Part I: Obsessed with numbers
I feel like I’ve heard this conversation more than a thousand times. In my years of life in the United States, believers generally know me and, having heard that I come from India, they ask me, “Ah!Indian who is part of the ministry ??
? No, I didn’t hear. How do you know?
“Well, does our church support you in your support?Is he an amazing evangelist who has established churches for the past 5 years, opened 5 orphanages and runs a training seminar for pastors?!
? Seriously? Do you know him personally?
In most cases, the answer is: “Of course, we know him personally. He visited our church and shared his testimony. He’s got a whole story. His vision is to establish more than 30,000 churches over the next 10 years.
It was hard for me not to look cynical and not get frustrated every time I have conversations like this. Is it because what my Western brothers and sisters don’t usually understand is that there are many?Indians have learned what excites people in the country. The West, the Indians learned that massive numbers and surprising testimonies dazzle Western churches. And when support partners in the West are impressed, it usually means they’re making dollars. Testimonies are fabricated and that the work of the gospel, in what they invest is actually a mirage.
The conversation I described above illustrates some particular problems in the missions, which I observe with increasing concern, and, as an Indian who was born and raised in India and came to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the faithful work of a Western missionary in my city, I feel responsible for expressing my concerns.
On the other hand, do I hope to solve some of the biggest mission problems in India?Problems arising from some Western accents. These problems are perpetuated and exacerbated by both Western missionaries visiting India and Western churches supporting Indian indigenous ministers. My desire is not to be pessimistic and critical, but to call us to be faithful and obedient to the biblical orders of?Make disciples and proclaim “all the counsel of God”. Think of it as an East-West cry for the mental health of the gospel-centered mission.
First, is it important to discuss one of the main missionary problems in India?The West’s enthusiasm for numerical efficiency, that is, the idea that a large number is a validation of God’s blessing and success in ministry.
The business world is passionate about numbers, big numbers. The numbers are on the agenda in all areas of life, and the enthusiasm aroused by impressive numbers has found its place in the church and in the mission of the church, both in the West and in “due to Western influence” in India. Much of the jargon of missions is, in a way, tinged by the notion of numerical efficiency: “Speed”, “Multiplication”, “Strategy”, “Growth”.
Each? Vision? And every one?Report? From an attached digital label type, 5000 churches in 5 years. 30,000 baptisms in 3 years. Bigger and faster, better, right?
False!
Unfortunately, the Western Church’s obsession with numbers has had a destructive effect, so the name of Christ is blasphemed in India.
A madness of sinners for an increasing and better number has infected both indigenous ministers and the work of Western missionaries in India. The idea that digital growth is an indicator of fidelity is alien to the scriptures and is, in fact, derived from the “movement of growth”. Church. ” [1] But unfortunately, most churches – even those that support a stronger God-centered evangelical theology – bought this false idea that “rapid growth is the main sign of God’s blessing. you’re more faithful.
I hope to discredit this misconception by analyzing some of the disastrous effects it has had on missions in India; However, more than that, I hope to alert my brothers and sisters in the West to a healthier, more faithful, gospel-focused missionary approach. We can certainly celebrate digital growth if it conforms to the scriptures, but when digital growth replaces biblical priorities, the gospel is compromised and Christian witness is tarnished. By highlighting some of the devastating results of the emphasis on numbers, I look forward to encouraging Western churches to discern the work of the missionaries they support, while encouraging my Indian brethren to seek true gospel growth in their ministries, whatever their appearance or not impressive to the West.
Are India’s missionary reports full of news of impressive movements of people?Christ that apparently happen all over the country. The missionaries I spoke to described their work as follows: “7,000 churches have been established in Kashmir in the last 5 years. “”50,000 new believers were baptized in New Delhi last year. “”Hundreds of thousands of lower dalits? (The untouchables) come to know Christ. What we are told is that things are happening in India on an “unprecedented scale,” which corresponds only to the first chapters of the book of Acts. Is it real? Let me answer with 3 points.
An Indian gospel colleague (working in one of the most difficult regions of northern India) told me that when he hears Western friends talk about the thousands of churches established without blinking, he irritatedly asks about his address and zip code. you can visit at least one of them. Their goal is not that all churches should have a physical direction, but that these figures indicate ghost churches, which do not actually exist.
In short, numbers are an illusion, these assumptions?Churches? They are usually nothing more than a group of three or four people who end up meeting once or twice occasionally, listen to some watery biblical stories and then disappear into oblivion.
In most missionary work in India, pragmatic priorities have supplanted biblical priorities. A missionary friend from the West recently told me that, with regard to his development in India, the superiors of his organization insisted that it would be “strategic?”Stimulate rapid growth by planting ‘rabbit churches’, which are quickly established and multiply rapidly, rather than planting ‘elephant churches’, which take a long time to settle down and then require a lot of discipleship work, which makes things slower. My friend’s direct answer was: “But rabbit churches are devoured by falcons and wolves. “
The madness of numbers and the desire for rapid growth translates into “churches” that do not have gospel, leadership, theology, depth, which makes them easy prey to the heresies of the theology of prosperity, syncretism and other false teachings.
Worse than that, the scourge of nominal Christianity brings disapproval of the name of Christ by the unbelievers in India. The search for numbers and the rapid growth of missions have resulted in much distortion and dilution of the gospel message today. believe in Jesus,” receive Jesus, or “make a decision for Jesus” without any biblical teaching about repentance. The resulting conversion calls are, at best, nominal and, at worst, manipulated.
Ignoring the biblical orders and qualifications of the elders of the church (1 Timothy 3:1-7, especially verse 6: “Aren’t you a neophyte?”, do missionaries appoint leaders?Disqualified natives whose only training is a week-long conference with a missionary team.
In many cases, people become mass, believing that conversion to Christianity will bring them certain social or economic benefits. Missionaries triumphantly send missionary relationships home with testimonies that present their astonishing and unsaversome statistics on converts and established churches. Ken R. Gnanakan, an Indian theologian, responding to the church’s growth movement for many years, put it very well: “In our zeal to report the numbers to our fellow prayers, we let the congregations continue to follow his Hindu thought. And, with the exception of a change of name and place of worship, there is little difference between so-called Christians and their Hindu neighbors. [2]
The scourge of false conversions also has political ramifications that lead to persecution. Hindus accuse Christians of seducing the poor and lower castes, promising them benefits. Group conversions and nominal Christianity eventually lead to setbacks towards Hinduism, when disadvantaged populations, who originally converted to Christianity in the hope that their social status will improve, discover that Hinduism may have more to offer them politically. [3]
Most of these? They are accompanied by testimonies that say, “I was Hindu, and I converted to Christianity based on its many false promises. So now I’m going back to Hinduism?” That doesn’t end up asking yourself the question of what kind of “conversion”?Has it gone too far? This would certainly not be the kind of conversion God made from darkness to light, as we see in the pages of the New Testament.
Another growth that comes from the West’s obsession with digital growth is the large number of Indians in it?Ministry, that they have picked up this trend and are following the wave, which goes straight to the bank. Yes, is the church in India corrupt, as Yahweh said from Israel?as if there were swollen sores all over the body? (Isaiah 1. 6). I speak as someone who knows firsthand the kind of corruption that has infiltrated India’s government departments.
Many Indian ministers cheerfully inflate their numbers and deceive Western supporters into believing that there is a great “harvest” of the gospel. After all, it’s the numbers that generate money.
The techniques are similar: a large crowd of people gather in a field and someone in the pulpit asks how much they ate there, Puri-bhaji?(a way of saying “breakfast” in northern India). They raise their hands, take the photo and publish a report with the photo, reporting the “decisions for Christ”. In other cases, people are asked if they want a blessing or cure. Who wants it, raises their hand, takes pictures and more?Decisions are reported for Christ.
From time to time, they visit Western sympathizers, some even for “pastoral training and teaching. ” Then the Indian minister pays a sum of money for these people to come forward for a few days. And they appear. And the missionaries from the West return, happy and satisfied not only to support financially, but also to have invested? In the lives of people who are hungry for the Word? (And free food).
Many of these Indian ministers live in luxury, drink wine and dine in 5-star hotels and drive luxury cars, thanks to the dollars they entered their ministries.
Is it with great sadness that I confess that my Western brothers and sisters are very naive? They are happy to fund and support any department that has a large number of them, they are dazzled by the statistics and they are blind to what is really happening.
Is that a reprimand? Yes, more or less. But I write with a sincere heart and a passion to see that solidity and truth begin to take root in missionary work in India. Many simply feed great egos with the notion that we are doing something for God that is really worth it. But the true work of Dios. no can be measured only by numbers.
Last summer, I sat down with a faithful Indian brother, an old man of God who worked for several decades in one of the most difficult and inaccessible states in northern India, and he told me about the churches in the West that, over the years, I have offered him sustenment only if he diligently sends reports with a certain number of baptisms each month. In each case, he refused, because he always believed that conversion is a work of God and cannot be manufactured. This man hasn’t established thousands of churches. The numbers are neither attractive nor spectacular, but the churches he has established are healthy and faithful, besides preaching the gospel and making disciples, are not ghosts. The disciples he made are those who know the Lord, and in them the Word of Christ remains rich. The fruit of his ministry shines like gold in the heap of other so-called “Ministries” that are there. And God will reward your faithfulness.
Let me share someone else’s story with you. This time from a foreign missionary. Have I met a missionary who has lived and worked in India for years?In fact, more than a decade. He established a job in a big city and worked there slowly and patiently. Had he hardly converted? He died in India and a few months after his death, his work was destroyed. According to numerical standards and “strategic” considerations for “rapid growth,” “this was a total defeat. By the standards of many Western missionary agencies, the many dollars donated to support it over the years had been a total loss.
So was your ministry a waste? I don’t think so: I was his only convert, he taught me the gospel. He proclaimed to me the excellences of Christ, taught me to read the Bible and discern the truth from the lie, served his life in the service of the king, and my eternity changed.
Therefore, I shout to my brothers and sisters in the West: in your sending of missionaries and in your support of evangelical workers who are indigenous, please prioritize fidelity over efficiency, quality over quantity and growth in truth over growth in numbers. Am I against the growth of the church and the multiplication of disciples?I look forward to seeing a great awakening that crosses all of India; in fact, I pray that masses of people will be evangelized and that countless churches will be established throughout the country.
But aren’t we going to fight for the quantities made and the “growth”?which comes from the sacrifice of truth at the altar of efficiency and perceived success. In the New Testament, does concern for digital growth never drive the Mission of the Church?Concern for the glory of Christ is what leads (Romans 1:5). Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit who calls the spiritually dead from darkness into the wonderful light of the Lord Jesus, when the gospel is proclaimed with boldness and clarity. So don’t use numbers as a criterion to measure God’s work, but rather let God’s work be measured by the lives of people who produce fruits worthy of repentance?(Matthew 3:8; Romans 15:18). Rapid growth and multiplication may well be indicators of God’s blessing, but they are certainly never the main indicators. Let our work be guided by the scriptures and not by statistics and strategies!
I sit there, perplexed, as I listen to this man’s story, we are in an important and extremely inaccessible city in northern India, the details of the details accumulate as he recounts the impressive facts that led him to renounce Sikhism by Christianity. as he tells us about his mother’s healing for a deadly illness, his subsequent rise from poverty to wealth, the persecutions he faced, and, above all, the supernatural vision in which he saw a figure in a white robe that shook his hand and said, “I will bless you. “
Do you rub your wet eyes while you dry your tears?And then he tells us that although this happened more than 20 years ago, he can still feel the hand of this figure from another world shake his hand today. My Western brothers listen, some suspect, but a few or three are absolutely delighted.
My Indian colleague elbows me. We are all very accustomed to the trick; it’s something we’ve seen and heard many times. Does the man finish his story, and a friend of mine in the West, a sincere brother?in fact, who is considerably solid in their theology?comments:Wow, praise be to God!Is this a great testimony, brother?
Inside, I’m astonished, how come even people who know the Bible and understand the gospel are deceived by this kind of thing?Isn’t the total absence of the gospel evident in your testimony?
My Indian friend and I began to explain to this man the true forgiveness of the sins that only Jesus can provide, the death of Christ, his resurrection, and his surrogate sacrifice who took sins on the cross. He seems bewildered because he has no idea what, we’re talking about!All he knows is that “Jesus is the only god to bless you. “That’s why he became a Christian. That’s why he became a pastor, and he’s been a pastor for 20 years!He was once a poor Sikh, but now he drives a big, elegant car like a “Christian bishop. “He takes us to his “church,” a 3,000-story megachurch and tells us he’s “the bishop. “A ministry that plantes several hundred churches every six months, but could the name be changed?Jesus, in the name of any other god everywhere in your testimony, would make no difference.
To make matters worse, this? Bishop, a Western missionary, totally dominated by his history, operating almost like his servant. After all, the missionary can send a report with all this bishop’s numbers as if they were his own!
Obviously, the West has a charm for the “supernatural. ” My goal here is not to get into the debate about whether or not God is still working supernaturally today. Instead, I hope to alert my brothers and sisters in the West to the dangers. From being seduced by sensational stories that are devoid of the biblical message of the Gospel. I also hope to call my brothers in India and the West to keep the Gospel message at the center of our evangelical work and to appreciate the sacred and authoritative power of God’s Word over everything else.
The Beatles. Virgin. Julia Robert. Eat Pray Love. College students without work. You can think of a long list of people in the West who are fascinated by the transcendent spirituality of the East. This trend has also found its place in the church. I’m tired of hearing this over and over again: “Western Christians have a very closed mind. We put God in a box! We put limits on what you can do. Is that why we don’t see God working in a supernatural way here as He does in the East? Many of my brothers and sisters in the West have subscribed to the misconception that the Western Church today lacks the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit; Meanwhile, they say, the third person of the Trinity is very active in the East in places like India and China, where people are said to have dreams and visions and where miracles are happening everywhere. So in the West, people are mesmerized and in love with all the impressive testimonies and reports they hear about what is happening. on the mission field.
But sadly, this fascination with the? The supernatural is often accompanied by a loss of judgment. Sometimes Westerners are so taken aback by sensational stories from the East that they don’t even realize there is no form of evangelical message.
Dear brothers, wake up! Esperito Santo has not changed location. Is he as active in the West as anywhere else in the world, doing what he was sent?Strengthen the testimony of Christ (John 15:26-27; Acts 1. 16; 1 Peter 1. 12); convince the world of sin, justice and judgment (John 16:8); guide the church to the whole truth (John 16:13); glorify Christ by bringing to light the people of darkness as the gospel message is proclaimed (2 Corinthians 3:12-4. 6); and seal God’s people for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13).
May we come to recognize that God’s great and supernatural work occurs when the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of sinners to the glory of Christ, regenerating and renewing them through the proclamation of the Gospel, so that they may be transferred from the kingdom. of darkness, in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith. Don’t we realize that the Spirit of God is sovereign and active, doing this work wherever Christ is faithfully proclaimed in the scriptures?
I know many beloved brothers and sisters in the West whose testimonies resemble this: “I grew up in a Christian home. From an early age, my parents taught me the Bible. My parents loved the Señor. Me took Christ. “and told me about his death in sacrifice for sinners. I was very young when I heard the gospel, repented of my sins, and trusted Christ for salvation. So, did I grow up all my life knowing the Lord? Dear fellow believers, is it less glorious?Isn’t it a demonstration of the power of the Holy Ghost to resurrect dead sinners?Have we forgotten the glory of the gospel?Do we forget that all heaven celebrates when a sinner comes to repentance?
We will not insist on other things, because it has disastrous consequences.
Similar to Western obsession with numbers, the West’s fascination with sensational stories had a similar corrosive effect. Testimonies are made with the aim of dazzling and admiring believers in the West so that they can provide financial support generously. I’m sorry to say that my Western friends, even theologically sound, are naive.
In India, have I found Indian believers who have not told me much about their testimonies?And why would they do it, since I’m just one more Indian companion?But these same people, when they meet a Westerner, as soon as they see the light skin, are quick to tell stories of dreams, visions and stunning supernatural experiences.
On more than one occasion, I had the painful experience of visiting churches and Christians in the West who had the terrible experience of being deceived by “ministers. “Indians, for example, one?Indian has deceived a whole network of churches with his fantastic testimony.
He claimed to have been raised as a Hindu cleric. He also said his family had a snake they loved every day. As an adult, he was driven by religious fervor and zeal for Hinduism. He was about to attack and kill Christians when he did. a vision of Christ that stopped him and made him cry. He then became a Christian, determined to proclaim the faith he once persecuted and, despite being rejected by his family and friends, followed Christ and served him as an evangelist.
Many churches and ministries supported this “man of God” only to discover later that the whole story had been invented. This man, in fact, grew up as the son of a pastor in a “Christian home” and fabricatored this testimony because he learned that only testimonies like this can get the support of the West, and let me assure you that this story is not an isolated case, there are many, many others like that. And in each case, my Western brothers and sisters marvel quickly and, unfortunately, let themselves be deceived.
Such a mistake could have been avoided by showing more care and discernment, verifying every detail of these testimonies (especially in light of their extraordinary details) of eyewitnesses, and carefully checking whether the person understands the biblical gospel and values it above that. Experiences.
When Western Christians are unknowingly drawn into sensational stories about the supernatural, not only is corruption increasing in India, but so is false teachings. Even churches and Christians who denounce the evils of the heretical prosperity gospel are actually promoting its growth in India. Endorse and support ministers who highlight great miracles while teaching the anti-gospel of health and wealth. This is also related to the passion of numbers: the “prosperity gospel” thrives and attracts people in droves. This “Gospel”, then, has many “miracles”, supernatural and large numbers.
My brothers and sisters, the only way for the growth of the true gospel to occur in India is to remember how gospel growth is done—through the gospel. The gospel proclaims that all the peoples of the world have sinned and rebelled against God. , our Creator, and may they remain doomed under his holy judgment; But God in his grace saves sinners through his Son Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life, died of a sacrificial death on the cross instead of sinners and rose from the dead, so that all who repent of their own wickedness and rely only on receiving total forgiveness of sins and eternal life through him. The story of God’s great supernatural plan of salvation must take precedence over all other “supernatural stories”.
Let us not be carried away by stories of dreams and visions, but be firm on the foundation of God’s inspired Word, including the Apostle Peter, who witnessed the glory of Christ on the mount of Transfiguration, who heard the voice of God. and saw with his own eyes the Son of God in all his majestic glory, tells us that we have something even more true than your experience. What we have is the most confirmed prophetic word, to which we do well to respond, that is, the Bible (2 Peter 1:16-21).
The faithful Indian colleagues I know, who sincerely work for the growth of the true gospel in India’s most difficult regions, do one thing when someone approaches them with stories of a dream, vision, or something else. God, do you show these people the Bible, remember this?Supernatural? They may be unstable and uncertain, but this scripture is firm and true. Do we give thanks for dreams, visions, supernatural healings, deliverance, and any other supernatural act of God’s providence that glorify Christ?Certainly, but God’s most supernatural work, everything is one where the Holy Spirit leads people to submit to the supernatural book.
Will my brothers and sisters of the West, in their support of evangelical work in India, discern and not get carried away by these sensational things?Will you remember that the proclamation of the gospel and the teaching of the scriptures are what a person consistent with the image of Christ produces?Do you want to make sure that any work of the gospel?that you approve and support is based on the message of Christ’s death and resurrection for sinners, the gospel of repentance and faith, and the holy and inspired Word of God?
Then, the next time you hear a supernatural testimony of India (or anywhere else), be sure to discern whether the person really understood the gospel and make sure that God receives the glory of everything and everyone for his wonderful supernatural work to save lost sinners. .
*****
The scene was so disconcerting that it appeared to be a Hollywood (or Bollywood) movie. We are in a bustling bazaar in a big city in northern India. A white boy in skinny jeans rides a mini bike to meet us. He leads us down the road, the strait? Ravines?(ruelles) in the small and populated area in which you live and live. We’ve heard of the department he and his friend are involved in. Their goal: to win a specific group for Christ, but they don’t want to work. with the national church established. They want to win groups of people for Christ, but they don’t want to teach these people what it’s like to be a disciple of Christ. Instead, they want people to be able to follow Christ “from within their own cultures. “However, in many cases, the result is a confusing mix of religions that are virtually different from biblical Christianity.
There are more than a few of these foreign workers working in India
I have already mentioned the passion of numbers and the West’s fascination with “supernatural” testimonies. Here I want to ask another question that is growing rapidly and causing problems in India, as has happened in the Muslim world: extreme forms of “contextualization”.
What do I mean, contextualization? The word used in missionary studies describes how the gospel should be presented and clarified in different cultures. I’m against contextualization?During my years of ministry in India, I never wore a tie to preach. I usually preach barefoot and congregations wear Indian clothing and sit on the floor. When I preach in the West, I almost always wear a suit and tie. my preaching is different, the illustrations I use are different, and the questions I apply the scriptures to are different, all depending on the context. And yes, my wife wore a sari (not a dress) on our wedding day. Grateful to the many missionaries in the West who contextualize the Message of the Bible in a way that is biblically supported, useful, and culturally appropriate.
My point here is not to criticize contextualization. Nor do I want to go into such detailed discussions about the spectrum of contextualization and the degree of legitimate contextualization, but I want to raise awareness of some illegitimate forms of contextualization that are taking root in India. missionaries who refuse to cooperate with established national churches, believing that they can better understand Indian culture than anyone else. And the movements infiltrated also from the Muslim world, [4] most of these teachings lead to false heretical movements in India, far removed from biblical Christianity It is my prayer that what I share here can challenge brothers and sisters in the West to stop supporting missionaries who spread false teachings and practice harmful methods of ministry.
Some of my encounters with Western Christian workers in India bother me deeply. Last summer, I was visiting India, when my department team ended up bumping into one of these guys, an American who’s spent most of the last decade in India. we Hindus, Westernized, Christians too and do you think it’s more in tune with Indian culture while holding Hindu festivals?customs that Indian Christians like me have rejected. This Westerner believes that what he is doing will help remove the barriers of belief among high-caste Hindus he seeks to achieve.
There are others like him who appear on the mission horizon, come from diverse backgrounds in the West, but many of them are Christian Hispsters from Canada or the west coast of the United States, who drink milk and wear skinny jeans. For some reason, they seem bored and disillusioned with traditional Christianity. They’re looking for something new. They read the latest great books on missions, contextualization and culture (and may have a bit of knowledge of emerging ecclesial literature and postmodern philosophy). And then they come to India and try to form communities of?Yeshu-Baktha Hindus? Or? Hindu disciples?Jesus. ” They don’t want to be identified as “Christians,” why do they consider it too Western?(Forget Acts 11:26!).
In these communities, instead of Christian baptism, a Bid or ritual of Hindu initiation is carried out in the name of Jesus. The Lord’s Supper consists of breaking a coconut and drinking water. Chajans (Hindu devotional chants) are sung in the name of Jesus instead of Christian Hymns. The place of worship is illuminated by small diyas (Indian oil lamps commonly used in Hindu religious ceremonies). Preaching has not found its place in these communities since the “Monologue”, it is considered a Western idea. These groups are led by “gurus” rather than “pastors”. And the script of the scriptures is replaced by the plot taken from indigenous culture. Jesus is understood in terms of Hindu mythology. And the sacrifice of Jesus is interpreted in the light of the Vedas.
Many of those who disseminate such teachings generally do so for good reasons; distrust a form of colonialist mission that imposes Western culture on indigenous Christians; they really want to see an established Aboriginal Christian movement; bought the idea for the last one. Who says that removing cultural barriers to faith is the best way to achieve church growth and then dress Christianity in the clothes of specific cultural groups, in the hope that these groups will accept the Christian faith while maintaining their own culture?.
Unfortunately, these well-meaning supporters of Christianity do not realize that they present a distorted gospel and form sub-Christian communities. I will respond here by identifying four serious problems with these “contextualization” movements.
First, the natural result of these types of? Contextualization?Is syncretism the worst? A dangerous and cursed mix of visions of the Hindu and Christian world. In many serious cases, I have no hesit to qualify these movements as heretics. Contextualization? They think they are preserving Indian culture, but they do not realize that for Indians (unlike the West), culture, worldview and religion are inseparable. Most Indians, including Westernized Christians like me, as well as former Hindus have trusted Christ, recognize this fact.
The close connection between culture and religion in the Indian mind is why most Indians have a negative impression of Christianity, as they assume that all Western cultures are “Christian cultures”. But we know that Christianity is not a product of “Western” On the other hand, the Christian message is a world vision that transforms all cultures, both Eastern and Western. The gospel requires a renunciation of secular thought, immorality, and libertine life in the West, as well as requires a renunciation of idolatry and superstition in the East. We must proclaim the lordship and glory of Jesus, which are intercultural, rather than guiding our messages and practices around specific cultural groups.
The Apostles never allowed pagan cultures to influence the biblical message or the form of worship. Instead, even in the pagan culture of Corinth, Paul gives preeminence to the scriptures. In writing to a predominantly pagan congregation in Corinth, Paul calls these Christians to see their identity in terms of biblical narrative (1 Corinthians 10). Paul describes what should happen in his services and even dictates how they should take the Lord’s food (1 Corinthians 11-14). Does Paul proclaim the death and resurrection of Christ?(1 Corinthians 15: 3-4), not a Corinthian cultural meta-narrative. The scriptures form God’s people, not the other way around. I have always wondered if there is a link between contextualization movements and the influence of postmodernism. changes from the word of God revealed to the community of readers.
Proponents of “contextualized” movements despise the biblical principle that darkness has no communion with light and that Christ has no part with Belial (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). And the Word of Christ is mutilated in the name of “contextualization”.
When Indian national Christians present these criticisms, they label us “Westernized. “In fact, do Indian Christians with Christian origin, say that we have no right to talk about these issues in any way, because we are at the root of the problem. But even though Christians are of Hindu origin? Do you raise your concerns?And I know many who do?The irony is surprising: they are Westerners who claim to know more about Indian culture than Indians who were born and raised in India.
Some of the more moderate advocates for “contextualization”?I have interacted with me to tell you that you do not want a Western understanding of Christianity to be imposed on people in India. to read the Bible and draw their own conclusions. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Perhaps, if Christ had not commanded otherwise. The Great Commission includes the call to make disciples, teaching them to obey all that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28: 18-20). And are the orders of Christ revealed in the Apostolic Word? The Bible. The Bible sets the agenda. The Bible forms the Christian identity. The Bible shows us what Christian life and worship is like. And the Bible tells us that Jesus equips his people with teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Does this mean that we must interpret and apply the Word of God? across ethical and cultural lines – something like what Paul, first a Jew, did in the congregations he formed in pagan and pagan cultures. The idea that communities should read and draw their own conclusions is in fact rooted in the postmodern mindset that places authority in the community, not in the text.
Another result of “contextualization” movements is the emergence of “infiltration movements”?Hindus, supporters of “undercover movements”?teaching people to stay?Christians who are secret to be “Hindu faithful of Jesus” (Yeshu-Bakhta Hindus) so that they are not excluded from their families and communities, but can stay inside to “finally gain more converts to Christ. “?. Moreover, those who defend these forms of contextualization, a direct violation of 2 Corinthians 6. 14-18 (also 1 Corinthians 7. 39), teach that people should prefer to marry non-Christians of their own origin and ethnic caste groups rather than marry Christians. other groups. They also insist that “the Hindu disciples of Jesus?”should never marry “Christians of Christian descent. “
Pragmatic desires to maintain cultures and grow the church result in a dilution of the gospel message and an abandonment of Christ’s call at the expense of persecution and exclusion from parents (Matthew 10:34-38; Marks 8. 31-38; John 15. 18) – 25; 16,33; 2 Timothy 3. 12).
This testimony of a sister in Christ of Hindu origin illustrates this point:
When I became a Christian, there were people in my field who began to teach me that I should remain a “secret Christian” and not talk to anyone about my faith. They didn’t want to be excluded from my family, so they encouraged me to live as a “secret Christian” so I could stay in my family, hoping that my family and my community would eventually come to Christ as well. When I moved to another area to start a job, I learned that this kind of teaching was very wrong, I found great freedom by finally expressing my faith in Christ openly, so I boldly told my parents and my community. I told them about Jesus and the work I had done in my life. Although rejected and ostracized at first, after ten years, my family began to respect my decision to follow Christ. They even went to my wedding to a Christian in church!
Church leaders in India like me and my fellow Indians urge people to be open and committed disciples of Christ and to be under the authority and discipline of a local church. Contextualization? Do we condemn the practice of evangelism by extraction?(By taking individuals out of their families and communities) and why not “stimulate the growth of the people movement. “But if I remember correctly, it was Jesus who said that those who would follow Him would be hated by all by name and would find enemies among those in their own house, but they should embrace Jesus and follow Him at the expense of all this (Matthew 10:34-39). The Testament tells us that Christians are pilgrims and strangers, who have been “rejected by men” but who are “chosen and precious in the eyes of God” (1 Peter 2. 4-11). Believers are called to accept the oprobrium of Christ, leaving him “out of the camp”.
The irony of all this is that when it comes to winning people for Christ in India, the defenders of “contextualization” fail dramatically. Virtually no one is conquered for Christ, because when the gospel is not clearly proclaimed, there is no power to bring people from darkness into the light. respect, but simply adheres to a new god. One of the Westerners I mentioned earlier has lived in India for many years and has adopted all these Indian customs, but no one seems interested in his teaching.
And then, desperate for some kind of success, some of these groups resort to embarrassing and questionable tactics. They are beginning to enter established Indian churches that they once despised. They give the impression of seeking fellowship with them and try to earn the trust of National Church leaders. And after entering the established church, do you begin to target new Christians of Hindu descent who have recently embraced Christ?those who are weak and face imminent persecution and rejection, those who learn the price of following Christ. Proponents of “contextualization” begin to brainwash these weak and inexperienced Christians, teaching them that they are “Westernized. “They are told not to give up their Hindu identity: “Don’t you have to be a Christian?instead, be a “Hindu disciple of Jesus. “How many supporters of “contextualization” are there? find their “converts. “I know because I’ve seen it happen over and over again. And I know of Christian babies in the faith who have fallen into these traps. When things like these happen, I pray that the Lord will eliminate these “ministries. “
Everything is fine. Perhaps by reading this article, you have been induced to take this topic more seriously. And now, how can you prevent the growth of such false and destructive Ininos?
If you are looking to become a missionary, choose not to ignore established national churches. When possible, partner with faithful leaders of the national church to better understand culture and how the gospel should take shape in that culture. I know that this can be difficult and, in many cases, national churches are corrupt, unhealthy, and non-existent, but if this is possible in any way, try to find faithful and doctrinally healthy national brethren with whom you can associate. If you’re in a pioneering effort where there’s no national church, make sure you understand the culture. It distinguishes between forms of culture that are religious and those that are not. Don’t be afraid to teach, all of God’s counsel?which means teaching people to embrace Christianity as a complete worldview. Teaching them to reject the cultural practices required by the scriptures and make sure that all of them, “contextualization,” are biblically supported.
1 My objective here is not primarily to promote the biblical and theological argument against the church’s growth movement or the more contemporary pragmatic proponents of the “church establishment movement” strategies. Bad fruits of such methodologies in India. To my critique of the principles of the church movement, see my article that will appear in the summer 2015 edition of the Southern Baptist Journal of Missions and Evangelism (it will be available online). study of the methodologies of the church-setting movement, see Jackson Wu’s excellent articles: http://ojs. globalmissiology. org/index. php/english/article/view/1711?And?The influence of culture on the evolution of missionary methods: using church-setting movements?As a case study http://ojs. globalmissiology. org/index. php/english/article/view/1712?
2Ken R. Gnanakan ,? Caste and the Indian Church: an answer to Donald McGavran,?Transformation 2 (1985): 24.
3 See the recent push of the Bharatiya Janata government (BJP) to adopt one?Anti-conversion? And the avalanche of retraining ceremonies? (ghar wapsi) to Hinduism. For more information, see the article?BJP requires an anti-conversion law ?, Zee News, December 29, 2014 [online]; Available in http://zeenews. india. com/news/bihar/bjp-demands-anti-conversion-law_1522141. html; Pragya Kaushika, “I don’t want a religion that rejects us alone, say Aligarh’s Dalits on the RSS list,” The Indian Express, December 14, 2014 [online]; available in http://indianexpress. com/article/india/india-others/dont-want-a-religion-that-only-rejects-us-say-the-aligarh-dalits-on-rss-list/. Conversions groups of masses to Hinduism have been very common in India for many years. See, for example, Nirmala Carvalho, “Tamil Nadu: A Thousand Dalit Christians Reconvert to Hinduism”,?Asia News, 14 April 2008 [online]; available in http://www. asianews. it/news-en/Tamil-Nadu:-A-thousand-Dalit-Christians-reconvert-to-Hinduism-12011. html
4For a quick overview of infiltration movements in the Islamic world, see this in-depth interview with a Bangladeshi pastor: http://www. wts. edu/stayinformed/view. html?id=1579