Arun Shourie
It isn't just that it is our right, it is our duty. For our Lord, Jesus Christ, has commanded us to go to all the nations of the world, and spread his message and baptize", the missionaries say, and even lay Christians. "How can we disobey his command and still claim to be Christians?"
The point apart that the claim cannot stand in law, how much weight can one attach to the claim itself? What exactly is Jesus supposed to have said? How do we know he said that?
Answers to these questions are vital in themselves - they are central to believing the claim or setting it aside. They are doubly important because they lead us to a fundamental point, indeed to what is the fundamental fraud in missionary activity. But first the answers themselves.
The bare sequence is as follows. Jesus has been nailed to the Cross. He dies. His body is interred. A large stone is placed to close the tomb. Devotees visit the tomb. The body is missing. Jesus appears to disciples. He speaks to them.
Now, let us take the sequence step by step. As everyone knows, there are four Gospels - by Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. In the eyes of the Church each is a saint. Every word of each Gospel is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Who goes to the tomb ? For what purpose ? "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre", says St. Luke [288.1]. "Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome," says St. Mark, as they "had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him" [16.1]. "Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them", says St. Luke, "bringing the spices which they had prepared" [24.1, 11]. St. John reports Mary Magdalene alone as having gone to the tomb [20.1]. Thus : from Mary Magdalene alone to her and the other Mary, to the two of them and Salome, to the two of them and Joanna plus the other women who were with them. Similarly, whoever went, the purpose was either to "see the sepulchre" or to anoint the body. For the latter they were carrying sweet spices which they had either bought or prepared themselves.
What happened when, whoever went, arrived at the tomb? "And, behold, there was a great earthquake," says St. Mathew, "for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it" [28.2]. St. Mark mentions no earthquake, no angel descending; instead he says that, while on their way the women had been asking each other "who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?," when they arrived they saw that the stone had already been rolled away [16.3-4]. St. Luke too does not report any earthquake, he too says that when the women arrived they found the stone to have been rolled away [24.2]. According to St. John, Mary Magdalene alone had gone. He too mentions neither an earthquake, nor any angel descending. But he too reports that she found the stone to have been rolled away already [20.1].
Upon reaching the tomb, upon seeing the stone rolled away, whom do they encounter ? An angel, says St. Mathew, sitting on the stone he has rolled away, "his countenance was like lightening, and his raiment white as snow", and so awesome was his presence that "and for fear of him the keepers [that is, the guards] did shake, and became as dead men" [28.2-4]. Not an angel, but "a young man", sitting, not on the stone outside the entrance to the tomb, but "on the right side" inside the sepulchre [the women see him after entering the sepulchre]. The young man is "clothed in a long white garment" -- not dazzling like lightening, just ordinary white. And upon encountering a young man unexpectedly inside the tomb, the ones who are "affrighted" are the women -- there is no mention of guards. St. Luke reports no angel, nor does he report one young man. According to him the women encountered "two men.... in shining garments" [24.4]. St. John has Mary Magdalene going alone, she encounters no one [20.1-2]. Thus, from "an angel" to "one young man" to "two men" to no one.
One woman, two sets of three women, or more than three women have reached the tomb. They have encountered an angel, one young man, or two, or none. The women see that the body of Jesus is missing. What happens next?
Do not be afraid, the angel told them. St. Mathew says. You are looking for the Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen. "Go quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him." The women depart quickly "with fear and great joy", and run to the disciples. But on the way, Jesus meets them. "All hail", he says. They fall at his feet, they hold his feet, they worship him. "Be not afraid", Jesus says, "Go tell my brethern that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me" [28.7-10].
According to St. Mark, neither the angel at the bomb nor Jesus on the way asked them to give that message to the disciples. That one young man did so -- at the tomb itself [16.7].
According to St. Luke the conversation takes place with the two men at the tomb. Not only are the words that are exchanged different. No one - not the angel, not one man, not Jesus, not either of the two men - asks the women to tell the disciples that Jesus is going to Galilee ahead of them and that they will see him there [24.5-7].
According to St. John, what transpired was altogether different. Mary Magdalene goes alone. She sees that the stone has been removed, and the body is missing. She runs "to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved", and informs them that the body is missing. Simon Peter and the other disciple run to the sepulchre. They see for themselves, and return home. Mary, on the other hand continues to stand outside, weeping. She looks into the sepulchre and sees two angels "in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain". And then Jesus himself appears to her. Jesus appears to her - as in Mathew. But there are three differences. In Mathew Jesus appears to the two Marys, in John he appears to Mary Magdalene alone. In Mathew he appears as the two Marys are rushing to the disciples, in John he appears when Mary Magdalene, having informed two of the disciples, returns with them to the sepulchre. And, third, in Mathew, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, at once recognise him, they fall at his feet, they hold his feet, and worship him [28.9]. But in John, even when she sees Jesus standing in front of her, she does not recognise him. Instead, she takes him to be the gardener [20.14-15].
Jesus speaks to her in John, as Jesus does in Mathew -- though in the latter to two Marys, not one; though on their way to the disciples, and not at the tomb when one of them has returned with the disciples. But what he says is altogether different. In Mathew he says, "Be not afraid : go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there they shall see me." In John, Jesus tells Mary Magdalene, "Touch me not [in Mathew, the two Marys hold him by the feet]; for I am not yet ascended to my Father : but go to my brethern, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" [20.17]. Not a word about going to Galilee !
To proceed. The women have seen that the body is missing. They have or have not been told by an angel, by one man, by two men or by Jesus to tell the disciples one thing or something altogether different. Whom do they go and tell ?
In Mathew, they run to get the message to the disciples -- that they get to the disciples can only be inferred. For the account is overtaken by other happenings. First, as we have seen, Jesus himself appears to them. Second,the Gospel diverts to narrate a conspiracy of the Jews -- one which none of the other three Gospels mentions : noticing that the body is missing, the guards go to the chief priests who are at that time in assembly with the elders; there a conspiracy is hatched : to deny that Jesus has risen, the guards are to say that they had fallen asleep and, as they slept, the followers of Jesus whisked away his body. The guards are paid, and guaranteed protection. And on this basis the Jews get a concoction to deny the Resurrection unto this day [28.11-15].
In Mark, the women tell no one : after the conversation with the youngman, Mark informs us, "they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed : neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid" [16.8]. It is in what is acknowledged even in the printed Bibles to be one of three different endings to the Gospel of St. Mark that we are told that the women went to "Peter and his friends" and conveyed what they had been told [third alternate, 16.9-10 in The Good News Bible].
In Luke, the women convey the message to "the eleven disciples and all the rest" [24.8].
In John, Mary Magdalene, who alone has gone to the tomb, goes and tells not, for instance, "the eleven disciples and all the rest", she tells "Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved" [20.2].
But, of course, as she has not encountered anyone at the tomb at this state, she has no message to convey -- neither about going to Galilee nor about Jesus ascending to the Father. All she conveys is that the body is missing.
Informed or not, having received only the news of the missing body or having received that as well as a message, having received one message or an entirely different one, which of the disciples goes to the tomb?
In Mathew no one goes to the sepulchre. The eleven disciples proceed to Galilee [28.16].
In Mark, no one goes to tell the disciples that the body is missing -- the women having been struck dumb by fear. So, no occasion arises for the disciples to go to the sepulchre. Subsequently, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. She tells them. But "they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not" [16.11]. In any event, no one goes to the sepulchre.
In Luke, the women narrate everything to the apostles. But, "their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not" [24.11]. Peter alone gets up and rushes to the sepulchre [24.12]. Though later on, when they are talking to the resurrected Jesus, whom they take to be a stranger, two disciples speak of "certain of them which were with us" having gone to the sepulchre" [24.24].
In John, the information is conveyed not to all the apostles, Mary Magdalene informs only two - "Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved". And the two of them rush to the sepulchre [20.2-4].
The body, having disappeared, Jesus appears. To whom ?
In Mathew he first appears to the two Marys when they are rushing to the disciples [28.9]. Subsequently, as he had promised, he appears to the eleven disciples at Galilee [28.16].
In Mark he appears first to Mary Magdalene alone -- the occasion is neither at the tomb, nor on the way to the disciples, but an altogether different, sui generis one [16.9]. After that he appears "in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country" [16.12]. And finally he appears "unto the eleven as they sat at meat" [16.14] - where the conversation, to which we shall just return, takes place.
In Luke he appears first to two of the disciples as they are on their way to a village called Emmaus "which was from Jerusalem about three-score furlongs." Jesus walks with them, he talks with them. But they do not recognise him for the longest time - it is only later after he vanishes that, seeing how their hearts burned as the stranger talked with them, that they realise who he was [24.13-32].
They go to tell the eleven. Who says that he has appeared to Simon [24.34]. And as they are talking "Jesus himself stood in the midst of them." Jesus talks to them at length [24.36-50].
In John, Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene -- outside the sepulchre when she has returned with two of the disciples. She takes him to be the gardener, as we have seen, till he addresses her by her name [20.14 - 17].
He next appears to the disciples as they have assembled behind shut doors "for fear of the Jews" [20.19 - 23].
He appears again to the disciples eight days later - this time doubting Thomas too is present [20.26 - 29].
He appears a third time to his disciples at "the sea of Tiberias" [21.1 - 22]. Extensive exchanges take place between Jesus and the disciples on this - the last -- occasion.
By this uncertain route we reach the exhortation to carry the message to all nations. But what precisely does Jesus say on the subject ?
In Mathew, after telling his disciples that all power has been given to him in heaven and in earth, Jesus says, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all thing whatsoever I have commanded you : and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen" [28.18 - 20].
In Mark, he upbraids them for "their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he had risen." And then come the words relevant to our concern : "And he said unto them Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" [16.15 - 16]. Notice that here Jesus is asking the disciples to go "and preach the gospel to every creature" -- he is not asking them to baptize and convert the people they encounter. What he does is to forecast a future for those who believe and have been baptized, and for those who do not believe.
Incidentally, after this Jesus tells them : "And these signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hand on the sick, and they shall recover" [16.17 - 18]. Are the missionaries able to take up serpents? Are they immune to poison ? Do the sick recover as they touch them ? Are there devils which missionaries drive away ?
Thus, in a word, while in Mathew what Jesus says about baptism is an exhortation, in Mark it is an adjective. The even more consequential fact in this context is that the earlier manuscripts of the Gospel of St. Mark end at the 8th para of this chapter. Paras 9 to 20 - of which paras 15 to 18 which contain the exhortation form a part -- are acknowledged, even in the printed versions of the Bible today, to be later add-ons.
In Luke, Jesus is at pains to convince the disciples that what has been visited upon him is in accord with what had been written in the scriptures. Luke adds, "And he said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day," "And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" [24.44-47]. Notice that here also Jesus is not asking them to convert and baptize, he is merely asking them to preach in his name -- indeed, what he asks them to preach is also limited to "repentance and remission of sins".
John also reports at length the exchanges which Jesus has with his disciples when he reappears to them. There is not a word in these passages about going out, converting and baptising, or even preaching to the others.
Would a claim based on so tenuous a foundation survive in any court assessing evidence?
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
The Pope Dispels All Doubts!
Arun Shourie
One thing to be said for the Pope�s visit: he has silenced secularists, as well as missionary-apologists.
Whenever attention has been drawn to the plans the Church has of converting India to Christianity, to its plans of "reaping the great harvest for Jesus," these propagandists and secularists have asserted that a miasma was being manufactured to sow hatred. Now that the Pope has himself declared that the Synod of Bishops was "a call to conversion;" now that he has reiterated his call to the Bishops to "open wide to Christ the doors of Asia;" now that he has proclaimed the goal of the Church again, "just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the Third Christian Millennium a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent;" now that he, having heard reports of the Bishops has proclaimed his expectation, "the character, spiritual fire and zeal" of Asians "will assuredly make Asia the land of a bountiful harvest in the coming millennium;" now that having recalled what he wrote in Redemptoris Missio -- "God is opening before the Church the horizons of a humanity more fully prepared for sowing of the Gospel," -- the Pope has announced, "This vision of a new and promising horizon I see being fulfilled in Asia;" now that the Pope has embraced as his own what his Bishops had proclaimed -- "the heart of the Church in Asia will be restless until the whole of Asia finds its rest in the peace of Christ, the Risen Lord" -- now that he has again proclaimed that the very purpose of the Church is evangelization, that it is "driven" in this task by "the Holy Spirit" indeed that "the Holy Spirit is the prime agent of evangelization," that the Church is "empowered by the Holy Spirit" to carry out this task, the secularists seem a bit non-plussed about how to make out that the apprehensions which were being expressed about the Church�s plans and stratagems are figments manufactured to justify persecution.
And so are the Cardinals and Bishops, I presume! "We don�t want to convert everybody to Christianity," Cardinal Lourdasamy, described by the papers as "the only Indian Cardinal in Vatican City," told Doordarshan. "We just want to say we are Christians." How touching! How humble! And what do the propagandists say after the Pope�s explicit enunciation?
Every time they are confronted with what the Church has itself proclaimed is its one and only purpose -- to enlarge the empire of Christianity -- these propagandists have insisted that after Vatican II such a view is untenable. Vatican II marked a radical break with the past dogma, they have insisted. It acknowledged that other religions too can be paths to salvation. It explicitly embraced ecumenism, it explicitly asked Christians to develop respect for other religions. Vatican II did nothing of the kind, of course. But, confident that few in countries like India would have gone through the documents put out by the Council, the Church here has been putting out such fables. In any case, we now have the Pope himself clear up what he calls "a certain confusion about the true nature of the Church�s mission."
Yes, the Church respects the traditions to be found in Asia, the Pope says. Yes, it respects "the rights of consciences." "Respect, however, does not eliminate the need for the explicit proclamation of the Gospel in its fullness," he states. "Especially in the context of the rich array of cultures and religions in Asia," he says, "it must be pointed out that �neither respect and esteem for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised are an invitation to the Church to with-hold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Jesus Christ.� " He reiterates the play on words by which he had camouflaged the matter during his visit to India in 1986.
He recalls that he had "stated clearly" then, "the Church�s approach to other religions is one of genuine respect... This respect is twofold: respect for man in his quest for answers to the deepest questions of his life, and respect for the action of the Spirit in man." What does that mean? The Pope explains: "Indeed, the Synod Fathers readily recognised the Spirit�s action in Asian societies, cultures and religions, through which the Father prepares the hearts of Asian peoples for the fullness of life in Christ."
Yes, Asia has many religions. Yes, the Asian people have sought answers to the deepest questions of life. But these religions are just a preparation for their becoming Christians. That is the essential point. Asia has given birth to the major religions, and to many others, and millions in it still espouse traditional and tribal religions, the Pope notes, and says, "The Church has the deepest respect for these traditions and seeks to engage in sincere dialogue with their followers. The religious values they teach await their fulfillment in Jesus Christ." "The Church in Asia finds herself among peoples who display an intense yearning for God," he acknowledges, only to add, "The Church knows that this yearning can only be fully satisfied by Jesus Christ, the Good News of God for all the nations." And again that "The Church is convinced that deep within the people, cultures and religions of Asia there is a thirst for �living water�..., a thirst which the Spirit himself has created and which Jesus the Saviour alone can fully satisfy."
True, these peoples have their ancient traditions and beliefs. But it is the Church which by transmitting "her truths and values" which "renews" them "from within," the Pope asserts. It strengthens "the positive elements already found in them," he maintains. It "refines" them, it "renews" them "in the light of the Gospel." In a word, it is in their own interest that the Church strives to bring the poor souls into Christianity! "The peoples of Asia," declares the Pope on our behalf, "need Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Asia is thirsting for the living water that Jesus alone can give.... The disciples of Christ in Asia must therefore be unstinting in their efforts to fulfill the mission they have received from the Lord..."
In India we are taught to believe that God is everywhere, that He has manifested Himself in many forms, and that, therefore, we must subscribe to sarva dharma samabhav, etc. The Pope has no time for such syrupy make-believe. In his eyes this is no virtue, it is one of the difficulties in making Asians accept that Jesus is the one and only Saviour, it is a notion that has to be put out of harm�s way. Nor, he warns, is the notion that God is universally present to be allowed to become "an excuse for a failure to proclaim Jesus Christ explicitly as the one and only Saviour." Indeed, he asserts emphatically, "the presence of the Spirit in creation and history" points only to Jesus as the one "in whom creation and history are redeemed and fulfilled." To Jesus, and to the Church, he adds for good measure!
It is in this background that the Church�s invitations to "dialogue" must be seen. Much is made of its invitations, they are projected as proof of its openness, even of its modesty -- see, we are willing to learn from others! Almost without exception such non-Christians are invited for exchanges who have little knowledge of the workings of the Church, and even less of their own tradition. They feel compelled to recite the usual homilies about "the essential unity of all religions," they repeat the same platitudes about the Sermon on the Mount. And the Church�s purpose is served: it can show that it is open, that it is tolerant, that it respects people of other faiths.
What does the Pope say is the purpose of such "dialogues"? "Ecumenical dialogue" -- by which he means dialogue with non-Catholic Christians -- "is a challenge," he declares, "and a call to conversion for the whole Church, especially for the Church in Asia where people expect from Christians a clearer sign of unity." The reason he gives for attaining unity among different denominations of Christians is itself revealing: "The Synod of Bishops acknowledged," he recalls, "that �the scandal of a divided Christianity is a great obstacle for evangelization in Asia.� " For us, of course, what he says about the form and purpose of "dialogue" with non-Christians is even more important.
"From the Christian point of view," he declares candidly, "inter-religious dialogue is more than a way of fostering mutual knowledge and enrichment; it is a part of the Church�s evangelizing mission, an expression of the mission ad gentes." "Christians bring to inter-religious dialogue the firm belief," he continues, "that the fullness of salvation comes from Christ alone and that the Church community to which they belong is the ordinary means of salvation."
He recalls that he has already written in an earlier communication to the Asian Bishops, "Although the Church gladly acknowledges whatever is true and holy in the religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam as a reflection of that truth which enlightens all people, this does not lessen her duty and resolve to proclaim without failing Jesus Christ who is �the way and the truth and the life�... The fact that the followers of other religions can receive God�s grace and be saved by Christ apart from the ordinary means which he has established does not thereby cancel the call to faith and baptism which God wills for all people."
Those not accustomed to the circumlocutory enunciations of the Church would do well to note the condescending phrase, "whatever is true and holy in the religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam as a reflection of that truth which enlightens all people." What is true and holy in these religions? That which conforms to Christianity! The rest is but a groping, a preparation for being fulfilled in Christianity!
Therefore, the Pope reminds the assembled Bishops that he has earlier instructed them in Redemptoris Missio, "There must be no abandonment of principles nor false irenicism" -- that is, Christians engaged in "dialogue" must not fall for false attempts to create peace. He is explicit, what he wants Christians to strive for is, to use his words, "Evangelization in dialogue and dialogue for evangelization."
As this is the purpose, he declares that "only those with mature and convinced Christian faith are qualified to engage in genuine interreligious dialogue." Only such persons "can without undue risk and with hope of positive fruit engage in interreligious dialogue." And therefore he urges the Church in Asia "to provide suitable models of interreligious dialogue.... and suitable training for those involved."
And he draws attention to some devices that are already yielding "good results." "Scholarly exchanges," "common action for integral human development," "defence of human and religious values" -- friends who get so enamoured at being called to seminars and workshops on such topics should remember what the purpose of such get-togethers is. Exactly what the purpose of the erstwhile Comintern used to be in setting up "Peace Conferences" and "Peace Committees"!
But there is more that the Pope has dispelled, as we shall see, more for which we must be grateful to His Holiness.
The Observer
November 19, 1999
One thing to be said for the Pope�s visit: he has silenced secularists, as well as missionary-apologists.
Whenever attention has been drawn to the plans the Church has of converting India to Christianity, to its plans of "reaping the great harvest for Jesus," these propagandists and secularists have asserted that a miasma was being manufactured to sow hatred. Now that the Pope has himself declared that the Synod of Bishops was "a call to conversion;" now that he has reiterated his call to the Bishops to "open wide to Christ the doors of Asia;" now that he has proclaimed the goal of the Church again, "just as in the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe, and in the second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the Third Christian Millennium a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and vital continent;" now that he, having heard reports of the Bishops has proclaimed his expectation, "the character, spiritual fire and zeal" of Asians "will assuredly make Asia the land of a bountiful harvest in the coming millennium;" now that having recalled what he wrote in Redemptoris Missio -- "God is opening before the Church the horizons of a humanity more fully prepared for sowing of the Gospel," -- the Pope has announced, "This vision of a new and promising horizon I see being fulfilled in Asia;" now that the Pope has embraced as his own what his Bishops had proclaimed -- "the heart of the Church in Asia will be restless until the whole of Asia finds its rest in the peace of Christ, the Risen Lord" -- now that he has again proclaimed that the very purpose of the Church is evangelization, that it is "driven" in this task by "the Holy Spirit" indeed that "the Holy Spirit is the prime agent of evangelization," that the Church is "empowered by the Holy Spirit" to carry out this task, the secularists seem a bit non-plussed about how to make out that the apprehensions which were being expressed about the Church�s plans and stratagems are figments manufactured to justify persecution.
And so are the Cardinals and Bishops, I presume! "We don�t want to convert everybody to Christianity," Cardinal Lourdasamy, described by the papers as "the only Indian Cardinal in Vatican City," told Doordarshan. "We just want to say we are Christians." How touching! How humble! And what do the propagandists say after the Pope�s explicit enunciation?
Every time they are confronted with what the Church has itself proclaimed is its one and only purpose -- to enlarge the empire of Christianity -- these propagandists have insisted that after Vatican II such a view is untenable. Vatican II marked a radical break with the past dogma, they have insisted. It acknowledged that other religions too can be paths to salvation. It explicitly embraced ecumenism, it explicitly asked Christians to develop respect for other religions. Vatican II did nothing of the kind, of course. But, confident that few in countries like India would have gone through the documents put out by the Council, the Church here has been putting out such fables. In any case, we now have the Pope himself clear up what he calls "a certain confusion about the true nature of the Church�s mission."
Yes, the Church respects the traditions to be found in Asia, the Pope says. Yes, it respects "the rights of consciences." "Respect, however, does not eliminate the need for the explicit proclamation of the Gospel in its fullness," he states. "Especially in the context of the rich array of cultures and religions in Asia," he says, "it must be pointed out that �neither respect and esteem for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised are an invitation to the Church to with-hold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Jesus Christ.� " He reiterates the play on words by which he had camouflaged the matter during his visit to India in 1986.
He recalls that he had "stated clearly" then, "the Church�s approach to other religions is one of genuine respect... This respect is twofold: respect for man in his quest for answers to the deepest questions of his life, and respect for the action of the Spirit in man." What does that mean? The Pope explains: "Indeed, the Synod Fathers readily recognised the Spirit�s action in Asian societies, cultures and religions, through which the Father prepares the hearts of Asian peoples for the fullness of life in Christ."
Yes, Asia has many religions. Yes, the Asian people have sought answers to the deepest questions of life. But these religions are just a preparation for their becoming Christians. That is the essential point. Asia has given birth to the major religions, and to many others, and millions in it still espouse traditional and tribal religions, the Pope notes, and says, "The Church has the deepest respect for these traditions and seeks to engage in sincere dialogue with their followers. The religious values they teach await their fulfillment in Jesus Christ." "The Church in Asia finds herself among peoples who display an intense yearning for God," he acknowledges, only to add, "The Church knows that this yearning can only be fully satisfied by Jesus Christ, the Good News of God for all the nations." And again that "The Church is convinced that deep within the people, cultures and religions of Asia there is a thirst for �living water�..., a thirst which the Spirit himself has created and which Jesus the Saviour alone can fully satisfy."
True, these peoples have their ancient traditions and beliefs. But it is the Church which by transmitting "her truths and values" which "renews" them "from within," the Pope asserts. It strengthens "the positive elements already found in them," he maintains. It "refines" them, it "renews" them "in the light of the Gospel." In a word, it is in their own interest that the Church strives to bring the poor souls into Christianity! "The peoples of Asia," declares the Pope on our behalf, "need Jesus Christ and his Gospel. Asia is thirsting for the living water that Jesus alone can give.... The disciples of Christ in Asia must therefore be unstinting in their efforts to fulfill the mission they have received from the Lord..."
In India we are taught to believe that God is everywhere, that He has manifested Himself in many forms, and that, therefore, we must subscribe to sarva dharma samabhav, etc. The Pope has no time for such syrupy make-believe. In his eyes this is no virtue, it is one of the difficulties in making Asians accept that Jesus is the one and only Saviour, it is a notion that has to be put out of harm�s way. Nor, he warns, is the notion that God is universally present to be allowed to become "an excuse for a failure to proclaim Jesus Christ explicitly as the one and only Saviour." Indeed, he asserts emphatically, "the presence of the Spirit in creation and history" points only to Jesus as the one "in whom creation and history are redeemed and fulfilled." To Jesus, and to the Church, he adds for good measure!
It is in this background that the Church�s invitations to "dialogue" must be seen. Much is made of its invitations, they are projected as proof of its openness, even of its modesty -- see, we are willing to learn from others! Almost without exception such non-Christians are invited for exchanges who have little knowledge of the workings of the Church, and even less of their own tradition. They feel compelled to recite the usual homilies about "the essential unity of all religions," they repeat the same platitudes about the Sermon on the Mount. And the Church�s purpose is served: it can show that it is open, that it is tolerant, that it respects people of other faiths.
What does the Pope say is the purpose of such "dialogues"? "Ecumenical dialogue" -- by which he means dialogue with non-Catholic Christians -- "is a challenge," he declares, "and a call to conversion for the whole Church, especially for the Church in Asia where people expect from Christians a clearer sign of unity." The reason he gives for attaining unity among different denominations of Christians is itself revealing: "The Synod of Bishops acknowledged," he recalls, "that �the scandal of a divided Christianity is a great obstacle for evangelization in Asia.� " For us, of course, what he says about the form and purpose of "dialogue" with non-Christians is even more important.
"From the Christian point of view," he declares candidly, "inter-religious dialogue is more than a way of fostering mutual knowledge and enrichment; it is a part of the Church�s evangelizing mission, an expression of the mission ad gentes." "Christians bring to inter-religious dialogue the firm belief," he continues, "that the fullness of salvation comes from Christ alone and that the Church community to which they belong is the ordinary means of salvation."
He recalls that he has already written in an earlier communication to the Asian Bishops, "Although the Church gladly acknowledges whatever is true and holy in the religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam as a reflection of that truth which enlightens all people, this does not lessen her duty and resolve to proclaim without failing Jesus Christ who is �the way and the truth and the life�... The fact that the followers of other religions can receive God�s grace and be saved by Christ apart from the ordinary means which he has established does not thereby cancel the call to faith and baptism which God wills for all people."
Those not accustomed to the circumlocutory enunciations of the Church would do well to note the condescending phrase, "whatever is true and holy in the religious traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam as a reflection of that truth which enlightens all people." What is true and holy in these religions? That which conforms to Christianity! The rest is but a groping, a preparation for being fulfilled in Christianity!
Therefore, the Pope reminds the assembled Bishops that he has earlier instructed them in Redemptoris Missio, "There must be no abandonment of principles nor false irenicism" -- that is, Christians engaged in "dialogue" must not fall for false attempts to create peace. He is explicit, what he wants Christians to strive for is, to use his words, "Evangelization in dialogue and dialogue for evangelization."
As this is the purpose, he declares that "only those with mature and convinced Christian faith are qualified to engage in genuine interreligious dialogue." Only such persons "can without undue risk and with hope of positive fruit engage in interreligious dialogue." And therefore he urges the Church in Asia "to provide suitable models of interreligious dialogue.... and suitable training for those involved."
And he draws attention to some devices that are already yielding "good results." "Scholarly exchanges," "common action for integral human development," "defence of human and religious values" -- friends who get so enamoured at being called to seminars and workshops on such topics should remember what the purpose of such get-togethers is. Exactly what the purpose of the erstwhile Comintern used to be in setting up "Peace Conferences" and "Peace Committees"!
But there is more that the Pope has dispelled, as we shall see, more for which we must be grateful to His Holiness.
The Observer
November 19, 1999
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Body-Counts Have Become Big, Compelling Business
Arun Shourie
The Church had but to get established and it became obsessed with numbers -- with the number of souls it had, to use the term so favoured by churchmen, "harvested" for Jesus. Numbers remain its singular obsession today. The impulse is not just its own history in this regard. The impulse is not just its character -- it is, after all, primarily an organization, and therefore like all organizations it is obsessed with its market-share.
To a very large extent, the impulse is commercial. The Church is big business. Evangelization is big business. And this business depends on that "harvesting" of souls. You just have to scan American church publications, or those of Europe, to see that one of the main grounds on which believers are induced to donate funds to the church is that the money is needed for the harvesting work. But even in that there is now a problem.
In Europe as well as in the US, the Church is in serious trouble. Attendance in Rome itself has fallen to just three per cent of the number of nominal believers -- in Rome, the very seat of the Vatican. With this shriveling, has come another problem : the church has been having greater and greater difficulties in recruiting priests, nuns, and others to man the churches. The need for focusing on countries such as India has therefore tripled.
Missionary publications bear ample testimony to this focus : they are full of targets, of detailed plans, of marketing strategies by which the harvest here is to be multiplied : a church to be "planted" in every village, a Bible to be placed in every pair of hands, lists and characteristics of "people-groups" which are to be targetted -- women, scheduled castes, and, most of all, tribals; the beliefs and characteristics of each target-group which can be used to enter the group, the beliefs which are liable to be hindrances and how these may be transformed into aids.
"The majority Meiti are Hindu," notes Operation World, and points to what may be used to wean them away : "nationalism is lowering commitment to Hinduism". As a rule, evangelists denounce nationalism, how are they looking hopefully at nationalism among the Meiti?, you may wonder -- that is because, in this instance, by "nationalism" they mean feeling for the tribal identity as against their focusing on what they share with the rest of the country! Meghalaya : already 57 per cent Christian, focus has now to be on "the less reached" -- "Some of the smaller tribes -- notably the Hajong, Mikir and others -- have been less responsive and remain entrenched in their animism. The Hindu minority has been little affected by the gospel." Mizoram : already 85 per cent Christian; focus has to be on "the less reached" -- and there is a sign of hope, "The Buddhist Chakmas are being intensively evangelised by Mizo, and churches are multiplying," followed by the next target-group in bold type, "The Bangladeshi refugees and the Hindu population are needy." The beam of hope from Nagaland : "Missionary vision blossomed as a result of revival. Christians made a solemn covenant in 1980 to live for, and further, world evangelization. They are trusting God that 10,000 missionaries will be sent from Nagaland...." A minor footnote : Operation World is published by one of the most active missionary publication houses -- its name? Om Publishing, Carlisle, UK!
That name tells a larger tale. Missionary publications set out how the dress of the clergy, how the ambiance in churches, how Christian ritual are to be "indigenised" so that people do not continue to look upon the church as foreign. Stating that the Cardinal President of the Consilium, His Eminence Benno Cardinal Gut, has accepted the proposals of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of India, a circular of Archbishop D. Simon Lourdusamy informed churches in the country,
"(1) The posture during Mass, both for priests and the faithful may be adapted to local usage, that is sitting on the floor, standing and the like; footwear may also be removed.
(2) Genuflections may be replaced by the profound bow with the anjali hasta.
(3) A panchanga pranam by both priests and faithful can take place before the liturgy of the Word, as part of the Penitential rite, and at the conclusion of the Anaphora.
(4) Kissing of objects may be adapted to local customs, that is touching the object with one's fingers or palm of one's hand and bringing the hands to one's eyes or forehead.
(5) The kiss of peace could be given by the exchange of anjali hasta and/or the placing of the hands of the giver between the hands of the recipient.
(6) Incense could be made use of in liturgical services. The receptacle could be the simple incense bowl with handle.
(7) The vestments could be simplified. A single tunic-type chasuble with a stole (angavastra) could replace the traditional vestments of the Roman rite....
(8) The corporal could be replaced by a tray (thali or thamboola thattu)....
(9) Oil lamps could be used instead of candles.
(10) The preparatory rite of the Mass may include : ....(b) the welcome of the celebrant in the Indian way, e.g. with a single arati, washing of hands etc.; (c) lighting of the lamp....
(11) In the Offertory rite and at the conclusion of the Anaphora the Indian form of worship may be integrated, that is, double or triple arati of flowers, and/or incense, and/or light...."
An evangelical Internet site exults in how that ministry consciously avoids overturning the beliefs and practices of the target-peoples, how instead it ensures "deculturisation" over an extended period by introducing into their awareness what it terms "functional substitutes" for those beliefs and practices. So much so that it commends its own logo too on this ground! We have not replaced the lotus, "which is supposed to be the seat of the Indian gods," it reports, we have entrenched the Cross in it! While addressing the ignorant and illiterate in India this ministry will point to the lotus, while addressing the potential donor its selling-point is the opposite : "The inference is," the site informs that donor, "that the historical Christ and the Cross must ultimately take the seat of these mythological deities and thereby Christianity should become deeply rooted in the culture of India."
Even minor outfits garner literally millions through this harvesting business. Taken as a whole the enterprise is being conducted on a scale we just cannot imagine. As the late Ram Swarup had pointed out, even fifteen years ago, the Mission Handbook, North American Ministries Overseas had put the number of missionaries raking in the harvest at around a quarter million. Even then it had put the expenditure on such activity at around one and a half billion dollars. Of course, it had exhorted the faithful to dole out much more : "it costs money to stay in business," it had said with fetching frankness! One of the ways for these missionaries to get their flock to cough up money has been to paint our people and country in gory colours -- this has not changed one bit since the 19th century. Starving, sunk in superstition, crushed under the heels of high-caste Hindus, in the grip of Satan himself -- hence the urgent duty to save them, and for that send your donation to.... "The Indian sub-continent, with one billion people, is a living example of what happens when Satan rules the entire culture," Ram Swarup quoted from the Texas-based Gospel for Asia. "India is one vast purgatory in which millions of people.... are literally living a cosmic lie. Could Satan have devised a more perfect system for causing misery?"
Nothing gets the faithful to dip into their pockets as atrocity stories. Missionary publications and Internet sites are predictably full of these : "Christian suffering in India is the worst in India in 50 years," a site informed potential donors through the Internet in a dispatch by the Editors of Religion Today, dated 30 November, 1998 -- that is, even before the current series of fabrications began to be put out. "Mobs of religious fanatics have attacked churches and Christian schools, dispersed outdoor gospel meetings, and beaten evangelists in dozens of incidents this year," it proclaimed. "Oppression is widespread," it said, sourcing it to "a person with contacts." Churches have been burned, an orthodox school attacked for not teaching Sanskrit, tractors and crowbars used in attack.... Government deliberately taking no action.... Hence "the workers pray God for their protection. They 'take the threats before the Lord in fasting prayer and ask Him to protect them.' Christians have been beaten, tortured with razor blades, and thrown from a speeding train, and 6 to 12 per year are martyred, he said." Who said? The very same propagandist-editor who has been in the forefront of spreading concoctions like "Jhabua re-enacted in Jhajjar".
But not just atrocity stories -- if they were all, they could well drain potential donors of enthusiasm, "What's the use?," they could conclude. And so, triumph-in-face-of-atrocity, atrocity-as-a-reflection-of-triumph stories too : the same site, in the same story, "....Hundreds of tribal people in a section of northern India are becoming Christians through the efforts of evangelists" -- notice the unverifiable locale : "a section of northern India"! Next, "The area is known for violent tribal clashes" -- that to redouble the admiration for the evangelists : they are doing the Lord's work in spite of the risks the area poses. "'It is the greatest revival we know of at this time,' he said. 'You don't get this kind of revival without persecution, and bloodshed, and martyrdom. One comes with the other.'"
Conclusion : give because India is in the grip of Satan; give because with its billion people India represents such a vast opportunity to save souls for the Lord; give because Christians are being cut up with razor blades there; give because in spite of this, in fact because of this bloodshed, the harvest is multiplying by the hour.... And as in every advertising campaign, a certificate from a satisfied consumer! "Dr. Donald McGavran made the following observation about the ECI [the Evangelical Church of India]," notes a related site on Internet. "'The fascinating story of the unique church planting ministry of ECI in India must be told everywhere in the pessimistic missionary world. What Dr Sargunam and his colleagues have achieved during the last two decades affirms that the Lord of the harvest is at work in several parts of India. I have been in a few of these churches and watched the number of baptisms. I commend Christians everywhere to support and claim a share in this tremendous victory and help many more thousands to be discipled and Churches multiplied until Christ returns.'"
The site of AD2000 Mission informs donors, Vasanthraj Albert of the Church Growth Research Center in Madras, states, 'I believe that India today is on the map for the global church.' And Peter Wagner, coordinator for the AD2000 United Prayer Mobilization Network observes, 'Of all the nations in the world, India has the highest potential of fruitful investment of evangelistic effort at this time. It is the place to invest time, energy and resources.'"
Organizations upon organizations. Targets upon targets : for "200 people-groups", for "50 languages", for "50 urban areas", for "200 geographical districts." How their mouths water at the sight of "unreached peoples" : "Remarkably this [the unreached of India] is 30% of the world's unreached peoples. The goal is to plant churches in all the remaining 500,000 villages and several thousand unevangelised segments of the 300 largest cities in India. To achieve these goals, delegates have agreed to cooperate with the India Mission Association, which networks to place an evangelist in every postal code area."
"Calcutta is an amazing testimony to the power of prayer," the site of the AD2000 movement reports. An estimated 35 million focused on Calcutta one day, it says. This was followed by a month of on-site prayer. "That month of prayer enhanced the Mission Calcutta 2000 Network, whose aim is to establish a church in every one of the city's 93 postal zones by the end of the year 2000. Great progress has been made. Thirty zones that did not have a church now have one. Today only 30 other zones remain untouched."
And Calcutta isn't the only target, it says. "Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh is Hinduism's holiest city, with thousands of temples centering on the worship of Shiva, an idol whose symbol is the phallus. Many consider this city the very seat of Satan. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges at Varanasi washes away all sins. A number of Christian workers took up the burden of prayer for this city and in prayer-walks boldly declared before the idols, 'You are not a living god.' One year later it was discovered that church planting works had opened up in sixty villages around Varanasi over that past year, with 300 baptisms reported." "An intensive training program has been implemented to teach people to practice intercession for the target units," it records. "An experienced prayer warrior from Africa, Dr Zachariah Fomum, has played a key role in this training for prayer.... India is ready and waiting."
One of the difficulties has been that India is "like an intricate mosaic," the site says. At last the barrier is being breached. "Much progress has been made in the last few years to 'spy out the land and its inhabitants' and to give an accurate and up-to-date picture of the challenges and the opportunities," it reports. "The Indian Missions Association, in partnership with Gospel for Asia, has researched and published very informative and accurate books on what has been done so far and the work yet to be done to complete the task of evangelization within India. They have defined the work according to language groups, PIN (Zip) codes, and unreached-people groups in the country...." The work of others is contributing to the same cause -- hence, the Anthropological Survey of India is completing and publishing its "People of India Project". Invaluably helpful data....
And that too testifies to God's plan! "Perhaps never before has this kind of information on India been so carefully surveyed, prepared, well-published and distributed. In this the North India-Hindi Belt is unique. We do not believe it is accidental. God is allowing us to 'spy out the land' that we might go in and claim both it and its inhabitants for Him."
A dozen things can be said of this nonsense. For the moment ponder just two :
* How does all this feverish harvesting compare with what the Supreme Court has laid down as the law of the country ?
* When the Church sets out to convert on such a scale, when its little agents go about "boldly declaring before the idols" their calumnies, is it at all possible that the targeted society will not react?
This obsession with body-counts is ruinous -- not the least for the church itself : it has already drained it of all spirituality, exactly as Gandhiji had warned it would. And even by itself it is bound to ignite a mighty reaction. But there is another feature which is even more certain to stoke reaction, an even mightier reaction than this obsession -- it is to this feature that we shall turn.
India Connect
March 16, 1999
The Church had but to get established and it became obsessed with numbers -- with the number of souls it had, to use the term so favoured by churchmen, "harvested" for Jesus. Numbers remain its singular obsession today. The impulse is not just its own history in this regard. The impulse is not just its character -- it is, after all, primarily an organization, and therefore like all organizations it is obsessed with its market-share.
To a very large extent, the impulse is commercial. The Church is big business. Evangelization is big business. And this business depends on that "harvesting" of souls. You just have to scan American church publications, or those of Europe, to see that one of the main grounds on which believers are induced to donate funds to the church is that the money is needed for the harvesting work. But even in that there is now a problem.
In Europe as well as in the US, the Church is in serious trouble. Attendance in Rome itself has fallen to just three per cent of the number of nominal believers -- in Rome, the very seat of the Vatican. With this shriveling, has come another problem : the church has been having greater and greater difficulties in recruiting priests, nuns, and others to man the churches. The need for focusing on countries such as India has therefore tripled.
Missionary publications bear ample testimony to this focus : they are full of targets, of detailed plans, of marketing strategies by which the harvest here is to be multiplied : a church to be "planted" in every village, a Bible to be placed in every pair of hands, lists and characteristics of "people-groups" which are to be targetted -- women, scheduled castes, and, most of all, tribals; the beliefs and characteristics of each target-group which can be used to enter the group, the beliefs which are liable to be hindrances and how these may be transformed into aids.
"The majority Meiti are Hindu," notes Operation World, and points to what may be used to wean them away : "nationalism is lowering commitment to Hinduism". As a rule, evangelists denounce nationalism, how are they looking hopefully at nationalism among the Meiti?, you may wonder -- that is because, in this instance, by "nationalism" they mean feeling for the tribal identity as against their focusing on what they share with the rest of the country! Meghalaya : already 57 per cent Christian, focus has now to be on "the less reached" -- "Some of the smaller tribes -- notably the Hajong, Mikir and others -- have been less responsive and remain entrenched in their animism. The Hindu minority has been little affected by the gospel." Mizoram : already 85 per cent Christian; focus has to be on "the less reached" -- and there is a sign of hope, "The Buddhist Chakmas are being intensively evangelised by Mizo, and churches are multiplying," followed by the next target-group in bold type, "The Bangladeshi refugees and the Hindu population are needy." The beam of hope from Nagaland : "Missionary vision blossomed as a result of revival. Christians made a solemn covenant in 1980 to live for, and further, world evangelization. They are trusting God that 10,000 missionaries will be sent from Nagaland...." A minor footnote : Operation World is published by one of the most active missionary publication houses -- its name? Om Publishing, Carlisle, UK!
That name tells a larger tale. Missionary publications set out how the dress of the clergy, how the ambiance in churches, how Christian ritual are to be "indigenised" so that people do not continue to look upon the church as foreign. Stating that the Cardinal President of the Consilium, His Eminence Benno Cardinal Gut, has accepted the proposals of the Catholic Bishop's Conference of India, a circular of Archbishop D. Simon Lourdusamy informed churches in the country,
"(1) The posture during Mass, both for priests and the faithful may be adapted to local usage, that is sitting on the floor, standing and the like; footwear may also be removed.
(2) Genuflections may be replaced by the profound bow with the anjali hasta.
(3) A panchanga pranam by both priests and faithful can take place before the liturgy of the Word, as part of the Penitential rite, and at the conclusion of the Anaphora.
(4) Kissing of objects may be adapted to local customs, that is touching the object with one's fingers or palm of one's hand and bringing the hands to one's eyes or forehead.
(5) The kiss of peace could be given by the exchange of anjali hasta and/or the placing of the hands of the giver between the hands of the recipient.
(6) Incense could be made use of in liturgical services. The receptacle could be the simple incense bowl with handle.
(7) The vestments could be simplified. A single tunic-type chasuble with a stole (angavastra) could replace the traditional vestments of the Roman rite....
(8) The corporal could be replaced by a tray (thali or thamboola thattu)....
(9) Oil lamps could be used instead of candles.
(10) The preparatory rite of the Mass may include : ....(b) the welcome of the celebrant in the Indian way, e.g. with a single arati, washing of hands etc.; (c) lighting of the lamp....
(11) In the Offertory rite and at the conclusion of the Anaphora the Indian form of worship may be integrated, that is, double or triple arati of flowers, and/or incense, and/or light...."
An evangelical Internet site exults in how that ministry consciously avoids overturning the beliefs and practices of the target-peoples, how instead it ensures "deculturisation" over an extended period by introducing into their awareness what it terms "functional substitutes" for those beliefs and practices. So much so that it commends its own logo too on this ground! We have not replaced the lotus, "which is supposed to be the seat of the Indian gods," it reports, we have entrenched the Cross in it! While addressing the ignorant and illiterate in India this ministry will point to the lotus, while addressing the potential donor its selling-point is the opposite : "The inference is," the site informs that donor, "that the historical Christ and the Cross must ultimately take the seat of these mythological deities and thereby Christianity should become deeply rooted in the culture of India."
Even minor outfits garner literally millions through this harvesting business. Taken as a whole the enterprise is being conducted on a scale we just cannot imagine. As the late Ram Swarup had pointed out, even fifteen years ago, the Mission Handbook, North American Ministries Overseas had put the number of missionaries raking in the harvest at around a quarter million. Even then it had put the expenditure on such activity at around one and a half billion dollars. Of course, it had exhorted the faithful to dole out much more : "it costs money to stay in business," it had said with fetching frankness! One of the ways for these missionaries to get their flock to cough up money has been to paint our people and country in gory colours -- this has not changed one bit since the 19th century. Starving, sunk in superstition, crushed under the heels of high-caste Hindus, in the grip of Satan himself -- hence the urgent duty to save them, and for that send your donation to.... "The Indian sub-continent, with one billion people, is a living example of what happens when Satan rules the entire culture," Ram Swarup quoted from the Texas-based Gospel for Asia. "India is one vast purgatory in which millions of people.... are literally living a cosmic lie. Could Satan have devised a more perfect system for causing misery?"
Nothing gets the faithful to dip into their pockets as atrocity stories. Missionary publications and Internet sites are predictably full of these : "Christian suffering in India is the worst in India in 50 years," a site informed potential donors through the Internet in a dispatch by the Editors of Religion Today, dated 30 November, 1998 -- that is, even before the current series of fabrications began to be put out. "Mobs of religious fanatics have attacked churches and Christian schools, dispersed outdoor gospel meetings, and beaten evangelists in dozens of incidents this year," it proclaimed. "Oppression is widespread," it said, sourcing it to "a person with contacts." Churches have been burned, an orthodox school attacked for not teaching Sanskrit, tractors and crowbars used in attack.... Government deliberately taking no action.... Hence "the workers pray God for their protection. They 'take the threats before the Lord in fasting prayer and ask Him to protect them.' Christians have been beaten, tortured with razor blades, and thrown from a speeding train, and 6 to 12 per year are martyred, he said." Who said? The very same propagandist-editor who has been in the forefront of spreading concoctions like "Jhabua re-enacted in Jhajjar".
But not just atrocity stories -- if they were all, they could well drain potential donors of enthusiasm, "What's the use?," they could conclude. And so, triumph-in-face-of-atrocity, atrocity-as-a-reflection-of-triumph stories too : the same site, in the same story, "....Hundreds of tribal people in a section of northern India are becoming Christians through the efforts of evangelists" -- notice the unverifiable locale : "a section of northern India"! Next, "The area is known for violent tribal clashes" -- that to redouble the admiration for the evangelists : they are doing the Lord's work in spite of the risks the area poses. "'It is the greatest revival we know of at this time,' he said. 'You don't get this kind of revival without persecution, and bloodshed, and martyrdom. One comes with the other.'"
Conclusion : give because India is in the grip of Satan; give because with its billion people India represents such a vast opportunity to save souls for the Lord; give because Christians are being cut up with razor blades there; give because in spite of this, in fact because of this bloodshed, the harvest is multiplying by the hour.... And as in every advertising campaign, a certificate from a satisfied consumer! "Dr. Donald McGavran made the following observation about the ECI [the Evangelical Church of India]," notes a related site on Internet. "'The fascinating story of the unique church planting ministry of ECI in India must be told everywhere in the pessimistic missionary world. What Dr Sargunam and his colleagues have achieved during the last two decades affirms that the Lord of the harvest is at work in several parts of India. I have been in a few of these churches and watched the number of baptisms. I commend Christians everywhere to support and claim a share in this tremendous victory and help many more thousands to be discipled and Churches multiplied until Christ returns.'"
The site of AD2000 Mission informs donors, Vasanthraj Albert of the Church Growth Research Center in Madras, states, 'I believe that India today is on the map for the global church.' And Peter Wagner, coordinator for the AD2000 United Prayer Mobilization Network observes, 'Of all the nations in the world, India has the highest potential of fruitful investment of evangelistic effort at this time. It is the place to invest time, energy and resources.'"
Organizations upon organizations. Targets upon targets : for "200 people-groups", for "50 languages", for "50 urban areas", for "200 geographical districts." How their mouths water at the sight of "unreached peoples" : "Remarkably this [the unreached of India] is 30% of the world's unreached peoples. The goal is to plant churches in all the remaining 500,000 villages and several thousand unevangelised segments of the 300 largest cities in India. To achieve these goals, delegates have agreed to cooperate with the India Mission Association, which networks to place an evangelist in every postal code area."
"Calcutta is an amazing testimony to the power of prayer," the site of the AD2000 movement reports. An estimated 35 million focused on Calcutta one day, it says. This was followed by a month of on-site prayer. "That month of prayer enhanced the Mission Calcutta 2000 Network, whose aim is to establish a church in every one of the city's 93 postal zones by the end of the year 2000. Great progress has been made. Thirty zones that did not have a church now have one. Today only 30 other zones remain untouched."
And Calcutta isn't the only target, it says. "Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh is Hinduism's holiest city, with thousands of temples centering on the worship of Shiva, an idol whose symbol is the phallus. Many consider this city the very seat of Satan. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges at Varanasi washes away all sins. A number of Christian workers took up the burden of prayer for this city and in prayer-walks boldly declared before the idols, 'You are not a living god.' One year later it was discovered that church planting works had opened up in sixty villages around Varanasi over that past year, with 300 baptisms reported." "An intensive training program has been implemented to teach people to practice intercession for the target units," it records. "An experienced prayer warrior from Africa, Dr Zachariah Fomum, has played a key role in this training for prayer.... India is ready and waiting."
One of the difficulties has been that India is "like an intricate mosaic," the site says. At last the barrier is being breached. "Much progress has been made in the last few years to 'spy out the land and its inhabitants' and to give an accurate and up-to-date picture of the challenges and the opportunities," it reports. "The Indian Missions Association, in partnership with Gospel for Asia, has researched and published very informative and accurate books on what has been done so far and the work yet to be done to complete the task of evangelization within India. They have defined the work according to language groups, PIN (Zip) codes, and unreached-people groups in the country...." The work of others is contributing to the same cause -- hence, the Anthropological Survey of India is completing and publishing its "People of India Project". Invaluably helpful data....
And that too testifies to God's plan! "Perhaps never before has this kind of information on India been so carefully surveyed, prepared, well-published and distributed. In this the North India-Hindi Belt is unique. We do not believe it is accidental. God is allowing us to 'spy out the land' that we might go in and claim both it and its inhabitants for Him."
A dozen things can be said of this nonsense. For the moment ponder just two :
* How does all this feverish harvesting compare with what the Supreme Court has laid down as the law of the country ?
* When the Church sets out to convert on such a scale, when its little agents go about "boldly declaring before the idols" their calumnies, is it at all possible that the targeted society will not react?
This obsession with body-counts is ruinous -- not the least for the church itself : it has already drained it of all spirituality, exactly as Gandhiji had warned it would. And even by itself it is bound to ignite a mighty reaction. But there is another feature which is even more certain to stoke reaction, an even mightier reaction than this obsession -- it is to this feature that we shall turn.
India Connect
March 16, 1999
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