The Table Briefing: Respectfully Engaging World Religions

By Darrell L. Bock and Mikel Del Rosario

[Darrell L. Bock is Senior Research Professor in New Testament Studies and Executive Director for Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Mikel Del Rosario is a doctoral student in New Testament Studies, Project Manager for Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary, and adjunct professor of Christian Apologetics and World Religion at William Jessup University, Rocklin, California.]

If loving our neighbors well means getting to know them, this may include getting to know a core part of their lives—their religion. Beyond focusing on critique or apologetics, this requires growing awareness of what makes their religious tradition attractive to adherents and converts.

As part of a Table series on engaging world religions, we talked with four leaders about keys for respectful, compassionate engagement. Fouad Masri founded Crescent Project, originally known as Arab International Ministry, and has been ministering to Muslims since 1979. William Subash pastors Crossroad Church in Bangalore, India, and teaches New Testament Studies at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies. Conrad Bowman[1] is a staff member with Crossworld, ministering to Hindus in Ontario, Canada. Dr. Harold Netland teaches philosophy of religion and intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and worked with Buddhists as a missionary educator for nine years in Japan.

In this briefing, we explore what makes three major religions attractive and key points of connection for respectful engagement. If people were born into a tradition, why do they stay? What attracts converts? How can Christians respectfully engage and attract people through the beauty of the gospel? We consider each of these questions in the contexts of Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

Respectfully Engaging Islam

After Christianity, Islam is the second-largest religion in the world. As there is a spectrum of beliefs and practices among Muslims in a variety of branches of Islam, Christians must avoid assuming a familiarity with the personal beliefs of any Muslim and instead take time to learn and understand. Darrell Bock and Fouad Masri discuss what compels Muslims to remain in Islam, what may attract non-Muslims, and how the gospel speaks into these spaces.

Bock: It strikes me that Islam’s attraction is the orderliness that it gives to life in the way it sees life and also in the sense of duty that it develops. What else creates the attraction to Islam for someone who is a Muslim?

Masri: You said it correctly. Most Muslim cultures are very chaotic. . . . Islam brings order and structure for them. [It] answers questions [like] “What do I do when I eat?” They say, “You use your right hand, not your left hand.”

But there is this idea of shame and honor. [A Muslim may] point out what’s wrong with other religions . . . to defend [Islam. Or they may reason,] “If I said something negative about Islam, it might shame my family. So I stay with it.” Or [they may think,] “All people are polytheists, including the Christians—they worship three gods: God, Mary, and Jesus—why should I change? Islam is the best. It teaches one God, and that’s the right way.”

Muslims come to the West [and] don’t see practicing Christians. . . . There is crime, there is drunkenness, there is drug addiction. [They say,] “Christianity has failed in America because people are living this way. So, I will retreat back to what I was raised [in].”

For converts . . . the majority of them are in it because it’s exotic. [Islam] gives them something new, it gives them some kind of ritualistic structure. It’s sad—the number of people who convert to Islam without even studying the Quran or the life of Mohammed. But the good news is those who convert to Islam also convert out, and they become believers in Christ as they do their homework on Scripture.

Bock: So how does the gospel speak into those attractions and how do you move people in that direction? Because Muslims are coming from so many different places and in many cases are nominally attached to their faith, there actually is a lot of opportunity to engage with, get to know, and share your faith with Muslims. Am I right about that?

Masri: Many Muslims are asking questions. Not only because of the attacks of September 11th, but . . . the war in Syria and the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan. Many are asking, “Does God really exist?” “Does God care?” and “Are there other ways to know about God than Islam?”

When refugees arrive [in Sicily and in Greece], they say, “Thank you” [to our team]. A Muslim said, “You Christians are here to take care of us. Thank you. Why? Why [do] you do this?” . . . His view was maybe Christians were the enemy, but he discovered they were [there to] help.

I met a Muslim refugee in Oregon. His question was “Would you get me an Arabic New Testament? I want to read the words of Jesus. . . . From the moment we moved to this country, the moment they welcomed us in America, the Christians are the number-one people around us.”

There is this desire when they see our love, our kindness, they want to know more. . . . Just begin a conversation. “Oh, you are a Muslim? Oh, you believe in one god?” Let them share. And then let the God of Abraham lead them to the knowledge of Christ the Messiah.

Among the many ways to begin relationships with Muslims, practicing hospitality can create an openness to respectful, spiritual conversations. Yet pointing Muslim friends to Jesus takes courage. How might a Christian respond to those who challenge the biblical conception of Jesus?

Bock: Sometimes the idea of Jesus being God . . . and going through the limitations of humanity is offensive to a Muslim. Do you have any advice about how to have that particular conversation?

Masri: Let them read the words of Jesus. Somebody gave [an imam] a Bible. He read the words of Jesus: “From their fruit you shall know them.” He [was] saved and baptized. The words of Jesus speak for who Jesus is. Many times, we try to explain this with our own power. Let the Word speak for itself.

Bock: That’s great advice. [A man] in Turkey who came from a Muslim background said, “Someone gave me a Bible and I started reading. The more I read, the more intrigued I became; I realized that what I’ve been told about Jesus wasn’t what was reflected in the Bible. I came to the point where I understood that what I had been told in Islam [was different from] what I was reading in the Bible.” He came to identify with what the Scripture was saying and he came to the Lord.

Fouad Masri reported that the imam linked his experience of Christian compassion ministries with Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 7:15–20: “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.”

While some Muslims find the structure of Islam attractive, and potential converts may be attracted to traditions they perceive as exotic, others have spiritual questions that are not fully satisfied by Islam. Compassionate service can begin to create an openness to considering the teachings of Jesus in the Bible.

Engaging Hinduism

What about Hinduism, the third-largest religion in the world? What compels Hindus to remain adherents? What attracts others to Hinduism? The diversity represented by Hinduism suggests a range of responses that vary widely among individuals. Many Indians see Hinduism as a vast group of people rather than a religion. For them, adherence to Hindu traditions is strongly connected to cultural and family loyalty. Conrad Bowman, William Subash, and Darrell Bock discuss the situation:

Bowman: Under the umbrella of [Hindu] civilization, you can literally have thousands of varieties of various religions. You could be atheist, agnostic, [or] pantheistic. You could be whatever you can think of. It exists within the Hindu umbrella.

Subash: Hinduism is a conglomeration of many religions, many worldviews that often change, adapt, but will have never one claim. They have different claims and worldviews, and they all live together. They try to adapt. . . . [Indian] Hinduism is different from the Hinduism practiced in Central America or Singapore.

Bock: So there’s no one-size-fits-all. . . . There’s almost a cultural identity . . . that drives it. Is that your sense, Subash, that there is this cultural root that says in effect, “I’m Indian and this is what we believe, even though those beliefs are varied”?

Subash: Yes, there is something sacred that keeps Indians together.

One key reason Indian adherents remain in Hinduism is their loyalty to a type of cultural unity within a diversity of belief and practice. Losing one’s position in the caste system is for some a strong deterrent from leaving Hinduism. The consequences of such a defection may include expulsion from the community or even death.

Bowman: Your caste determines a number of things immediately [upon birth]—who you can marry—what kind of job you’ll have—who you can interact with or who you can’t interact with. There is discrimination based on the name you were given by this system. . . . When they have arranged marriages, parents won’t even consider marrying off their son or their daughter to someone who is not from the same caste.

Subash: It is also part of a major scripture. . . . [The Bhagavad] Gita is part of Mahabharata scripture, which is divided into eighteen chapters which talk about various tenets of the caste-based religion.

Bock: Interesting. So [Hindu scriptures are] supportive ultimately of the caste structure.

Subash: Yes.

Bock: Adherence here primarily almost sounds like an ethnic or regional loyalty and an attachment to your roots. Is that a fair summary of the point of attraction?

Subash: It is. It is so engrained and they have a deep attachment to their caste and . . . family traditions. If a person moves out of their religion or out of their caste, they excommunicate them. . . . It is a defection. They can also go to [the] extent of “honor killing.” When a person marries from one caste to another caste or one Hindu religion to another religion, it becomes a major issue.

One key attraction for many non-Hindus is the pluralistic nature of Hinduism. On the one hand, it can accommodate the beliefs of animists, polytheists, and others who embrace a spiritual world. On the other hand, agnostic scientists, atheist philosophers, or those for whom the spiritual has no part in their worldview can also find inclusion. Another attractive feature for some who are struggling with their personal identity, immediate future, or eternal destiny is the idea of becoming a god or realizing their own divinity. Subash notes: “[For] educated Hindus, [the] ultimate desire is to realize that they are gods. They say, ‘Aham Brahmasmi,’ ‘I am God.’ People get attracted because their fate is not properly defined. It is very attractive. They say, ‘I am one day going to be God.’ ”

While many Hindus can easily incorporate Jesus into their worldview, Christianity’s exclusive nature challenges the extent of Hindu inclusivism. Still, many Hindus have responded to the gospel through compassionate Christians meeting medical and educational needs, especially for those in the lowest castes. Even the promise of divinity falls short, as Hindu gods also suffer from imperfections. Individuals who recognize their need for freedom from sin may discover the biblical concepts of atonement and redemption absent from Hinduism and come to find freedom in Christ. Bowman suggests engagement that begins with relationship, asking questions, and discussing spiritual things.

Bowman: The best way to engage with a Hindu person is [to] develop the relationship and ask what they believe. Hindus are very spiritually minded. They love talking about spiritual things. A lot of Hindus think it’s strange that more Westerners don’t talk about their faith or their spirituality.

I learned to integrate talking about spiritual things in almost every aspect of life. Hindus love when we talk about Jesus’s teachings about money. . . . Ask them specifically, “What’s your understanding of the universe?” “What’s your understanding of why we’re here?” “What keeps you up at night?” “What are you afraid of?” Once you learn to ask questions that peel away the outside and get to the heart of who someone is, you can then begin understanding who this person is, why they do the things they do, why they think the way they think.

While many remain loyal to Hinduism for cultural and social reasons, converts are attracted to its pluralistic, adaptable nature—accommodating a spectrum of views, from atheism to potential deification. Still, some recognize their struggle with imperfection and find true atonement and grace absent from Hinduism. Like many Muslims, many Hindus have become Christians through compassion ministries.

Engaging Buddhism

What about Buddhism, the fourth-largest religion in the world? What compels Buddhists to remain within their tradition? What attracts others to it? Many educated Buddhists describe their tradition as a lifestyle or a philosophy rather than a religion. Among folk Buddhists, popular expressions are often syncretistic. Like Hinduism, Buddhism is highly adaptable, including a wide spectrum of belief that has an approach to life at its core. Still, this core is elastic enough to accommodate a variety of worldviews. This is part of what allows a large spectrum of adherents to remain in the tradition despite vastly different cultural environments.

Many are attracted to Buddhist explanations of the chaos, evil, and suffering in the world. For example, consider a Buddhist conception of karma—an impersonal, irresistible law by which moral or immoral acts performed in the present life determine future modes of life in the context of reincarnation. Harold Netland explains:

Netland: It is in some ways a very cold explanation [of suffering]. But the teaching on karma and rebirth is a very logical explanation for the suffering and the inequity we see in the world. Why is one child born severely deformed, and another child is perfectly healthy? Why is one person wealthy, enjoying a long, rich, full life, while other people suffer all the way through their lives?

Karma has a very efficient, logical explanation for that. It’s a very cold explanation. But if you are looking for an efficient explanation, it works.

Bock: So it allows someone to make sense out of the chaos around them and as such it’s an attraction.

Despite this, some yearn for more in a system where hope and desire are not celebrated. Many participating at Buddhist temples seek a connection to transcendence, and even an affinity for aesthetics can open the door to a conversation about God and the Bible.

Netland: You have tension between the philosophy, what the scholars teach . . . and how the masses of Buddhists live and respond. On the scholarly level, with most Buddhism, there is no god. I believe as a Christian, [because of] Romans 1 and other passages, God has created us with this awareness of the transcendence and our accountability to a creator. You see this manifest in the folk Buddhist response.

Although they are told, “There is no God,” many Buddhists will pray to one of many Buddhas. In Pure Land Buddhism . . . scholars will be emphatic: “Amitābha Buddha is not a god.” [But] on the popular level in the temples, [people] treat Amitābha Buddha as a kind of deity. They pray and ask for Amitābha’s help.

Bock: So, [when] engaging with a Buddhist . . . there is some general listening to start off with to [discover] how they view their Buddhist faith, what they see themselves as doing if they participate in temple and those kinds of things. It may take a while to [discover] where that person is coming from in terms of the way they view their Buddhism.

Netland: Yes. [Ask,] “What do you mean by God?” “Who is God?” Until [they] appreciate the idea of a creator God, none of [the Bible will] make sense. . . . There are natural points of contact and resonance. Buddhism in Asia has become very closely aligned with the arts. So it’s a very aesthetic religion. Temples have beautiful gardens. Chinese and Japanese calligraphy have Buddhist origins. A tea ceremony, poetry. Much of the literature picks up on allusions to the transitory nature of life. Much of this is really beautiful.

The Japanese have an appreciation for Ecclesiastes that many Americans don’t. We don’t know what to do with this book. They like it. The language is something they resonate with. In Ecclesiastes, at pivotal points, you have God: “Remember your creator.” There are points of contact and resonance there.

How else might Christianity speak into Buddhist sensitivities? Many converts to Buddhism who are highly attuned to social justice may detect a tension in the system of karma and reincarnation. After all, if those who suffer get exactly what they deserve based on their own immoral actions in a past life, it would seem there are no true victims. Do the poor really deserve to suffer in subhuman conditions? Or do human rights apply to all people, regardless of their station in life? Moreover, providing charity may well result in bad karma for the donor, since the persons in need are suffering due to their own bad karma. How can one increase good karma through charity in such a system?

Netland: Any action bears some karmic effect, positive or negative. And part of what you want to do in situating yourself for a better birth next time around is to reduce the negative karma and increase what is positive. So this leads to kind of a merit-making within Southeast Asian Buddhism. You can build up merit by giving food to monks who come around and beg, for example. This is one way of building up positive karma or merit. . . .

As a deeply committed Buddhist, [a Japanese professor] was also committed to human rights and the struggle for justice. He was very honest and said, “It’s very hard to have a platform for human dignity and human rights strictly on Buddhist principles. . . . We need to learn from you Christians on this.”

But there is a paradox here. Many Western converts to Buddhism are deeply committed to human rights, social justice. But many of them also say, “It is really hard to justify this strictly on Buddhist principles.”

Bock notes how biblical perspectives on suffering and charity may spark respectful, spiritual conversations with a Buddhist.

Bock: Two themes, I think, [are] particularly connectable: Suffering is something that Scripture recognizes. We call it a fallen world . . . and then there is the whole movement towards care and compassion for people, which introduces the possibility of talking about who people are as made in the image of God, which gives them value. But in the context of Buddhism, it’s hard to know how they would talk about anthropology.

Netland: That’s right. [In Buddhism,] you have actions but no self that performs the actions. You have suffering but no soul that suffers. Compassion and suffering are two areas where we can identify and resonate. There is much in the words attributed to Gautama about suffering that I find very moving. He was an astute observer of human nature and the human condition. [When answering] “What is the cause of suffering and how do we overcome suffering?” [the Bible] has a very different diagnosis of suffering than does Buddhism. If you look at Jesus and how he approaches suffering, it’s very different from the path [of] Gautama.

Historians and scholars have rightly noted that there is a kind of passivity that seems to come along with Buddhism. Now modern Buddhism is working hard to challenge that and combat that in social justice and human rights, but there is a kind of passivity and acceptance of karma. In other contexts, you would call it fate. It’s in the Japanese language, the idioms that are used. There’s almost an acquiescence: “Well, what can you do? This is the way it is.”

Bock: I could see a very interesting conversation taking place between Buddhists and Christians on certain themes.

While some resonate with Buddhist explanations of evil and suffering, others yearn for a connection to transcendence. Many have found that social justice issues and the arts can lead into spiritual conversations about God, Jesus, and the Bible.

For ambassadors of Christ living in a pluralistic society, interfaith dialogue and global cultural engagement are no longer exclusive to overseas encounters. Christians must take the time to listen to neighbors as individuals, getting to know their views on God and spirituality before assuming knowledge of their religious perspective. May God grant us the courage and compassion to respectfully engage world religions and attract people to Jesus through the beauty of the gospel.

Notes

1. Not his real name. This person’s identity is protected for security reasons.