibility.
8. There must be no sectarian Christian
appeal. Denominationalism is deadly, and pushing small doctrines will stunt
growth and offend spiritual seekers.
9. There must be no pretense or
pretending. The suggestions made here must be honestly applied and fully
embraced from the heart. To take these ideas merely as a strategy in evangelism,
but ignore them in the rest of our life and thinking, would be a sin against
God and would lead to nothing good.
DO:
1. Work into your life the traditional
Hindu (and biblical) values of simplicity, renunciation, spirituality,
and humility, against which there is no law. A life reflecting the reality
of "a still and quiet soul" (Psalm 131) will never be despised by Hindus.
2. Empathize with Hindus. Appreciate
all that is good, and be truly sad about error and sin (as sad as you are
about error and sin in Christianity). Learn to think as the Hindu thinks,
and feel as he feels.
3. Know Hinduism, and each individual
Hindu. It will take some study to get a broad grasp of Hinduism, and patient
listening will be required to understand where in the spectrum each Hindu
stands. Both philosophical and devotional Hinduism should be studied with
the aim of understanding what appeals to the Hindu heart. Those who move
seriously into Christian work among Hindus need to become more knowledgeable
in Hinduism than Hindus themselves are. Some study of the Sanskrit language
will prove invaluable.
Remember the biblical pattern from
Acts 17 of introducing truth to the Hindu from his own tradition, and only
secondarily from the Bible. For example, the biblical teaching on sin is
repulsive to many modern Hindus, but their own scriptures give an abundance
of similar testimony. Bridge from Hindu scripture to the Bible and Christ.
4. Be quick to acknowledge failure.
Defending wrong practices in the church and Western Christianity only indicates
we are more concerned for our religion than we are for truth.
5. Center on Christ. He only can
win the hearts of total loyalty to himself. In your life and speech so
center on him that all see in your life that God alone is worth living
for. Hinduism is often called "God-intoxicated," and the Hindu who lives
at all in this frame of mind is put off by Christian emphases on so many
details to the neglect of the "one thing that is needed" (Lk. 10:42).
6. Be quick to acknowledge mystery
and lack of full understanding. The greatest of thinkers know almost nothing
about God, and the Hindu appreciates those who have a deep sense of the
mystery of God and life. Don't pretend you understand and can explain John
1:18, 1Timothy 1:17; 6:16, etc., but point a Hindu to these profound truths
and to our need to bow before God and his word.
7. Share your testimony, describing
your personal experience of lostness and God's gracious forgiveness and
peace. Don't claim to know God in his majesty and fullness, but share what
you know in your life and experience. This is the supreme approach in presenting
Christ to the Hindu, but care must be taken that our sharing is appropriate.
To shout on a street corner, or share at every seeming opportunity is offensive.
What God does in our lives is holy and private, only to be shared in intimacy
to those who will respect the things of God and his work in our lives.
8. Lead in prayer and worship together
with your Hindu friend. Hinduism has a grand tradition of deep spirituality,
and so it is only by deeply spiritual means that we can expect to bring
Hindus to the feet of Jesus Christ. Worship in spirit and truth and communion
with God in prayer will open our Hindu friends to the riches of the spirituality
available to the followers of Christ. This is the atmosphere most conducive
to the Holy Spirit's work of bringing Hindus into discipleship to Jesus.
A Hindu who professes faith in Christ
must be helped as far as possible to work out the meaning of that commitment
in his own cultural context. Often a new follower of Christ is ready to
adopt any and every practice of Western Christians, and needs to be taught
what is essential and what is secondary in Christian life and worship.
For example, it can be shown that the Eastern practice of removing shoes
in a place of worship has strong biblical precedence despite the fact that
shoes are worn in Western churches.
A new believer should be warned
against making an abrupt announcement to his or her family, since that
inflicts great pain and inevitable produces deep misunderstanding. Ideally,
a Hindu will share each step of the pilgrimage to Christ with his or her
family, so that there is no surprise at the end. An early stage of the
communication, to be reaffirmed continually, would be the honest esteem
for Indian/Hindu traditions in general that the disciple of Christ can
and does maintain.
Approaching Hindus on these lines
does not result in quick conversions and impressive statistics. But a hearing
will be gained from some who have refused to listen to traditional Christian
approaches. And new disciples of Christ can be taught to deal more sensitively
with their contexts, allowing them to maintain an ongoing witness to their
family and society. As the leaven of the gospel is allowed to work in Hindu
minds and society, a harvest is sure to follow in God's own time.
