Sharing Jesus with Hindu Friends

You have started life at your new university. Despite your nerves, you make an effort to meet the other students on your corridor and discover you are next door to a Hindu. Raj is from the Midlands; his parents moved to the UK from India before he was born. Raj is easy to get along with; in many ways he seems just like any other student. But there is no getting away from the fact that there are differences too. There are images of Hindu gods on the shelf in his room, he bows to his parents when they visit, and talks with them in Gujarati.

You have always wanted to share your faith with people from other religious traditions but now that you have the opportunity you wonder where to start. How can I avoid causing offence? Can I talk about ‘God’ if his beliefs about God are different from mine? How should I present the uniqueness of Christ?

This article has been written to help you begin to answer those questions, calm your nerves, help you understand your friend, and give you some tips on how you can share your faith.

Read more here.

Thinking Mission Symposium

I had the privilege to be at this gathering in London on Tuesday. It had been arranged by Global Connections to discuss Mike Stroope's important book, Transcending Mission, which I reviewed last year. In God's providence the author was already planning to be in the UK so Mike was able to attend. (In what follows I beg forgiveness if I misrepresent any of the contributors and will revise it if an error is pointed out.)

Mike gave an introductory paper, telling us a little of his ministry story as well as informing us of the thesis of the book and of the reactions it has received. I was fascinated to hear that he had had a significant part to play in the SBC International Missions Board's leadership in the 1990s, a story told by Keith Eitel in Paradigm Wars. I had been in Nepal at that time and had seen some of the fruit of the machinations in the organization that Eitel documents. (I asked Mike about it at the end of the day but didn't have enough time to really interact. Suffice it to say that those events had a significant impact on the development of my missiology so I do hope I can interact further before long.)

Mike spoke graciously and humbly, admitting that he had had some pretty strong negative reactions to his argument. That is to be understood as the book really calls much of the modern missions movement into question.

David Smith's Mission after Christendom was a tremendous help to me when I arrived back in the UK after 20 years in Asia. David was asked to prepare a response to Mike, which he did ably and winsomely. Sometimes there can be a hard spirit in such gatherings, where egos seem to count more than truth and the good of the church and the glory of Christ. Not so here. David expressed his admiration for the book, situating it in a line of very significant works such as Cragg's The Secular Experience of Christ, Bosch's Transforming Mission, and the work of Andrew Walls (David's mentor), and suggesting that Stroope's book extends the long-running disputes of those authors.

He then highlighted three issues that the book throws up:

1. The relationship between mission and colonialism

The modern missions movement had an ambivalent relationship with the colonial project. There was significant overlap without a doubt, though this is often overplayed. David then argued that Mike's book misses out on the very important role that missions had in the emergence of World Christianity and even of the revitalisation of cultures in places such as Africa.

Furthermore, Protestant mission movements were not monolithic. Many early pioneers, such as William Carey (1761-1834), were dissenting Baptists. Far from being at the centre of power, they were at the margins. Carey's approach towards Hinduism was respectful: hardly a colonialist attitude and very different from the high period of colonialism of a later generation.

2. The relationship of terminology and concepts of mission and the Bible

Stroope argues that mission, missions, missional, etc have become sacred rhetoric with no biblical foundation. Smith challenges this main assertion of the book in two ways:

a) How, if we cannot employ such a concept as mission, can we explain what Paul had in mind when he instructed the Roman church to support him in his vision to go to Spain, a challenge that would have necessitated a two-step process of translation to Latin and Iberian languages (Rom 15:23-24)? Paul was a model for what might be done by other disciples of Christ. How do we talk about that? What language should we use? Furthermore, Paul, as has been pointed out before, was reaching out from one marginal position to another, not from a position of power.

b) Is the 'pilgrim witness' language that Stroope argues for, the most appropriate? And what do we mean precisely by the 'kingdom of God'? [My notes are a bit incoherent here!] David questioned whether the missions movement was really subverting the kingdom of God, as seems to be suggested. There are clearly examples of unrighteous acts done by some missionaries (and here Smith mentioned the missionaries of one particular country, who are the subject of a PhD dissertation which he recently examined). But there are very many examples of good work going on too. Moreover, we need to note the emphasis on human agency that Carey asserted in his Enquiry, in the face of a hyper-Calvinistic challenge. 

3. The use of 'transcendence' - what might it look like?

Are we now moving beyond Bosch's liminal stage? Smith here mentioned Walls' recent Crossing Cultural Frontiers and his discussion of migration. Surely both persuasion and demonstration are important in the work of witnesses. Here David also referred to an article on 'Theological Method' in the Global Dictionary of Theology and Terry Eagleton's Culture and the Death of God.

Further interaction

Two shorter presentations were also given - by Rosalee Veloso Ewell, giving a female and global South perspective, and by a Redcliffe College student, Aaron, giving a Millenial perspective. Short opportunities for interaction were given after each presentation.

Mike Stroope gave a final reaction to the day in which he informed us he was working on a follow-up book expanding on the epilogue of Transcending Mission. 

My reaction

The audience gave a sympathetic and respectful hearing to the argument and responses. I found the day very stimulating indeed. I was heartened at the spirit of interaction, especially by the two main speakers. I think the concerns with the book that I expressed in my review were shared by others. Although I think Mike's thesis is basically correct, I continue to believe he overstates his case. I find it difficult to see how vast chunks of humanity will be exposed to the glorious person of the Lord Jesus without a more intentional approach.

One concept that seemed to have achieved virtual consensus in the papers and discussion is that of World Christianity. I whole-heartedly agree that we need to be learning from each other across the cultural and continental divides. However, there seems to be little or no awareness of the fact that there is a growing body of followers of Christ who do not identify themselves as belonging to World Christianity. We may listen to Christians in their countries and still be way off really understanding our other brothers and sisters. And we will remain just as handicapped in our efforts to reach out to the vast numbers who, while open to considering the person of Christ would find World Christianity far too alien.

On a personal level this book challenges me to reflect on my words, my actions, and my character, as I continue to seek to work out how the Lord would have me continue to use my gifts, experience, and energies for his glory.

A Taxonomy of Church & Ethnic Engagement

As there is a fair pit of dialogue on twitter at the moment on multiculturalism in churches I thought I would post some material on the issue.

Some years ago in teaching on urban contextualization I came up with a taxonomy of how churches engage with the existential issue of living in a multi-cultural or multi-ethnic society (I use the terms synonymously). This is not to make a judgment on one approach or another but simply as an analytical tool. The taxonomy is based on two axes: the horizontal (x) axis on multiculturality and the vertical (y) axis on philosophy of engagement. This is what it looks like:

The table below shows how churches of the four types differ from each other.

	Pragmatic Monocultural	Pragmatic Multicultural	Idealistic  Multicultural	Idealistic  Monocultural
Affirmation of communal identity	û	ü	ü	ü
Communities meet separately in one local church	û	ü	ü	û
Communities gather in one congregation	û	û	ü	û
Translation in services	û	û	ü	û

Advantages of each type:

Pragmatic Monocultural	Pragmatic Multicultural	Idealistic  Multicultural	Idealistic  Monocultural
clear expectations of what is expected of everyone easy for majority community to accept outsiders from minority communities	all groups are encouraged to express themselves according to their cultural norms single local church expresses multicultural reality of universal church in relationships between congregations of one church	all groups are encouraged to express themselves according to their cultural norms single local church expresses multicultural reality of universal church in vivid public form	all groups are encouraged to express themselves according to their cultural norms relations between local churches expresses multicultural reality of universal church outsiders readily feel at home

Disadvantages of each type:

Pragmatic Monocultural	Pragmatic Multicultural	Idealistic  Multicultural	Idealistic  Monocultural
not easy for minority communities to adjust to culture of majority church for those from minority communities, bridges to unbelieving relatives and friends are broken, passively by neglect or actively by insistence on leaving former lifestyle	sense of unity of local church is threatened communication between congregations is complicated outsiders may still feel the congregation is not for them because the ownership of the wider group is multicultural, especially if the senior leaders are from the majority community	no community feels entirely at home in the congregation communication is complicated outsiders may still feel the meeting is not for them because the identity of the minority group is subsumed under that of the majority	image of unity of universal church is threatened postponement of ethical awareness communication between churches is complicated

Christ-Centred Hindu Community

Review of Disciple Making Among Hindus: Making Authentic Relationships Grow by Timothy Shultz (Pasadena: William Carey, 2016).

The title of this review will likely grate in the ears of many readers. ‘Christ-centred community’ you get; ‘Hindu community’ you also get. But ‘Christ-centred Hindu community’ sounds like an oxymoron, like heavy feathers or hot ice. Before you leave this page, judging it as the ravings of a weirdo, allow me to inform you that no less a man than the pioneering missionary to India William Carey talked about ‘Hindu Christians’. Timothy Shultz would not be comfortable with that terminology but not for the reasons you might expect.

Read the rest of this review here.

I have 6 copies of this book. To get your copy, send me a 'large letter' stamped addressed envelope (the book is 21.5 x 14cm) with £1.26 of stamps and a cheque for £10. Get my address and check I have stock first by emailing me (pickettmark62ATgmail.com) or tweeting me @drmarkpickett. UK only.

Reflections on Student Ministry 2018

I have once again had the privilege to be involved in student ministry over the past month, first in Cambridge and then in Aberystwyth. Here are some observations and reflections now that I have recovered!

1. Student ministry is fun. I know that that is not the highest virtue but it really is fun to be around students and experience their energy and enthusiasm in seeking to share Christ with their fellow students. I was going to say friends but if each student who is a disciple of Christ were to witness to their friends only, a huge chunk of the student body would be left out. Which brings me to my next point.

2. Student ministry is exhausting. I went out with the students each morning to hand out flyers on campus. Most students accepted a flyer (in marked contrast to the way the general public react on the High Street) so this was a key way to publicise the events of the day and week. It was good to see the students go out of the comfort zones and invite passers-by to events. Posters, social media, and flyers all work hand-in-hand reinforcing the message that has to compete with a thousand other messages in order to be heard. The most effective method of getting people to events, however, once again proved to be personal invitation. It is great to see students bringing class-mates along. Some seemed to bring along different friends every day - very impressive. The great advantage of a week of events is the continuity that it enables. Though numbers picked up during the week, as usual, it was amazing to see the same people come back again and again. Some Polish students at Aber came to every one or nearly every one of the events! The intensity of the week, however, can't be sustained throughout the year - the students do have other things to do after all! But the efforts leading up to the week and the follow-up events going on in subsequent weeks all combine to maximise the opportunity that the week brings.

3. Student ministry is people ministry. Students are human, after all, created in God's image and fallen and on a highway to eternal judgment without a gracious intervention by the Holy Spirit. The stakes cannot be higher. It was lovely to see in the corporate praying and in the effort expended each day that there was a sense of urgency. This is something we all need challenging in regularly.

4. Student ministry is Word ministry. The message of Jesus, that is central to the Bible, came across clearly and winsomely in both weeks. It was a joy to hear the claims of Christ proclaimed so publicly and unashamedly. These were no mere thought for the day; some talks were an hour long and the students listened attentively. Not every preacher could pull that off but I never noticed anyone yawning out of boredom. When the gospel is preached faithfully, clearly, creatively, and warmly it connects. 

5. Student ministry is fruitful ministry. There were professions of faith in both weeks. I personally talked with two young women who told me that they had asked Jesus to be their Saviour the night before. One had questions! So we chatted over a cup of tea in the adjoining cafe for an hour. Though she had little exposure to the truth before, she had been invited to church and CU by her new friend back in October as a fresher and had been going ever since. It all became clear to her in the previous evening's event and she had committed her life to Christ. Such a joy to hear her story and help her sort out further questions. 

6. Student ministry is conflicted ministry. I am going to be critical here. It was encouraging to see some churches praying earnestly and supporting their students in their joint effort to their peers. Some churches released half their staff to help out for the week. But apparently not all were so positive about the week's events. I was deeply disappointed to discover that one church continued their weekly student seeker group on a night that Michael Green was preaching just down the road. Another, too, had a notable outside speaker for an event that would have been so much better timed if it were a week later. If you are responsible and happen to read this drop me an email. I want to talk.

7. Student ministry is sensitive ministry. There are so many messages out there in our culture and on our campuses that shape students' minds. When they encounter, for instance, the exclusive claims of Christ, it is bound to produce a reaction. This brought to me again the importance of being alert to their sensitivities. I have much to learn in this area. Certainly those involved in full-time in student ministry are much more attuned to these sensitivities. It was a joy to work with the main speakers (as last year, Michael Green, Lindsay Brown, and Michael Ots) as well as UCCF staff (William Zong, Mike Hood, and Rachel Ward) and student-focussed staff from local churches. I learned from them all. But I will continue to bang on about our global insensitivity to those of other religious traditions. Why, oh why, do we come across as promoting 'Christianity'? Many would not see an issue with this. Surely it is good to be clear about what we believe in contrast to what we do not believe and using the terms Christian and Christianity are a useful shorthand for our position. If that were all it was then I would happily keep quiet. But I think that that is not what is being heard by the majority of Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Sikhs and others. It was quite striking how few visitors were from other religious traditions. Yes, we had quite a few Roman Catholics, so clearly it was not being promoted as in-your-face Protestantism. But even here there was sometimes a lack of clarity - 'So are Catholics Christians or not?' I answered, 'Well, it depends...' and several of us spent hours going over the issues. But I think the issues can be clarified from the front too. I am not sure this was done as well as it might have been. And the notable non-attendance of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists? I definitely met some on campus. But very few came along. I think there is a serious disconnect. They think these events are not for them. We think they are. But we are not getting that across.

Billy Graham

I have just sent this off to Wheaton College to go into the book of condolences to be presented to the family of Billy Graham (lightly edited):

My wife Becky (WCGS '92) and I would like to express our profound thanks for the life and ministry of Billy Graham. We are thankful for his humility, his consistency of holy living, and faithfulness in gospel proclamation. His life is a wonderful example to us all. I was a Billy Graham International Scholar in 1992 doing the MA in Intercultural Studies. It was tremendously helpful for my wife and me when we returned to our field of ministry in Nepal in 1993, where we stayed until 2005. Since then we have continued to serve in Wales, UK, where we are involved in many areas of ministry including work on campus, from where I write this note, late at night after a full evening of gospel proclamation and counselling.

May the Lord comfort you in your loss with his warm presence. And may the Lord find us all faithful in our day, just as your beloved father, grandfather, mentor and friend was in his. 

So Spirit, come put strength in every stride,
Give grace for every hurdle,
That we may run with faith to win the prize
Of a servant good and faithful.
As saints of old still line the way,
Retelling triumphs of His grace,
We hear their calls and hunger for the day
When with Christ we stand in glory.

Stuart Townend & Keith Getty

Warmly,

Mark Pickett

Heart Cry for Reality

Review of Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007) 187pages.

I was visiting one of my heroes, George Verwer, the other day and as I left he gave me a bunch of books and asked me to let him know what I thought of this one in particular. So here are some reflections.

This is Yaconelli’s last book. Originally published in 2002, this edition has a moving foreword by his widow, Karla. (Mike Yaconelli died in a car accident in 2003; he was 61.) The foreword prepares us for what is ahead as Karla draws a picture of the man she loved, ‘warts and all’. And it’s the warts and all that Mike delights in sharing with his readers as they follow his thinking on what it means to be spiritual.

The central concept of the book and of Yaconelli’s approach to knowing God, is that we all need to get real with God. He is sick and tired of phoney religion, which he seems to find especially in American conservative evangelicalism. Karla tells us that, though he had grown up in those circles, a series of life-changing events led him eventually to drop the ‘conservative’ from his identity, “launching him straight into the heart of God’s amazing, inexplicable, and unfathomable grace” (14).

It is also clear, however, as you read the book that the life-changing events themselves were the occasion rather than the cause of his rejection of his conservative roots. The cause, as he declares over and over, in each chapter, was rather the irritation at the unreality he saw around him and the apparent inability of churches and organizations in his circles to cope with the mess he had made of his life.

Out of the pain of rejection Yaconelli offers up a visceral cry to be accepted. He freely acknowledges that he made a mess of his life: “his divorce from his first wife, … the fallout of his divorce on his children, his community, his business partners, and his ministry” as Karla puts it, as well as his “scandalous” relationship and subsequent marriage to her (14).

And so, through eight chapters and an epilogue, Yaconelli argues that real spirituality is messy spirituality and needs to be embraced as such. He is a good story teller and propels his thesis forward with the art of the narrator. He uses story, then, including clips from Jesus’ own life, to demonstrate the shape of that spirituality. But sometimes, ironically, he makes stories up, sacrificing reality, to make a point: I was disappointed to find, in an endnote, that one rather stirring story he tells in chapter 6 is in fact a montage, “not an actual story but a composite” (186).

Furthermore, Yaconelli seems to make messy reality not just an important aspect of true spirituality but the only aspect of true spirituality. And that, it seems to me, is what happens when you base your understanding of spirituality on your experiences, including your experiences of a rather narrow range of Bible stories, rather than on a full-orbed, rigorously biblical theological framework. Many of Yaconelli’s impulses are indeed right: he emphasizes, among other things, acceptance of the broken (chapter 4), the trap of busyness (chapter 6), the significance of faithfulness in the small things (chapter 7), and grace (chapter 8).

Yaconelli rightly locates the central issue as one of desire for God (82). He could have got this from any of the great writers of Reformed spirituality, like Calvin, Owen, Edwards, Packer, Bridges, or Piper, but does not seem to have been exposed to the riches of their writings. It is understandable that he reacted against the community he was brought up in. Some sectors of evangelicalism in the States are shallow and legalistic. Such populist ugliness can be little better than Oprah or Osteen with Bible verses. But I can’t help thinking that he cut himself off from more robust influences that would have been more helpful than Henri Nouwen and John Eldredge. And that is why he can write approvingly of such psychotherapeutic tricks as visualization (76-77) and of elders (called to protect their flocks from wolves who seek to devour them) who keep their pastor in the pulpit for three years while he sorted out whether he still believed the gospel (122).

Yaconelli, like all of us who have tasted that the Lord is good, was a work in progress. Now he is in glory his spirituality is no longer messy. But it is more real than ever before. And that is what we all look forward to even as we “work out our salvation in fear and trembling” relying on the energies of “God who works in [us] to will and act in order to fulfil his good purpose” (Phil 2:12-13).