In some western countries it has established centres for the propagation of this movement. The post-independence Indian society has developed into a secular democracy. The agnostic leadership emphasised industrialisation, resulting in rapid secularisation, modernisation and westernisation.
The urban population developed popular nominal Hinduism which leaves it open to new influences.
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- How to share the gospel to Hindus | theranchhands.com.
The rural Hindu, oppressed by poverty and corruption, seeks a liberating gospel. The unrest caused by several philosophies and a weak political structure, has softened the Hindus within India for the gospel, even though the above varieties of Hinduism continue to prevail. Overseas Hindus are in a very unsettled, fluid state. In some countries of the world they are undergoing a period of great strain and change, which may influence their receptivity to the gospel. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became flesh within an Asian context.
Christian Witness to Hindus (LOP 14)
During the days of his flesh, he lived within a Hebraic cultural framework within this Asian context. He walked among the villages and wept over the cities. He accepted social rejects and understood the fluctuating fortunes of leadership within a tangible human society. The Hindu can understand him. Before such an understanding can be effected, however, Jesus Christ must be made known to the Hindu. In this effort to communicate Jesus Christ to the Hindu, the Indian Christian faces the tension between being faithful to the content of the Bible, and relating this content to the theological, philosophical, and religious context of the Hindu.
The resolution of this problem does not lie in interfering with the content of biblical truth, but in the proper use of the crucible of Hindu categories and needs in the process of communicating that truth. This is not the first time for such an effort to be attempted because, as early as the 19th century A. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is relevant and relates to all human cultures. He can be made known to a Hindu in a traditionally Hindu culture in India, likewise to Hindus living outside of India. The gospel is never proclaimed within a vacuum.
India provides a particular context which influences the kind of communication we should pursue. Thus we need to examine the Indian context in the light of the scriptures, and see which aspects warrant our careful consideration in Christian communication. The following are some crucial factors which will influence Hindu evangelism:. Hindus are a very religious people.
An aura of holiness characterises every man who claims to be spiritual.
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They identify externals to be reflective of holiness. The Bible calls us to live a holy life I Peter 1: The power of God through a transformed holy life will be a powerful influence on the Hindu. Human dignity stems from man being made in the image of God Gen. Christians are a human community. However, their equality before God is not affirmed within Indian society. Although people like to become Christians without crossing cultural boundaries, we believe that scripture demands spiritual unity of all believers. It is here that the functioning of the community of Jesus Christ in biblically relevant ways can be a formidable witness to the dignity that is restored in Christ.
When true community is practised within the church it will prove to the world John Further, when the church participates in the lives of people through genuine love, our verbal messages will be validated James 2: Perhaps the starkest reality of populous India is her poverty. Christ not only identified with the poor; he was poor 2 Cor. Elsewhere, it is seen that God has a special heart for the poor Prov. This message has special relevance to the Hindu within the Indian context. Four particular theological barriers to effective communication with Hindus should be highlighted:.
Indeed, Hindus find the very mention of change of religion by the Christian highly objectionable. Such demands must be presented with clarity and respect. Behaviour in the past determines fate in the present, and deeds in the present determine the future. However, just as karma is a block, it is also a bridge.
Although the concept of salvation exists within Hinduism, its understanding as liberation from the cycle of rebirth is radically different from the Christian viewpoint. We must recognise that Hinduism revolves around a different centre than does Christianity, asking fundamentally different questions and supplying different answers. The use of any theological bridge, therefore, is fraught with difficulty, particularly if we attempt to use a specific term or concept to demonstrate that Christ is the fulfilment or crown of Hinduism. No concept of Hinduism can be accepted into Christianity without change.
By way of illustration, the following bridges can be grouped into two categories:. In evangelism among Hindus we are speaking into a pantheistic world view, and although clarification and re-definition are required, it is not necessary to defend the existence of God. The Hindu respect for the sacred writings can be developed in the context of the unique authority of the Bible. Unlike any other religious community, Hindus will listen attentively to an exposition of scripture. The sole authority of the Bible must be stressed without any compromise whatsoever.
While this doctrine is a barrier in terms of defining moksha salvation , it also can serve as a bridge while communicating the gospel to the Hindu. The Hindu seeks to get free from the cycle of rebirth which his sin causes. He must be told of the Saviour Jesus Christ, who by his vicarious suffering and death on the cross triumphed over sin, and has taken upon himself the penalty of the sins of mankind. Points of Caution and Clarification: Concepts which require a radical conceptual redefinition: We should use this dissimilarity as a bridge, stressing the purposes of God in time, creation, the historical resurrection, and the coming judgment.
There is a deep desire in the Hindu for spiritual experience anubhava. This is noticeable, for example, among the Bhakti Margis.
The emphasis on meditation, austerity, and the willingness to accept physical suffering are commendable aspects of the Hindu way of life. At the same time, however, the Christian communicator must stress the degree of personal freedom that comes in Christian worship, and the Christian understanding that spirituality is not an end in itself, nor is it merely by spiritual exercises that one inherits the Kingdom. Essentially, the value of this bridge lies in the importance of the spiritual qualities of the evangelist or communicator of the gospel in gaining credibility.
Hindu beliefs in the intervention of God in human history through avatars must be radically redefined in Christian communication. Avatars enter the world to destroy sinners, and this requires repeated avatars. The incarnation of Christ is unique, historical, sufficient for all time, and is rooted in the love of God, saving sinners. Western culture has been injected into Indian culture as an acceptable form of Christianity; thus, it appears to non-Christians, this alienates them to a large extent.
The following are some of the issues that have alienated Hindus and proved a hindrance to evangelism:. Conversion to Christianity destroys this, leading to:. Many Hindus live under the constant fear of invoking the wrath of the Kula Devata family god , if they accept the gods of other religions. This notion is partly due to the huge, widely publicized gospel crusades conducted by foreign evangelists in our cities. There is no room in our evangelism for a condescending attitude.
Much gospel communication in the past has emphasised a rational response and has failed to appeal to the heart. This statement must not be interpreted as an endorsement of emotional gospel appeals, but a recommendation that our message must speak to the whole person, mind and heart. The response of an individual is undoubtedly affected by the attitudes of those around him. As we become aware of the specific social environment in which we communicate, principles of evangelism will emerge.
Our concern must go beyond the individual response to understand the broader questions related to the acceptance of Christ by the entire society. Christian leaders with this type of spiritual qualification are a powerful means of communication. In Salem District, Tamil Nadu, the Udaiyar Community became responsive to the gospel through a series of unusual happenings. A widespread religious movement was accepted by many in the community, and was led by a man who claimed to be god himself.
His teachings and life seemed so attractive that many followed him and surrendered much of their wealth to him. The scandal resulted in a government investigation and the group disbanded. The imposter had used the New Testament without acknowledging it. The new believer remained in the main stream of his family and community. As a result, many of his family members have believed and have been baptised.
Now the Holy Spirit is building a bridge between the Udaiyar and the Lingayath with whom they live in continued community, and as many as monthly baptisms are common happenings. A Hindu lady, Thirupathamma, was hospitalised with a serious heart problem, a few months before her delivery. The doctors expected complications during labour, and even feared she might die. A Christian doctor visited her daily, prayed for her, and explained the gospel.
As she opened her heart to the gospel, she had a vision of Jesus giving her a baby girl and assuring her of a safe delivery. Not only did she have a safe delivery and a healthy baby girl, but her faith increased so that she stopped taking medicines, trusting the Lord to heal her of her cardiac problem.
Christian Witness to Hindus (LOP 14) - Lausanne Movement
A checkup a few months later showed her to be completely healed. Through her faith, prayer life, and consistent witness, she is influencing the whole village for Christ. A certain church in Kuala Lumpur helped a man who had accepted the Lord to build a small house in a squatter area.
This man, when approached, was willing to open his home for Christian work. The evangelism group of the church then invited children for Sunday School in his home. The response was poor. One day a family with three retarded and undernourished children was brought to their attention. The father had left the family. The mother worked, doing menial jobs. The family was treated like outcasts in that community. The evangelism group became involved in taking care of the children, cleaning the home, providing food, clothing, and medicines. This touched the community. The non-Christians saw the concern of the Christians.
Their attitude changed, with the result that the Sunday School attendance increased. When the Christians invited the parents for a fellowship tea, they had the opportunity to communicate the gospel to them. Sewing classes for the women have been started to help the people, and with the hope that eventually they will be saved, and finally win their whole families to the Lord.
Dehilla was born in Kenya, son of a Brahmin. The family moved to England after I I years. Being devout Hindus, they followed all the rituals customary to practising Brahmins. Dehilla first became interested in Jesus Christ through a tract he picked up at a fair. But he felt that this was the God of the white man and so seemed unfair. But his father took him out of it the moment he realised his son was learning about Jesus Christ, and not about English grammar.
The next contact was an Indian Christian girl who took him to a Bible study in the home of a missionary. He was amazed to find so many Asian Christians at this Bible study. Hungrily he studied the Bible, and Christ began sorting out his wrong attitudes. Hari believes Hinduism is the only true religion, and his beliefs affect every part of his life from how he spends his time, what he eats, and even the types of friends he chooses.
Hari believes all people are trapped in a cycle of reincarnation and karma, which means once you die, you are born again as a plant, animal, or person, depending on how good or evil you were in the previous life. Hari believes there are three ways to break this cycle:. The way that works is if I devote myself completely to Krishna, then Krishna will take care of my karma problems and usher me into oneness with him when I die. Hari does not believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, especially since he believes the Vedas basically the equivalent of a Hindu Bible are the only sacred scriptures.
Hari believes in reincarnation through the cycles of Karma, which is an afterlife driven by the law of cause and effect. There is one God and yet three Persons Isaiah Jesus is fully God and fully man, and not a manifestation or appearance of the Hindu god Brahman. He is the God of the universe John 1: One knows ones duty in society by determining one's caste placement and stage of life.
This is called varnashrama. By determining one's caste and stage of life child or student, householder, retired, and the stage of renunciation. Caste The law of karma determines your placement in society, in one of four major castes: Brahamins priests , Kshatriyas warriors and rulers , Vaishyas merchants , and Shudras workers. The Shudra caste exists to do the manual labor of the society and are considered impure to the higher castes. Though the caste system is formally abolished in India, it is still conceptually essential in the Hindu concept of dharma, karma, and reincarnation.
In contrast to some of the more recent religions, such as Islam and Baha'i , Hinduism does not refer to Jesus in its scriptures, and he plays no role in any of the classical Hindu mythology. Nevertheless, due to the contact with Christianity over the last few centuries, some Hindu thinkers have found a place for Jesus in their view.
These considerations have taken the form of two particularly noteworthy ideas. The first one is that Jesus was one of the incarnations avatars of God. Most Hindus believe that God, specifically Vishnu, took on human or animal forms at various times in order to perform certain feats that would preserve true Hindu teaching the dharma.
How to share the gospel to Hindus
In this context, then, it has been argued that Jesus, along with Rama, Krishna, and others, was just one more divine self-embodiment. Whereas Christians generally believe that Jesus was the one and only incarnation of God, this view would hold that he was an incarnation, just not the only one. The second way of trying to incorporate Jesus into Hinduism, not necessarily incompatible with the first, is to claim that Jesus learned the teachings which he later proclaimed in India.
A Christian might respond to the second theory by pointing out that Christ's teaching was, of course, nothing like Hinduism, so that if he had learned it in India, he either forgot it or modified it beyond recognition on the way back to Palestine. And this problem also vitiates the idea that Christ was an incarnation of Vishnu because he certainly did not teach the Hindu dharma.
And finally, since Jesus claimed to be the only way to God, if his teaching was true, he could not have been one of several ways to God. Thus, the attempts by some Hindus to incorporate Jesus tend to be forced and not very helpful. When trying to understand the concept of salvation in any religion, we need to be very clear on what the context is. It is not just a question of how one might get saved, but also what one is saved from and to. The fundamental problem for all human beings is that we live in a world of suffering and illusion, and that, left to ourselves, we will continue to do so for all time.
As long as we exist in the phenomenal world maya , we will suffer, and since we are doomed to move from life to life to life in the cycle of reincarnation samsara , the suffering will theoretically never end. What drives this seemingly unbreakable chain of existences is the law of karma; it determines as what kind of a being plant, animal, or human and in what circumstances we will reappear in our next life, depending on what we do in this life. So, the point of moksha is to be released from the cycle of reincarnation and to attain a state of bliss in union with God.
Hari the Hindu
The third way is by far the most popular; it is the "way of devotion bhakti. So, for example, in this third way, if I devote myself completely to Krishna, then Krishna will take care of my karma problems and usher me into fellowship with him when I die.
So, in Hinduism one is saved from karma and reincarnation by following one of the three ways. Finally, the result will be a state of bliss in union with God sometimes conceived of as identity with God. Heaven, as Christians think of it, would not be the goal since one would still be sent from heaven back to further physical lives. Hinduism prides itself on its tolerance of many different approaches to religion, and, consequently, there is a great amount of diversity in beliefs and practices.
In fact, it is probably not unfair to say that in order to be a Hindu it is not as important to believe or do certain things as it is to fit into the basic cultural patterns that include veneration of the Vedas the scriptures , the caste system, and cow protection. They are 1 samkhya , an atheistic and dualistic school; 2 yoga , which adds worship of God and physical discipline to samkhya; 3 nyaya , a rationalistic form of thought; 4 vaisheshika , a way of classifying all of reality into certain categories; 5 vedanta , which stresses the identity between God and the soul Brahman-atman ; and 6 mimamsa , a school advocating the literal interpretation of the Vedas.
I am mentioning these schools only in order to show the diversity in Hindu philosophical thought, not because they would be particularly helpful in encountering Hinduism in ordinary life. There are the Vaishnavites, who recognize Vishnu and the deities associated with him as highest form of God. Then there are the Shaivites, for whom Shiva or one of his cohorts is supreme. And finally, we have the Shaktites, who devote themselves primarily to one of the many forms of the goddess, such as Kali or Durga.
The adherents of these schools do not necessarily exclude each other from worship or practice; there is much overlap, and individual practices are always going to be colored by specific local customs. The biggest misconception about Hinduism is that it is possible to speak about Hinduism in general as though all Hindus believed and practiced the same things. Perhaps the second biggest misconception about Hinduism is that one cannot make any general statements about Hinduism at all.
The truth is that, even though no statement about Hinduism may be universally true for all Hindus, there are certainly beliefs and practices, such as karma and reincarnation that most Hindus share. A particular misconception by Westerners is that Hinduism is essentially pantheistic. Even though it is the case that many Hindus believe in the identity between an impersonal God and the universe, many Hindus possibly the majority would be more accurately described as theistic, viz.