Observe Hinduism. Karma, dharma,
reincarnation, monism moksha, detachment should be
familiar concepts. Read, watch, and listen. Each
Hindu's beliefs will differ. Don't try to explain
"real Hinduism" to your friend. Listen and respond to
her/his particular version. (Reading list: Bhagavad
Gita; Ramayana; Mahabharata; Religion of the
Hindus, Morgan (1953); Encyclopedia Britannica,
Hinduism;Problems of Suffering in Religions
of the World, Bowker (1970).)
Observe Human Motivations. Power to control
life and oneself, family and community identity
through religion, and peace are all central desires
for Hindus. Many students are nominal Hindus seeking
"the good life" materialistic America offers. But
remember - your friend may have different motivations
or views than Americans seeking the same things.
Discover them as you deepen your friendship. (My
Experiments in Truth, Gandhi; biographies of
Ramakrishna and Vivekenanda; Religion in Modern
India, "Indian and American Worldviews", Hiebert
[1983]).
Overcome
Obstacles for Understanding Good
News
Tolerance/Inclusiveness -
Hindus happily worship Jesus - alongside Ram,
Lakshmi, etc. But they cannot tolerate Christ's
claim to be the only Incarnation of God.
Social Structure and Pressure -
"Christian" is another caste label. It is
impossible to change caste. Therefore it is
impossible to "become Christian".
World View Categories - Hindus
understand "God", "Incarnation", "sin",
"salvation", even "history", very differently than
viewed in the Judeo-Christian mind. For example,
"resurrection" becomes meaningless in a paradigm of
cyclical time.
Us! We are not "spiritual" as Hindus
understand spirituality. Materialism (vs.
asceticism), naturalism (vs. supernaturalism),
"truth" at any cost (vs. harmony, kindness,
patience), and privatization of life and faith (vs.
family/ community orientation) can make the Good
News bad news to our friends. (Communicating
Christ Cross-Culturally, Hesselgrave
(1978.)
Bridges Between our Friend and the Good
News
Hindus are essentially spiritual
people with a desire to experience God's power
and peace. We can freely discuss spiritual things
and offer to pray with them when appropriate.
Pray for crises which cause them to seek
God. Pray for Divine intervention through dreams,
specifically answered prayers, etc. Pray for the
suppression of the powers of darkness in their life
so that they are free to see Jesus.
Draw your friend into your Christian
family/community to see Christ in you, living
as good news through acts of love for one
another.
Develop creative alternative models for
explaining the Good News. The American goal of
salvation as "eternal life" does not communicate to
Hindus. Prayerfully search the Scriptures for other
goals of faith: e.g. peace, power, forgiveness, and
freedom from sin in the present. (Christ of the
Round Table, E. Stanley Jones; Christianity
in Culture, Kraft (1979); Lausanne Occasional
Papers #14.)
Offer
Your Witness - Share not only your
past "salvation event" but your present experience of
the living Christ.
Scripture's Witness - The Sermon on the
Mount sets God's standard which appeals to Hindu ideas
of holiness and brings up the problem of sin and
forgiveness. Mark 4:35-5:43 draws us into Jesus' life
and his power over nature, evil, sickness and death.
The Gospel of John teaches us what it means to be one
with God and reveals the Source of ultimate peace.
(The Gospel of the Kingdom, Ladd (1959).)
Common Ground Comparisons - e.g. Compare
Christ as prophet, priest, and king with Hinduism's
jnana, bhakti, and karma yogas, showing how Jesus has
fulfilled these paths to God, thus becoming the True
Path. This comparison is obviously for your more
philosophical friends!! As you learn, see if you can
discover other patches of common ground in which to
plant seeds of the Good News! (Khristadvaita: A
Theology for India, Boyd (1977).)
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