Archbishop Thomas Menamparampil sdb, Guwahati
In true Asian style, I will begin with a story. The Indian poet Iqbal imagines an animated debate between the Ganga (Ganges) and the Himalayas:
Once upon a time,
From the foot of the mountains,
The river looked up
And teasingly asked the Himalayas:
‘O you, wrapped in the mantle of snow
And girdled with flowing streams,
Ever present, since the dawn of creation;
You have been blessed by the Almighty
With the knowledge of secrets divine.
Why then have your feet been
Deprived of a graceful gait?
Why can’t you move or walk?
Oh! Of what use is this majesty,
This show without reality?
Life after all, is movement, slow or fast
Perpetual motion is the essence of existence….
At this provocation of the Ganga, the Himalayas fumed and thundered:
look into your vast ever-flowing waters
To find out what you are
And hundreds of others like you,
Flowing endlessly with nowhere to go;
You talk of your graceful movement,
But that, in fact, heralds your death.
The more your flow, the more is your agony
But like a fool, you exult in your misfortune
Though born from the womb of the sky
You have made your own existence
Nothing but an offering to the ocean….
You think that I am nowhere near my goal,
Look up and see, if you can,
Have I not grown and reached the sky…
You flow, then vanish into the ocean…
(Rafiq Zakaria, Iqbal, Viking, New Delhi, 1993)
In this debate, each participant is more eager to refute and ridicule the other than commit himself to a common search for the Truth. Is that what we call the ‘dialogue of the deaf’ which can never end? As long as dialogue-partners consider religions as competing ideologies, bundles of arguments, sets of competing propositions, packages of proofs, clusters of colliding interests, they will remain members of a debating club. Asian religious traditions are not unused to fierce debates. But many resented it. The Buddha inveighed against those who were ‘clever, subtle, experienced in controversy, hair-splitters who writhe like worms in argument’ (The Buddha, by Michael Carrithers, in Founders of Faith, Ed.Keith Thomas, Oxford, 1989). You may lose your energies on words, but you will fail to convince. The traditional Asian attitude to such things is summarized by Sri Narayana Guru, an outstanding Hindu reformer, in this manner, “Do not debate and defeat; but know and make known”.
Pastorally experienced persons in Asia will testify that arguments from philosophy and historicity do not to impress the Asian Seeker, but on the contrary the gracious words of Jesus always win attention. The impressive works that the Church does for education, health and social welfare are greatly admired, but hearts are touched only by religious depth and the sharing of spiritual experiences. People flock to where there is a genuinely spiritual atmosphere, and are not moved by elaborate structures and organizational set-ups whether they be institutional, or even Ashramite.
“The Spirit who moved upon Asia in the time of the patriarchs and prophets, and still more powerfully in the time of Jesus Christ and the early Church, moves even now among Asian Christians, strengthening the witness of their faith among the peoples, cultures and religions of the continent…. The Church well knows that she can accomplish her mission only in obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Committed to being a genuine sign and instrument of the Sprit’s action in the complex realities of Asia, she must discern, in all the diverse circumstances of the continent, the Spirit’s call to witness to Jesus the Saviour in new and effective ways…. Therefore the Church ceaselessly cries out, “Come, Holy Spirit! Fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love!” (EA 18).
“The Church is convinced that deep within the peoples, cultures and religions of Asia there is a thirst for “living water” (Jn 4:10-15) (EA 18).
All eyes are turning to Asia these days. No doubt, the major portion of the world’s population lives on this vast continent. Some economists think that the future of world economy is here. John Naisbitt wrote in 1996 about Asian economy (on the eve of the collapse of the Eastern economies) “… as many as half a billion people will be what the West understands as middle class. That market is roughly the size of the United States and Europe combined” (Naisbitt, “Megatrends in Asia”, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1996, pg. 13). Some predictions are premature, some illusory. For, even as they raise hopes, there are enough reasons to keep our feet on the ground of the harsh economic realities of Asia.
During the Cold War, people used to ask themselves what economic and political system would make them more prosperous. Today millions of people ask other questions. Who are we? Where are our roots? What is our identity? How do we define our heritage? What is our history? Where lies our destiny? “People define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language, history, values, customs and institutions. They identify themselves with cultural groups: tribes, ethnic groups, religious communities, nations, and, at the broadest level, civilizations” (Samuel Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations”, Penguin, New Delhi, 1997, Pg. 21) 1.
Asians too have been eager to define themselves. Several Asian leaders have done so in different periods of history in different ways: Gandhi and Nehru, Mao and U Nu, Mahathir and Lee Kuan Yew. They represent the various ideologies that dominated the Asian scene in recent times or reveal the new faces of an emerging Asia. Vast changes are taking place. As in the West in earlier centuries movements like the Renaissance, Reformation and Enlightenment radically transformed their society, the encounter of Asia with the West has been changing the Asian society too. Ancient traditions are being challenged; centuries-old cultural values are being put to the test.
“In the process of development, materialism and secularism are also gaining ground, especially in urban areas. These ideologies, which undermine traditional, social and religious values, threaten Asia’s cultures with incalculable damage…a number of Synod Fathers underlines the external influences being brought to bear on Asian cultures. New forms of behaviour are emerging as a result of over-exposure to the mass media and the kinds of literature, music and films that are proliferating on the continent” (EA 7).
1 “…a global paradox is in which the more universal we become, the more tribal we act—the more we become the same in things economic, the more we become different in those things that represent our unique identities, including our language and our cultural histories” (Naisbitt 1996:86).
The more these values are being challenged, the more earnestly do Asians examine their heritage and explore ways of reasserting it in new ways. We hear of the revival of Confucian ethos, Vaisya values, caste conventions, cultural patrimony, and racial legacy. A return to outmoded archaisms will do no good to any society, on the one hand.; nor will cultural rootlessness contribute anything to the future of Asia, on the other. Asians are fully aware of that. They are too proud of their civilizational heritage to sell it away for a bowl of soup (Gen 25:27-34). After all, “Man does not live on bread alone” (Lk 4:4). But the temptation remains (EA 6-7) 2.
The question is, what will ultimately be the source of Asia’s strength? Where lies its future? Is it in the possibility that it may become the “biggest market” on the planet? That does not seem to be the noblest of vocations. There are other possibilities. Asia has a tryst with destiny. We are speaking of Ultimate destiny. Contrary to what one might think, as Asian societies build up their economic strength, they keep re-asserting their religious traditions. Buddhist temples are being rebuilt in China. Taoist monks increase in number. Muslims gather in their mosques. Religio-cultural groups like Falun Gong find wide support. Christian communities of all denominations claim winning new adherents, ‘non-sine persecutione’. In Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, Buddhist religious places are being re-constructed; in Japan, Shinto shrines renovated. In Thailand “Buddhism booms, as the monks ride the wave of Thai middle-class prosperity”, reported Far Eastern Economic Review. Donations are high. “Thailand’s 30,000 temples, called watts, have prospered with Thailand’s increased prosperity.” (Naisbitt 1996: 81). “The way to Dharma has gone high-tech as well. Besides innovations in marketing to help devotees embrace the faith, some Buddhist groups use laptop computers to assist in writing and translating the mantras, and record them on videocassettes…” (Naisbitt 1996:81). Hindus do the same. Colleagues of Bin Laden are technologically well advanced.
Islamic self-assertion is visible in every Muslim country from West Africa to the Philippines, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Indonesia. In a heightened reaction to the materialism of modern society and perceived threat from the West, several Islamic societies have gone fundamentalist. The younger generation clings to their faith with greater intensity than ever before, and Haj pilgrims to Mecca increase in number every year. Hindu revivalism is gathering strength day by day in India even to the point of exaggeration. Way-side shrines multiply, temple-building industry experiences an unforeseen boom, people throng to pilgrim-centres in millions, including to Christian Churches. Prayer-houses, Zen and Yoga meditation centres become visible at every corner.
2There are many examples to illustrate the point. Even while he was using an alien ideology like Marxism, Mao Tse-tung was wielding it as a borrowed sword (as David used Goliath’s) to assert even more strongly the Chinese identity and Chinese interest. “China has stood up”, he said. Even as he was suppressing religious traditions, even native ones, as superstitious, he was affirming the collective self, culture and heritage of his people. Even in his old age he would be poring through the great classics of China to re-discover and revive the genius of his civilization.
In his later years, Lee Kuan Yew began advocating Confucian values for Singaporeans to compensate for his prior indifference to such issues.
Unfortunately in these forms of religious revival one does not notice a distinction being made between what is genuinely spiritual and what is a return to the archaic, what is religiously inspired and what is merely a veiled affirmation of a political interest. It would rather look as though the ‘collective unconscious’ of societies are having a free play after a long period of its humiliation and suppression.
What has Asia been busy about during the last six millennia? What have been the central concerns of these immense populations? Swami Vivekananda, after his famous Chicago speech in 1893 at the World Parliament of Religions, was interviewed in London. He was asked, “…. you do not propose to form any society, Swami?” “None; no society whatever. I teach only the Self, hidden in the heart of every individual and common to all. A handful of strong men knowing that Self and living in its light would revolutionize the world, even today…” (West Minster Gazette, October 23, 1985).
The Self: that is a key concept in all Asian thought. All Asian anxieties are centred around this concern: the relationship between the personal self and the Universal Self. What is this self? The Psalmist said “I praise you for the wonder of my being” (Ps 139:14). Buddhist monks in ancient times discussed, debated and disputed all the long monsoon months of the Indian summer over the true nature of the Self. That interest never wore out. The search is still on.
“We come to know that God is not distant, above and apart from man, but is very near, indeed united to every person and all humanity in all of life’s situations. This is the message which Christianity offers to the world, and it is a source of incomparable comfort and hope for all believers” (EA 12).
God is near. It is true, no civilization ever prospered that neglected man’s daily concerns; it is equally true that no civilization ever survived that was blind to its spiritual destiny. While money and the market are important for daily existence, Asians crave for myth, mystery and mysticism in order to be able to enjoy a fuller life. They are on a search for the Ultimate Reality. It is the real Self they are after.
Along with the inquiry into the nature of the true Self and the path to its full realization, Asian minds have exercised their creativity on questions of suffering and its causes, renunciation and its various expressions, community and an individual’s obligations within it, the furthest reaches of ego-less ness, respect for all sentient things, reverence for nature, control of the mind, practice of non-violence, living of orderly lives in family and society, striving for harmony and unity amidst multiplicity and contradictions, and the true nature of the Ultimate.
No matter how enthusiastic we become about modernization and globalization, and the ideologies that oppose them, it is only when we touch the core concerns of a civilization do we touch the soul of a people and come on the wavelength of the masses. Only when we address the deepest aspirations of a society, do we evoke an adequate response. Unfortunately many Christian missionaries, while they are usefully engaged in a number of purposeful tasks, remain peripheral to the core concerns of the civilization they are addressing the Gospel to.
In this context, let me place before you three icons for your contemplation.
Three Icons
The Searcher in the Night: “There was a Jewish leader named Nicodemus, who belonged to the party of the Pharisees. One night he went to Jesus and said to him “We know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him”. Jesus answered, “I am telling you the truth: no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again’” (Jn 3:1-3). The rest of the story is well known to you. We are all familiar with that low-profile Asian and the soft-spoken inquirer who comes to ask about the profounder significance of our faith. Not unlike Nicodemus, his archetype, he has another public face. He has his own public position clearly distinct from his private inquisitiveness. I do not mean that the two are contradictory, they are different. Such a person is in search of a teacher. A quiet shadow like his/her, slips into our presence and makes secret queries about virtue and vice, about the way to peace, and about our understanding and experience of the divine. It is not dogmatic formulations that excite him, but a penetrating insight into the Ultimate and its relevance to human life.
But such a Nicodemus will approach only an Evangelizer who is available and has his heart open to the core concerns of his people. The superficial will approach the superficial. And even a profound Seeker, when he/she approaches the superficial Evangelizer, is compelled to move on to superficial levels. At times we find that the Seeker is a deeper person than the Evangelizer who is lost in some immediate issues. That is how they keep missing each other. That is how the Evangelizer fails to respond to the profounder aspirations of a community. Martha and Mary must meet. Are not our immediate concerns meant to be pointers to the Ultimate? Indeed, that is an Asian way of thinking…the relationship between the immediate to the Ultimate, between the particular and the universal.
The Receiver of a Surprise Gift: “If you only knew the Gift of God” (Jn 4:10). It was to the woman at the well that Jesus was speaking. A three-fold barrier stood between her and Jesus: the fact she was a sinner, a woman, and a Samaritan. But it became evident that ‘the gift of God’ crosses cultures, traverses frontiers, breaks barriers, mellows opposition, changes hearts. How else did it happen that the Samaritans who were quick to close their gates against Jesus could be won over almost en bloc by a new convert and would come to say, “We believe now, not because of what you said, but because we ourselves have heard him, and we know that he really is the Saviour of the world”? (Jn 4:42). It happened so because the time had come “when by the power of God’s Spirit people will worship the Father as he really is, offering him the true worship he wants” (Jn 4:23). The history of Asia has witnessed group acceptance of Christian faith in similar manner in every century. Even today it keeps happening among the followers of traditional religions. Some such communities show amazing openness to the inspired teacher who visits their village. In the Christian message they find the fulfilment of all that their society had been longing for. Fresh believers, even young persons, have unbelievable persuasive power among their people.
Believer Beyond the Fold: When Jesus said, “I tell you, I have never found anyone in Israel with faith like this” (Mt 8:10), he was not speaking of the most faithful of his disciples. In fact he rebuked them often for their lack of faith (Mt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20). He was addressing a Roman centurion who did not belong to the believing community. Anyone would have been taken aback at this ‘gentile officer’s open confession of faith. He humbly admits that he does not deserve to have the Master under his roof. “Just give the order”, he says, “and my servant will get well” (Mt 8:8).
There are millions of people on the Asian Continent who are closer to this Roman officer than to Peter, James and John. They are unversed in faith-statements and formulations, rites and rituals, Church traditions and elusive speculations. They labour under many limitations. They have to be satisfied with the fragments that fall from the Master’s table by reason of the social biases amidst which they live, cultural prejudices that keep them bound, and their own natural timidity, which retains them in the Nicodemus’ circle. And yet they have faith. It was on seeing a Canaanite woman’s faith that Jesus exclaimed, “You are a woman of great faith” (Mt 15:28). God seems to have a unique a way with such persons. Indeed there will be place in the Kingdom of heaven for the many who will come from the east and west to sit down and feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Mt 8:11).
The Fascinating Figure of Christ
Of late, a lurking fear has arisen in the hearts many a believer that, while Christian teaching is welcome in Asia, the unique person of Christ is a stumbling block. Such a fear is largely entertained by those who have never had a lived-experience of a Nicodemus-dialogue or an Emmaus-walk; in other words, those who are unused to presenting Christ to a Searcher. We are absolutely certain that the person of Christ is not an obstacle, but the most attractive force and the most inspiring figure on the Continent of Asia.
The problem is not actually with the image of Christ. Difficulties may arise from other areas. There may be unhealed colonial memories of historic injuries received from countries that are considered Christian. There may be perceptions of political and economic threats from such nations even today. Such perceptions certainly need to be addressed carefully. The wisest way for dealing with them could be discussed. However, what is significant for us to realize is that there is no aversion in Asia to Christ himself and what he stands for. When Christ comes unto his own, his own people will not refuse to receive him. The heart of Asia is restless “until the whole of Asia finds its rest in the peace of Christ” (EA 10). He breaks down every wall that stands between peoples. Christ protects their proud identities, promotes and enhances their individual endowments and ensures each a glorious destiny.
In different periods of history and in different parts of the world, Christianity has had different images. For the Romans of the first century, Christianity was an Asiatic superstition, which was taking root among the oriental riff raff in the imperial city. At another age, to the people of Northern Europe, it looked like a Mediterranean faith; to the Saxons a Roman religion; to the tribes of North-East Europe, a German fad; to the Persians, a Byzantine belief. In later centuries, to the people of Asia and Africa, Christianity was the religion of their colonial masters.
But in every era and in every place there were perceptive men and women who looked to Christianity as the greatest spiritual force on earth and a point of encounter between God and human beings. But this message doesn’t come through by itself. Evangelizers have a duty of making evident that Christianity is more than the collective self-interest of a society or a civilization. It stands for God experience. And that missionary spirit is more than the self-congratulation of an evangelizing team. It means committed life; it calls for an evangelical lifestyle. An Evangelizer can truly be effective only when he/she has rid himself of hurt feelings, both personal and historic. In fact, it is part of the Evangelizer’s mission to heal the memories of historic injuries within the society in which he lives. Forgiveness is the only path to the future.
If the carriers of the Gospel feel themselves strangers in their own country, they need not blame someone else; it happens only because they have distanced themselves from the simplicity, directness and immediacy of the Gospel. Their individual and collective ego-claims have grown; their personal pride, prejudices and pretensions have erected fortresses around them and dug ramparts to keep fellow-Asians at a distance. It is Christ, truly, who responds to the persistent longings of Asia’s ancients.
“Contemplating Jesus in his human nature, the peoples of Asia find their deepest questions answered, their hopes fulfilled, their dignity uplifted and their despair conquered” (EA 14). “In him, ‘authentic values of all religious and cultural traditions, such as mercy and submission to the will of God, compassion and rectitude, non-violence and righteousness, filial piety and harmony with creation find their fullness and realization’” (EA 14).
When Mahatma Gandhi came across the Sermon on the Mount for the first time, he felt all his childhood learnings affirmed. He did not perceive it as an alien message. He felt that the Gospel message was more intimate and native to him than many other teachings he had made his own over the years 3.
Hindu, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist artists have painted the figure of Christ; composed poems, written novels, acted in dramas, interpreting the personality and message of Christ with skills that would amaze the Christian believer. They have acted as though Christ belonged to them. Indeed, Christ belongs to all. When certain ‘Hindu cultural nationalists’ met with Church leaders in India some time ago, they exclaimed, “Christians cannot pretend as though they own Christ. He belongs to us also”. How true! The central Christian message is this: that Christ belongs to all 4.
3His disciple Vinoba Bhave was an ardent student of the Gospels. Similarly, the Rama Krishna Mission was founded on the eve of Christmas, and the members were asked to become other Christs in their turn. To keep up the memory of that event, a Catholic priest is often invited to speak to Rama Krishna monks on Christmas eve. Nehru spoke of Jesus with utmost admiration. Ram Manohar Lohia wrote, “Christ is undoubtedly a figure of love and suffering, than which there has been no other figure in history”. For M.N. Roy the Sermon on the Mount contained the highest moral ideals ever conceived by human imagination. Ambedkar spoke of the Buddha and Jesus as the two personalities that captivated him most. Even Indian communists have extolled him to the skies. (Sebastian Kappen, in Asian faces of Jesus, Pg. 176, Orbis, 1995).
4 Recently an Indian filmmaker Preeti Chandrakant produced a film “Jesus goes to India”, which won an award at the Trento International Film Festival in Italy. On being criticized for her non-Biblical presentation of Christ, she said her intention was not so much to prove that Jesus had visited India as to tell the world that Jesus was true to every teaching of Hinduism, and to integrate “the finest tenets of Hinduism in what Jesus said and did”. She said she had spent nine years in preparation and had read the Bible several times. She pointed out that a declaration of Jesus like “I am the way, the truth and the light; only through me does one reach the Father” is “basically a Hindu notion”. Actor Romano Fasciati, a Swiss of Italian origin was its screenplay writer and producer. Chandrakant had been a student in a Catholic school. She “felt that the Catholic Church basically existed to detect the small sins that we students committed”. She wanted to establish that there is more to Jesus than what some of his followers make of him. She described her film as a “spiritual Odyssey” (Indian Currents, April 21 2002).
It is amazing that an opinion poll conducted by the Outlook magazine recently in India chose Mother Teresa as the greatest Indian since Independence. Even the names of Nehru and Patel came after hers. Vajpayee’s name was at the bottom. “The greatest surprise was the top position given to the Albanian-born Christian missionary, Mother Teresa. The Vatican is still looking into evidence to substantiate miracles attributed to her. What could be a greater miracle than this that the educated persons of a country predominantly Hindu should think Mother Teresa was the greatest Indian we had since we achieved freedom?” (Khuswant Singh in Sentinel 24.8.2002). It may be worth remembering that India had given her the same honours at her funeral that the nation had given to Mahatma Gandhi himself.
Anyone who has the experience of sharing the Faith knows that arguing about the uniqueness of Christ is an idle exercise. Bringing theological contentions to the ardent Searcher only serves to dampen his enthusiasm. Persons at the service of the Gospel must stop becoming mere inward-looking wranglers and keep away from sterile apologetics. We have to go beyond tolerance. Inter-religious relationship is far more than sullen co-existence.
Let us present Christ as he really is. As he is presented in the Scriptures. That is sufficient. It is enough that we do not obscure people’s vision. Let them find for themselves. Let them be the judges. “Come and see”, Jesus said to the disciples of John the Baptist (Jn 1:39). A saying like “Know for yourselves”, belongs to the Buddha (Anguttara Nikaya I, 189). Don’t go by hearsay or prejudice; don’t be misguided by theological subtleties or the affirmation of a ‘holy man’; know for yourselves. Christ, his life, his love, his gracious words, his helps, his healings, the style of his dealings, the rare way he accepts sufferings, the unique manner in which gives up his life. Forgiving! Is he not unique!! If not, who is?
Veteran evangelizers in Asia will tell us that certain evangelical approaches are in bad taste: arguments in general; claims of superiority; going across cultures and ‘convicting people of sin’; aggressive evangelistic crusades and campaigns.; claims of numbers. In the same way, we must be cautious of over-using certain images, even when they are theologically correct. The justice of the Father that calls for the shedding of the blood of an innocent victim looks unfair to many Searchers. On the contrary, Jesus’ love and compassion that led him to the uttermost sacrifice is most inspiring. Offering of his blood as drink is a terrible thought. Gift of his life for the redemption of humankind is far more intelligible. It may be possible that Liberation theology responds to the problems of the socio-economic situation in Asia. But it has still to find cultural roots on the Continent, and has failed to touch the soul of Asia yet. The self-assertion of the lower castes, on the contrary, makes meaning in the society where this phenomenon has arisen. Miracles don’t make an impression on communities that are already over-credulous of wonders performed by their holy men and their deities. But the teachings of Jesus always make Asians sit up in amazement. They treasure his words.
Great Words, Stunning Images: Central Concerns of Humanity
Jesus had a firm grip on his audience and stirred wonder and admiration in his hearers, because, while his words had an immediate relevance, they addressed the central concerns of humanity: sin and righteousness, love and hatred, anger and forgiveness, truth and freedom, joy and suffering, faith and fidelity, religiosity and hypocrisy. And in order to convey his message powerfully, he used stunning images, with an element of surprise at every step. Very Asian, and very compelling! That is why Peter broke down at one moment and exclaimed, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (Lk 6:68).
“…your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven” ( Mt 5:16)
“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, let him slap the left cheek too. Ad if someone takes you to court to sue you for your shirt, let him have your coat as well” (Mt 5:39-40).
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may becomes sons of your Father in heaven” (Mt 5:44).
“Look at the birds: they do not plant seeds, gather a harvest and put it in barns; yet your Father in heaven takes care of them! Aren’t you worth much more than birds? (Mt 6:26).
How dare you say to your brother, ‘Please, let me take that speck out of your eye’, when you have a log in your own eye?” (Mt 7:4).
Asians have marveled at the words of Jesus “because he spoke with authority” (Lk 4:32). Indeed, “Nobody has ever talked the way this man does” (Jn 7:48). There was unction in his utterance, bearing a transforming message, which became “like a spring of water welling up to everlasting life” (Jn 4:13).
In the Meiji era, we are told, a famous Zen-master named Gasan in Kyoto, read the Bible. He was stunned by the Sermon on the Mount. He strongly asserted, “These are really the words of a great master”. He warned his followers never to speak ill of Christianity (Seiichi Yagi, in ‘Asian Faces of Jesus’, pg.36, Orbis, 1995). Christ’s images, similes, metaphors, figures of speech, and ways of thinking have gone into people’s daily language in Asia. We can recapture the religious atmosphere of Jesus’ days more easily in Asia than elsewhere. No wonder Keshub Chunder Sen (1838-1884) said, “Go to the rising sun in the East, not to the setting sun in the West, if you wish to see Christ in the plenitude of his glory” 5. There are arresting parallels between the teachings of different Asian Masters. Pastoral wisdom will persuade the Evangelizer to see continuity and harmony than contrast and contradiction leading to confrontation.
Not only is the teaching of Jesus full of images, but also his very life was image-eloquent. So much of what he did were really “signs”, deeds that had a message: the washing of the feet, passing of the cup, healing of the blind man, cleansing of lepers, the curing of the paralytic, multiplication of bread, the raising of the dead. There is no display, no boast, no arrogance; but meaning, relevance, immediacy, love in action, invitation to faith.
Encounter with Christ and Faith experience
The word ‘conversion’ has acquired a negative connotation in many places in Asia. Not rarely do people associate the word with a change of religion under duress, deceit or enticement. We know that genuine conversion is something different. However, if this word or any other gives offence, we should opt for other expressions. Nonetheless, it is legitimate to claim that one has the right to choose one’s religion on the one hand and the freedom to share one’s faith, on the other.
The fiercest opposition to such claims is likely to be raised by those who have an ethnic notion of religion. Certain countries in Asia manifest these tendencies. A universal religion, like all truly human ideals, knows no boundaries. No nation or ethnic group that respects
5 Bhikku Kassapa of Ampitiya (Sri Lanka ) used to give lectures on the Christian understanding of selflessness in his Sunday afternoon Dhamma classes, red-marking relevant passages in his copy of the New Testament. Venerable Alutgama Dhammananda of Malwata Vihara, Kandy, used to ask a Catholic priest in the 1960’s to speak on ‘self-denial in the life of Christ and in the Dhammapada’ (Michael Rodrigo, in ‘Asian Faces of Jesus’, pg. 196, Orbis, 1995).
human freedoms has ever attempted to interfere in the religious choice of others. It is the most personal of all choices, even compared with political, economic or cultural options; it is the most sacred of all rights.
It is not true that missionary spirit is proper only of Christianity and that it is a sign of intolerance. Every universal religion has had among its chief goals the desire to share its message with the whole of humanity. The Rig Veda said, “This message ensuring the ultimate good has to be conveyed to all men”. The Buddha ordered, “Go you now monks, for the benefit of many, for the welfare of mankind, out of compassion for the world. Preach the doctrine which is glorious in the beginning, glorious in the middle, and glorious in the end”. The Koran instructed, “And we do not send the messengers but as bearers of good tidings and warners. And whoso shall believe and amend, there is no fear on them nor shall they grieve. But whoso shall charge our communications with falsehood, on them shall fall a punishment of their wicked things” (Koran VI, 48,49). And Guru Govind Singh claimed, “For this purpose was I born, and to spread this religion God appointed me: to go and spread righteousness everywhere”. Even in modern times, religious reformers and preachers have spoken in the same tones. Tagore said, “Come what may, India’s message must be delivered to America”. And Vivekananda, “You must go out to preach your religion, preach it to every nation under the sun, preach it to every people”. It is quite unfair to say that only Christianity believes in self-propagation.
But we must go beyond fighting for rights alone. A genuine encounter with Christ is much more than mere claim of privileges, of constitutional or human rights. It is God-experience. On meeting Jesus for the first time, Nathaniel broke down in utter helplessness. He could only exclaim, “You are the Son of God! You are the King Israel” (Jn 1:49). However, for most people it is a gradual discovery. Nicodemus reached the point of seeing in Jesus only a teacher, though very special. He said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher sent by God. No one could perform the miracles you are doing unless God were with him” (Jn 3:2). But it is in Peter’s confession that the disciples’ growth in the understanding of their Master’s identity reaches a climax. Peter rejects the view of those who see in Jesus John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets. His faith is clear, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” ( Jn 16:16).
We may compare the different perceptions about Jesus even in his time. The Jerusalem crowds asked themselves, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more miracles than this man has?” (Jn 7:31). It was not an affirmation, but a question that amounted to a hypothesis. The Samaritan woman was more positive, “I see you are a prophet, sir” (Jn 4:19). She was attempting to take another step forward when she asked, “Could he be the Messiah?” (Jn 4:29). After the feeding of the five thousand, the crowds exclaimed, “Surely this is the Prophet who was to come into the world” (Jn 6:14). The man healed of his blindness shocks the Pharisees by saying, “He is a prophet” (Jn 9:17). Later he makes an act of faith in the Son of Man (Jn 9:38). More and more of the people began to recognize him as the Messiah. Some said, “This man is really the Prophet”. Others said, “He is the Messiah!” (Jn 7:40-41). Martha is reported to have confessed, “I do believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world” (Jn 11:27).
What is important for us in this context is to recognize graduality in a person’s understanding and acceptance of Jesus. Indeed, there is a method in the Learning, and a pedagogy in the Teaching…. not pedantic, pompous and distant, but spontaneous, personal and life-related. Spiritual sharing is like an Emmaus walk. And the discovery of Jesus comes as a surprise. There is many a God-seeker in Asia who is looking for a companion and a guide on the way to Emmaus. He/she wants a God-experienced person to go with him/her and show the way.
An encounter with God can be staggering. Jacob said, “This is the house of God and the very gate of heaven”; and Nathaniel, “You are the Son of God, you are the King of Israel”; Thomas “My Lord and God”. A look from Jesus drew tears from Peter. At his summons, people forgot everything and followed him.
Unless Someone Explains
Another icon. It was surprising enough that a high official from Ethiopia should be visiting Jerusalem to worship God; but even more surprising that he should be riding home reading Isaiah and be ready to accept a mere passerby Philip as a Guru. “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me”, he said (Acts 8:31). So asks the Asian today, like the Ethiopian. Someone who can explain is essential. How can people “believe if they have not heard the message? And how can they hear if the message has not been proclaimed” (Rom 10:14). “Then Philip began to speak; starting from this passage of scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus” (Acts 8:35). The Ethiopian was baptized. The first important thing, then, is that there should be someone to explain. And the second thing is that the Evangelizer starts from where the Inquirer is: his passage of scripture, his problem in life, his state of mind, the level of his understanding, the aspirations of his heart, configurations of his culture, limitations of his horizon and vision.
In recent years one notices a disinclination in most missionaries to assume the role of Philip. One may wonder why. We can only probe for the reasons for such timidity or apathy. The people in traditionally Christian countries, looking back with questioning minds on the hurtful events of their own history, including the wars of religion, two World Wars, colonial adventures, with their Christian convictions unable to help them to prevent such disastrous events, have been led to severe self-criticism and a “general loss of self-confidence”...a loss of self-confidence in their ideologies, their systems of thought, their concept of progress, their civilization, and their religion. Such a state of mind is reflected in the emergence of what is called Postmodernism. And something of it is reflected in the current theological thinking as well, ripples whereof reaching as far even as our actual missionary field. When such diffidence comes face to face with the self-confident self-assertion of Asian religions, the uncertainty is redoubled.
Such attitudes diffidence do not originate in the Gospel. In fact, it is the Gospel alone that can bring healing to those who have hurt and those that have been hurt. It is the Gospel that enables them to put history behind their backs and move forward with confidence and take their future in hand. Today more then ever people stand in need of this assistance from the Gospel.
Whispering the Gospel to the Soul of Asia
Paul of Tarsus is the final Icon I would like to place before you. In the early Church, there was none like him in the field of Evangelization. He preached in great cities, he preached in little towns, he preached in synagogues, market places, private houses, on the seashore, while on journey, while standing in court, confined in prison, ship-wrecked on an island. “And how terrible it would be for me”, he said, “if I did not preach the Gospel” (1 Cor 9:16). “I have complete confidence in the Gospel” (Rom 1:16).
His contribution to Christian expansion is too well known to need restatement. But I would like to draw your attention to another dimension of his personality: he was a bridge-builder between Asia and Europe; in fact, he himself formed a bridge between cultures, races, civilizations. He had absolute sympathy with human nature in all its varied manifestations. He was open to diverse communities, differing ways, habits, customs, attitudes, patterns of thought, styles of organization. Cosmopolitan in outlook and of unlimited versatility and breadth of vision, Paul was able to come on the wavelength of the Jews, Greeks, Romans, barbarians, rabbis, philosophers, army men, jailers, businessmen and women. His images were taken from feverish city life, scenes of intense human energy: soldier in armour, athlete in the arena, triumphant procession of victorious generals. Paul is the model Evangelizer for a Globalized World.
It was the call of Europe that Paul recognized in the Macedonian’s voice. It was not the cry of an individual, but of a whole population. And he hearkened. He addressed the Gospel to an entire society, and he was eminently successful. In this endeavour, he remained totally true to his original identity as a Jew at every stage (Rom 4:1; 9:3; 11:1; 1 Cor 10:1; 2 Cor 11:22; Philip 3:4-6; Acts 21:39; 22:3; 23:1.6). But he had another identity as well. The Semitic Saul was also Roman Paul. When he claimed to be the apostle of the gentiles, in practical terms it meant being an apostle to the Roman world (Acts 9:15; 13:47; 18:6; 22:21; 26:17.23; Rom 1:13; 11:13; 15:16; Gal 1:16; 2:1-10; Eph 3:1.8; 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11).
The Evangelizer on this continent today should be truly Asian and deeply Christian. Being truly Asian does not mean using aggressive language to defend Asia’s interests, much less taking aggressive postures. It does not mean revelling in exaggerated forms of nationalism, which unfortunately finds even a theological expression not entirely in good taste. Being authentically Asian means addressing the core concerns of the Asian people: not merely being attentive to the fads and fashions of the day, but to the millennial longings of millions of Asians. A genuine Evangelizer identifies himself with the deepest aspirations of his people and radically commits himself to their fulfillment 6.
Paul was born in Tarsus (Acts 21:39; 22:3). He was proud to be a Roman citizen (Acts 16:37-39; 22:24-30; 25:9-12). He was proud of the Empire (Rom 13:1-5; 1 Tim 2:1-3). He was immersed in Greek and Roman thought. He had benefited from the intellectual ferment of Tarsus, a University city, where ideas clashed and stimulated progress of thought. He had been exposed to Stoic and Epicurean philosophies. He provides an example to the announcer of the Gospel today. It is only an Evangelizer rooted in the ancient wisdom and spiritual traditions of Asia and capable of building on the native resources of his people that will be effective in addressing Jesus’ message to Asian people. But he/she must equally be open to fresh ideas from anywhere else in the world. “Let noble thoughts come to us from every side” (Rigveda I,89,1 ). Paul said, I take every thought captive and make it obey Christ (2 Cor 10:5).
6 Only persons and communities healed of hurting historic memories (free of post-colonial complexes), unburdened with current grievances, serene and certain of God’s guiding hands in human affairs, and radically committed to the cause of the Gospel will be able to offer a transforming message to Asia today.
In Paul the two distinct identities found perfect harmony. Today we need Evangelizers who can act as bridge-builders between thoughts, ideologies, philosophies, civilizations. We are not living in an era of merely a brisk exchange of goods, but intense exchange of ideas. Civilizations are in dialogue. Interests clash. Inflated Egos of countries and communities collide. Ideologies are formulated to camouflage partisan interests. Words of peace often hide aggressive intent. This is the time when people are open to a message offered in sincerity of purpose for the emergence of a new phase in human history. This is the time to bypass peripherals and get close to the centre; to ignore the call of the market and move to the heart of human affairs; to seek access to the inner chambers of Eastern religious earnestness and whisper the Gospel to the Soul of Asia.
There is always a religious awakening when civilizations collapse. What the Evangelizer is witnessing today is an encounter of civilizations in crisis. He stands at the crossroads of history. Old philosophical and ideological platitudes have lost their credibility. A new generation is rising that is attentive to persons who live authentic lives and have a relevant and consistent message. The carrier of the Gospel has a privileged contribution to make in this era of unique openness to what will give human advance a new direction. With his/her assistance, the Asian Searcher finds his/her way forward. May he/she have the joy of exclaiming; “I through the greatness of your love have access to your house” (Ps 5:7).
Our primary interlocutors are not the representatives of the vested interests of the dominant groups in our nations, nor the politically motivated persons who claim to be speaking in the name of their religion. Our dialogue-partners are those that have at heart the spiritual urges of their native cultures and are committed to the enhancement and flowering of their civilization. They want to share with us their concerns in the Upper Chamber before they will be prepared to announce the message they receive from the housetops. Contemplative seriousness is the starting point.
The Eloquence of Witness
There are genuine Searchers in Asia today who are looking for a message that can offer them something more than mere TV entertainment. They long for a truth that can be tested against the experience of human history…. something for which they can live and die. They have had enough of rhetoric. They are tired of promises of Golden Eras and Utopias. They have grown weary of cynical attitudes that trivialize things most momentous. They do not want to get lost in the immediate issues in such a way they lose sight of the ultimate. They know that while no civilization ever prospered that ignored man’s daily concerns, none survived that closed its eyes to its spiritual destinies.
“Every situation is an opportunity for Christians to show forth the power which the truth of Christ has become in their lives” (EA 42). An integral approach to faith-sharing will encompass the areas of human dignity (EA 33), preferential option for the poor (EA 34), health care (EA 36), education (EA 37), peace making (EA 38), globalization (EA 39), environment (EA 41), culture of life ( EA 35), family (EA 46), laity EA 45), women (EA 45), youth (EA 47).
We spoke of relevance. The Evangelizer’s message must ‘take flesh’ in human contexts through his/her wholehearted involvement in the life and growth of the society at whose service he/she is. He/she must bring a human touch to economic and political struggles, ethical quality to social relationships, and awareness of the divine to the ‘secular city’.
The question to be asked in this critical period of history is not whether there is a future for religion, but whether there is a future for humanity without a religion that gives balance, stability, purpose; provides motivation and hope; ensures a sense of uprightness; generates love, peace, sense of responsibility, discipline, and sacrifice.
Sacrifice! Genuine Searchers know that anything of true value calls for a price to be paid. And they are willing to pay too. But the Evangelizer must go ahead and show the way. His/her life should have the witness quality of a “martyr” (= witness) 7.
A martyr both gives witness and offers his/her life. An Evangelizer who gives up his/her life or lives a life of utter service is the most powerful witness to the Gospel today. That is the calibre of persons that are needed in our times and that can awaken an apathetic society to its senses. Such heroic souls become icons themselves, giving an eloquent message. One thinks of Gandhi who made himself into an icon…. a symbol that millions of his countrymen revered. His message was his person. He had the perspicacity to recognize that his country’s collective unconscious, national psyche, would respond to a religious image of himself. It is only when the Evangelizer becomes capable of making himself into an icon of God’s love for his people, that he shall touch the soul of Asia and stir the millions on this ancient land. They will rejoice when they will hear him say, “Let us go to God’s house”. He is the chosen one whom people will readily follow.
Of him the Lord says, “Here is my servant, whom I strengthen—the one I have chosen, with whom I am pleased. I have filled him with my spirit, and he will bring justice to every nation. He will not shout or raise his voice or make his speeches in the streets. He will not break off a bent reed nor put out a flickering lamp. He will bring lasting justice to all. He will not lose hope or courage; he will establish justice on the earth” (Is 42:1-4). Indeed, he will not shout or raise his voice, he will whisper the Gospel to the Soul of Asia.
I will end this sharing with these most powerful words of Mahatma Gandhi in Young India, concluding his description of the theory of non-violence. He said, “May God give power to every word of mine. In His name I began to write this, and in His name I close it”.
7 “The martyr’s witness responds both to the postmodern critique of traditional modes of justification and to the postmodern indifference towards the concept of truth” (Kevin J. Vanhoozer, in ‘To stake a Claim’, pg. 34, Orbis, 1999)…..“Christian witnesses are not only speakers, but sufferers too. This was a constant theme in Kierkegaard’s works….Being a Christian is recognizable ‘by the opposition one suffers”’…The truth has to suffer; Christ’s persecution was not accidental” (Ibidem, pg 147). One remembers the words of Jesus, “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me” (Jn 12:32).
(Address at an Asian Consultation on Evangelization in Thailand, organized by the Office for Evangelization)
