Sri Lankan author urges less arrogant gospel
TORONTO, ON—Our evangelism needs to become less arrogant if we want to reach those of other faiths, says Ajith Fernando, national director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka.
Fernando is a visiting scholar at Tyndale College and Seminary where he is lecturing on authentic Christian witness in multi-religious settings on June 25.
Society has changed, leaving the Church struggling to be a witness in a pluralistic world, says Fernando. "There are a lot of challenges to the old [styles of] witness today—partly because we have messed up in a lot of places.
Reputation of triumphalism
"We have given people the impression we are arrogant. We have a reputation of trying to defeat an enemy, when actually Christ is asking us to win them over with love."
Fernando points out that the gospel was first proclaimed in a "very pluralistic culture."
"The biblical evangelist was sent to people in the culture and language in which they lived," Fernando says. "Preachers knew their audience and approached the audience appropriately. You see in Paul, in Jesus, a respect for the individual and a willingness to come where they are."
Fernando has been director of Youth for Christ Sri Lanka since 1976. He says "memories of the triumphalism" with which western colonials approached evangelism has given Christians a poor reputation in some parts of the world. The number of Christians in Sri Lanka dropped after the country gained independence in 1978, in part because "people were embarrassed by the connection with the colonial rulers," he says.
Today, some 70 per cent of Sri Lankans are Buddhist and another 15 per cent are Hindu. An estimated 7 per cent are Muslim and 7 per cent Christian (a small minority of which are Protestant).
An anti-conversion bill has recently been tabled in Sri Lanka which would make "alluring" or "bribing" people to change religions illegal. Those found guilty of breaking the law could face fines and jail terms.
"One of the things we have to remember is that since the colonial rule people view anything that is western with suspicion, and Christianity to many people is something western," Fernando says. "They see this as another attempt to control people.
"Some of the problems are of our own making, but many church leaders have realized the error we made.
"There is an expression, 'The Christians first came with the Bible in one hand and the sword in the other hand. And now they come with the Bible with one hand and dollars in the other.'
"They ask, 'Why are these people helping? Is it in order to convert us?' So a lot of Christian groups now have separated the social help they give from evangelism because it gives the wrong impression."
Cultural sensitivities
In a desire to operate within cultural sensitivities, Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka has separated their social programs from its evangelistic ones. The organization focuses on helping young people gain an education and avoid drugs by providing places where young people can study.
"Education in the schools is very inadequate so we have a lot of programs giving them classes they cannot otherwise afford," Fernando says. "We also do a lot of sporting activities.
"But if we made it evangelistic they would see it as bribery. Theologically, you cannot separate them, but practically in today's environment we feel it is better to separate the two. Also, when you work with the poor who have been deprived of self worth or identity, there is nothing they are very proud of themselves…so they will become a Christian if they think it will help them financially.
"We want people to come to Christ because of conviction—and to give people help because they need help."
Fernando has authored over a dozen books which have been translated into 14 languages. Among them are The Supremacy of Christ, Sharing the Truth in Love and Jesus Driven Ministry.
"I think one of the things that motivates us more than any other is the vision of God's grace, which of course takes away all arrogance from us," he says. "When you realize that Christ is supreme you are not afraid of other cultures. Because you know that Christ is supreme, [you can] appreciate the good you find in them and even learn from them."
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