Non-biblical Theories of Encounter

[ITS]

Critique an aspect of non-biblical theories of encounter that may have influenced your thinking.

[Sarah-Jane]

At various times, I have come across most models of missionary encounter. Being from an Anglo-Catholic background, the accommodation model was probably my starting point. This view is, however, overturned by Romans 1, which makes clear that all human thinking is disrupted by the noetic effects of sin, and that human religion, far from being a search for God, is a flight from him. Christ turns all religions, including Christianity, on their heads.

[wenwidder]

I like the world to be black and white, right and wrong, yes or no. This mode of thinking, undoubtedly shaped by conservative Baptist upbringing, causes me to lean toward exclusivism. In reaction against this, perhaps, I am intrigued by the inclusivist/pluralist thinking of Western culture, and find myself wishing they could be right. Yet, in this middle ground of struggle, I am continually confronted by the offense of the gospel: the death and resurrection of Jesus defy inclusivist and pluralist thinking.

[Gregorio]

The pluralist view is a strong cultural influence in my country and generation. There is a strong emphasis on 'live and let live' through dialogue and sharing. One can only respect another religion by honouring and embracing it, never by calling for a different path. This is so dominant in Canadian culture that it impacts my worldview daily in education, through media and on the street. The focus is on the individual's choice to mix and match coupled with a belief in the privacy of faith. The problem is that there are no absolutes, no final source. So one can make up a god as you believe him/her/it to exist.

[CCCFW]

I grew up in Taiwan, where more than 16,000 registered temples exist and intend to meet the spiritual needs of a vast variety of people. In fact, Taiwan has more temples per capita than any other country in the world. In different temples, we may find statues of gods, deities, historical heroes and fictional heroic figures from Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and local folklore. This reveals the syncretistic character of the Taiwanese religion, which can accommodate seemingly contradictory beliefs simultaneously. ?All roads lead to Rome!? is a typical claim when it comes to discuss matters of religion. One can pick and choose, mix and match whichever god(s) he/she wants to worship and be benefited from. In addition, there is a strong sentiment to alienate the gods from western religions. Jesus is considered a western god. He may be respected but not worshiped because only local deities know the needs of the local people the best. Coming from this pluralistic and regionalistic religious background, I was totally blown away when Christian gospel was shared with me after I came to the United States. I was in strong disagreement with Jesus? claim that he is the (only) way, the truth and the life, and no one goes to the Father (the only true God) except through him. It sounded so non-democratic, so narrow, so exclusive and so NOT self-serving (that is, to me). But when I realized that a true faith in God has to be a God-centered faith, there is a gulf of difference between the Creator and the creation, and the common denominator that influences every deed, every choice and every thought in my life is SIN, I had to bow down and submit my whole self to this only Savior, Jesus Christ, my Lord!

[Christine]

I think that syncretism has tried to influence me as I grew up with school friends from differnent denominations. I did not want to always be arguing that what was practiced in their churches was not in the Bible. When they did not argue with the teaching of our atheistic science teacher, I woke up and realized that I needed to not allow the beliefs or practices from other people to influence my stand on biblical principals.
Years later, when I was working with an inter-denominational mission board, I found that there were some practices that I could tolerate as long as they did not go beyond biblical teaching, but that there were other beliefs that I would discuss with church leaders that I felt were against the teaching in the Bible.

[mkennedy]

Growing up in a conservative church, I think the exclusivist theory of encounter influenced my thinking. In many classes on evangelism, the direct approach was taught as the right method. We were trained to approach a stranger and give them a short, pre-prepared presentation of the gospel. We weren’t taught to look for points of contact or to consider the cultural presuppositions, personality, or felt needs of the person we were witnessing to. While this approach can work, I think more often it turns people off from Christianity.

[mkennedy]

The pluralist view is a strong cultural influence in my country and generation. There is a strong emphasis on 'live and let live' through dialogue and sharing. One can only respect another religion by honouring and embracing it, never by calling for a different path. This is so dominant in Canadian culture that it impacts my worldview daily in education, through media and on the street. The focus is on the individual's choice to mix and match coupled with a belief in the privacy of faith. The problem is that there are no absolutes, no final source. So one can make up a god as you believe him/her/it to exist.

As a fellow Canadian, the pluralism of our society also affected me growing up and continues to affect me. “Tolerance” is the motto of our country. Liberal Christians and non-Christians alike back up the call for tolerance by pulling the biblical “do not judge” passages out of context. Our society’s insistence on tolerance above all else has affected even our evangelical churches who still believe in salvation through Christ alone. Their drive for outreach and home missions often seems to be squelched by our Canadian hesitancy and politeness.

[tycinasilva]

For the past 27 years I have been involved in student/youth ministry in the Philippines where Roman Catholicism has been the dominant religion for almost 500 years. The accommodation model is the basis of the reality of religiosity in this nation. My ministry among students has had to encounter the mindset that hundreds of years of this approach has had on the common people. Accommodation has resulted in people having a “form of godliness but denying its power” (II Tim 3:5) – head knowledge about Jesus and the Bible but precious little heart knowledge that makes God personal and relevant to today’s living. Ministry in this situation demands the fleshing out of all six qualities of a biblical encounter (incarnational, holistic, sensitivity, contextual, verdict-oriented, and God-centered) over time and via relationship with the students. My colleagues and I have labored with great intentionality to conduct student ministry encounters (both individual and group) that model the reality of a living Jesus based on Biblical truth, to encourage contemporary worship that is Spirit-directed, and to develop discipleship materials that systematically build into each student a solid Bible-based foundation for their spiritual lives. With God’s help as we have “spoken the truth in love” we have seen disciples arise from the campuses that have responded to what is called here “Biblical Christianity” and live as true servants of the Most High.

[tycinasilva]

My current ministry has given me the opportunity to ministry in Taiwan many times over the past 15 years. I read with great interest the assessment presented by CCCFW of the religious situation in Taiwan. The concept of Jesus being a “western god” is true, but so sad when one realizes that the message of Jesus originated in the eastern world and CAME to the west. It appears that the truth from John 14:6 (“I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me”) was a significant truth in CCCFW’s journey to Jesus. What a powerful example of how this exclusivist position passage can be “truth spoken in love” by the Holy Spirit and used by Him to draw all men/women to the saving knowledge found only in Jesus (John 12:32).

[joel]

Our ministry context in India forces me to continually wrestle with the Hindu pluralistic philosophy that all major religions are equally valid and lead to God and salvation. The reality of this form of thought is that nothing could be further from the truth on the ground in India. The culture can speak all it wants about harmonious co-existence, but in reality the persecution that takes place from Hindu to Christian and between Hindu and Muslim is anything but harmonious. Only as Christ is declared to be king and ruler in individuals lives will hearts be changed.

[philemon18]

The exclusivist approach has shaped me the most. After I became a Christian, attending a conservative church, I was taught that there is “no other name under heaven” by which I might be saved. It became the primary goal of my life to share that truth with other people. The main problem that evolved from that view was that I cared less about people for who they were, and seemed to only care about their decision for Christ. I found myself treating people as targets. If they were willing to talk, I was willing to invest time in them. If they did not wish to discuss the things of God, I would not develop a relationship with them.

[philemon18]

Our ministry context in India forces me to continually wrestle with the Hindu pluralistic philosophy that all major religions are equally valid and lead to God and salvation. The reality of this form of thought is that nothing could be further from the truth on the ground in India. The culture can speak all it wants about harmonious co-existence, but in reality the persecution that takes place from Hindu to Christian and between Hindu and Muslim is anything but harmonious. Only as Christ is declared to be king and ruler in individuals lives will hearts be changed.



One of the many problems I have with pluralism is that cannot seem to work itself out. While it is one thing for a Hindu to add Jesus Christ into their theological understandings, it does not work for the Muslim or the Christian to adopt theology from the Hindu. There does not appear to be any way to bridge some of the more major chasms in religious thought. It seems irrational to suggest that all religions have a similar starting and end point. If that were the case, I would think that there would be much more commonality in world religions than there appears to be.