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Little is known by Westerners about the Eastern faith known broadly as Hinduism. There is a reason for that. "If you could travel from village to village all around India, you would see literally thousands of uniquely local expressions of Hindusim," said Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary professor of mission and evangelism Art McPhee. "Some people are not sure there even is a Hinduism, so many and so different are its local expressions."
Jai Prakash Masih, assistant secretary for the Evangelical Fellowship of India and pastor of a Mennonite congregation in Korba, served as another presenter for the conference. He highlighted the self-perception of Hindus: "A Hindu believes that Hinduism is the most ancient, most sufficient religion in the world."
According to a ruling by the Indian Supreme Court, Hinduism, in principal, incorporates all forms of belief and worship, without the necessity of selecting any one religion. It is tolerant of other beliefs, and any Hindu may embrace any non-Hindu faith without ceasing to be a Hindu. Hinduism is both a civilization and a religion.
India has long been described as a "god-intoxicated" or "god-thirsty" nation. And, according to Dr. Martin Alphonse, associate professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, the pluralism of the Indian people is a challenge to Christians. "A Hindu cannot be without god in any situation," he said. "Everything he or she does is done from a religious perspective."
One obstacle for Western service and development workers in a Hindu context, according to Margaret Spare, former Mennonite Board of Missions worker to Nepal, is their dualistic worldview which separates their expertise in a technical field from their spiritual witness. This dualism is "invalid and impotent in a Hindu setting" that integrates the spiritual, physical and cultural aspects of life.
All of the presenters shared one common viewpoint on Hinduism: It is an active missionary faith. For many years, people with a faith based in Hinduism have travelled the world, making converts as they went along.
On the other hand, the presenters observed that Hindu tolerance for pluralism is often transformed into vigorous intolerance when confronted with a religion such as Christianity or Islam which makes universal claims.
J.P. Masih reported that Hindus believe that Western society, particularly the younger generation, is open to their message. Masih concluded his presentation with twelve statements about the uniqueness and supremacy of Christ to be upheld by Christians.
The consultation participants issued a set of findings which included:
* The essence of the gospel is Jesus Christ come in the flesh.<P>
* Missions originates with the Great Commandment to love God and our neighbour and then proceeds to the Great Commission to call persons to follow Jesus.
* We show that we care by getting to know our Hindu neighbours and their religious heritages.
* We will want to share the gospel in ways that foster indigenous expressions of it.
* Hindu influence is growing globally, especially in the popular culture of the West. This calls Christians to greater understanding of Hinduism.
* Evangelism is sharing from the depths of one's heart what Jesus means personally.
* In relating to Hindus, we have no option other than a holistic approach. We must present an integrated (not dualistic) worldview with a clear understanding of our faith identity.
* An important distinction between Hinduism and faith in Jesus Christ is that in Hinduism the avataras came to destroy the sinners and save the righteous, while Jesus came to save the sinners. The uniqueness of Christian faith is grace, or Jesus' redemptive act on our behalf.
Christy Risser and Peter Rempel, for Council of International Ministries
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