Evangelism in Pluralistic Context

Evangelism in Indian Pluralistic Context- M. Suresh Prabhu

Table of Contents

Introduction

I) Indian Religious Context: Diversity and Pluralism

II) Tensions and Conflicts in Pluralistic Society

III) Christian Approach to Other Faiths

IV) Christian Response to other faiths

V) Religious Movements

VI) Folk Religions

VII) Church and its Mission in India

VIII) Methods for Evangelism in India

IX) Evangelistic Strategies

Conclusion

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Introduction

India being a country with several different religions,cultures, traditions, languages, ethnic backgrounds, race,caste etc can easily be called as a highly ‘pluralisticsociety’. India has a very long history of its existence andholds a rich source for early civilizations. The Aryans andthe Dravidians were the earliest known civilization, sincefrom then religion has been a part of human life. Beliefsystems and faith greatly vary from one religion to another inIndia. India is also the birth place of major religions likeHinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism apart from other minorreligions. Christianity was only a foreign religions to theIndians which is believed to enter India during the 1st centurybrought by Thomas one of Jesus disciples and was followed bythe intrusion of the British colonial powers and missionaries.Christianity did not receive a warm welcome in India duringthe entry of the Christian missionaries from Europe and theWest. The propagation of Christian faith was viewedsuspiciously and was felt as a threat to the existingreligions. Since India was a pluralistic society people haddifferent opinion on Christianity according to their ownreligions. When the early missionaries like Ziegenbalg, thefirst protestant missionary to India sent by the Danishmission and William Carey, known as the father of modernmissions from Baptist missionary society England started theirevangelism they encountered many challenges and oppositions.They found India was full of cultural diversity and enrichedwith traditional living, There were many folk religions backedby animistic influences and other religious movements withinthe Hindu religion. These kind of pluralistic contexts werethe great challenges to the foreign missionaries and to theirevangelistic activities, which still exists.

From the above brief historical background of Indiancontext we can presume how difficult and impossible it would

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be to evangelize Indians, but because of the work of the HolySpirit and the hardships and sacrifices of the earlymissionaries who strived hard to preach the good news to theIndians today there are about 2.8% of Christians out of 1.2billion population. Christianity is a minority group in Indianext to Muslims, and Hinduism being the highest of about 80%.The reason for such a low percentage of Christianity can bemany; one of the considerable reasons is lack of evangelisticactivities with the Indian churches. In the early daysevangelism was considered to be done only by the foreignmissionaries and so people would listen to them with somenewness, but today the people have a negative idea on theIndian evangelists/missionaries because of the disunity anddivision within the churches. This is the existing issue inIndia, so to understand this we need to know what pluralism isall about and how pluralism can be dealt by the church andwithin this understanding we will see some of the issues like;how the Indian church responds and approaches to thischallenge, what is the church’s mission, what evangelicalmethods and strategies can the church adopt to evangelize theIndians etc.,

God is calling his church for spiritual renewal andreconciliation for better understanding and co-operation amonghis children leading toward a major thrust in theevangelization of India. The Indian freedom struggle as wellas the Independence followed was not a political exercise. Itstask was to form human community for the realization ofreligious freedom, social justice and economic uplifting basedon secular India. The Christians of the first century and 10th

century and again at the 18th century after the dawn of themodern missionary movement have made tremendous advancementfor the sake of Christ’s kingdom all over the world; Indianstoo can unitedly move forward and make the major evangelisticthrust for the furtherance of the gospel in its great land.Indian context needs to be understood as ‘Pluralistic’ contextin religious terms. Since India is a country with multi-culture, multi-religious, multi-tradition, multi-lingual andother aspects.

In fact evangelism has developed a bad reputation amongstnot only those who are the object of evangelism but amongstthose who are asked to do the evangelism, to those outside thechurch evangelism feels coercive, manipulating, aggressive and

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bad mannered. To those inside the church evangelism isembarrassing, difficult, theologically suspect, and bad-mannered. The challenge today is to recover the originalunderstanding of evangelism; only by this way will we activelyengage in this form of ministry. One more reason for thesuspicion on doing evangelism is that the old structures fordoing evangelism have fallen on hard times. Evangelism have tobe carried out as a conversation not confrontation, to berelational not impersonal. To carry out an effectiveevangelism the church has to adopt proper methods andstrategies. The methods are always secondary; it is merely away in which to make known the good news. The majority of thepeople in India are Hindus but they are divided into manycultural, linguistic and ethnic groups, in this context weneed to look for the keys that would unlock the hearts ofthese peoples and work our suitable strategies. The realproblem is the lack of missionary awareness and involvement onthe part of many Christians in Indian churches. Hence thepastors and church leaders must recognize the priority ofmissions in the life of the church and commit themselves tomaking the churches missionary minded. Among the Hindus andother religions there are also several folk religions thatshoots off from some main religions or even from animisticbelief systems. These groups are more widely found in ruralparts of India where most church mission activities are alsocarried out. It becomes a challenge to the Christianmissionaries to encounter these folk religions and propagatethe Christian faith. Hence evangelism among the Indians is agreat task that needs much patience and the Holy Spirit’sintervention.

Before considering the Indian religious context forevangelism, it is necessary to understand what the Asianreligious context consists of. Asia is the birth place of manymajor religions of the world and is a highly pluralisticcontinent of the world. There have been great historical andsocio-political revolutions and changes taken place in thename of religion in this continent. Asia is also the birthplace of Christianity. It is from here Christianity spreadinto the western and European countries where it flourished.India especially is a very rich pluralistic country with beingthe birth place of several of the major and oldest religionslike Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Hinduism and

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Buddhism being the oldest of Christianity have also beenspread all over the globe.

In such a context Asian Christians live and work withBuddhists, Hindus and Moslems. Adherents of these religionsare often offended and threatened by the exclusive claims ofthe Christian faith. In this situation it will be wise for usto ask some of the questions that comes naturally like RodrigoD, Tano asks:

“What is the relation between Christianity and other religions?Should we dismiss other religions as utterly false? Is Christ present onlywithin the Christian religions? One group of Christians sees the relationas one of radical or absolute discontinuity. On the opposite side are“Christians” who see all other religions as continuous with Christianity,sharing its truth and saving power. As some acknowledged that “The sincerenon-Christian should be considered an “Anonymous Christian” since Christalready resides in the person’s ‘race-endowed’ being.”1

Raimundo Panikkar affirms that:“There is no genuine human relation from which Christ is absent.” The

whole created order is itself a “Christophany” moving toward a new heavenand new earth. Hence, the Christian’s duty is not to bring Christ to otherreligions but to discover him from them.”2

I) Indian Religious Context: Diversity and Pluralism

We affirm that God desires diversity in his creation. Wemust learn to accept, and even celebrate that diversity. Wetherefore affirm freedom of conscience, practice, propagation,and witness in the areas of culture, worldview, scientificinvestigation and religion.

Beyond these legitimate functions, pluralism as a way ofthinking is sometimes extended from a mere description ofexisting diversity to the affirmation that all religiousbeliefs or, at least, those of the major religious traditionsare more or less equally valid and equally true and that allreligious beliefs have a rough similarities with each other.This we reject. Against such pluralism, we affirm that God hasacted decisively, supremely in the historical Jesus ofNazareth. In his person and work, Jesus is unique such that noone comes to the father except through him. All salvation in1 Rodrigo D, Tano, “Toward an evangelical Asian Theology” in Ken Gnanakan (ed),Biblical Theology in Asia, (Bangalore: TBT, 1995), P 58.2 Matthew Kern, “Christians and so-called non-Christians”, in D.Elwood (ed), What Asian Christians Are Thinking, (Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1976), Pp 338-376.

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the biblical sense of eternal life, life in the kingdom,reconciliation with God, and forgiveness of sins comes solelyfrom the person and work of Jesus Christ. India is a countryof plurality in religions and cultures, races and languages,histories and political systems. Though modern technology andcommunications are gaining popularity in global level, yet ina majority of situations, India still treads a path oftraditional values.

“Religiously pluralistic societies have become an impinging fact ofcontemporary human existence. It is true that in earlier times people ofdifferent faiths did not live in complete isolation from one another; infact the religious traditions inter-penetrated one another”3.

There are several factors that are involved in a globalchange context, the two world wars, the decline of politicalcolonialism, the rise of new nations particularly in Asia andAfrica. In Indian context it is a daily feature to find aHindu rubbing shoulders with a Muslim, Christian or a Sikh inthe market place or on the crowded streets, train, school,office etc, many Christian are becoming increasingly awarethat ‘others’ are living holistic holy lives, not in spite of,but because of their respective religions and ideologies. Itis such a religiously plural context that gives rise toquestions of inter-religious relationships.

Christians in the west are asking heart-searchingpractical questions; how should religious education be givenin schools and college? What kind of social and political cooperation is permissible with people of other faiths? Is itproper to use Buddhist meditational techniques in prayer, ortexts from Hindu scriptures in Christian liturgy? How can oneappropriately maintain a Christian witness in a flat sharedwith Sikh students..? Behind such practical question aredeeper, theological issues. Is God the source of vitality ofthe faith of adherents of other traditions? Is salvationpossible outside of Christianity or is it through Jesus Christalone? Is the salvation of people of other faiths possiblethrough or despite their religious affiliations? Oneencounters different responses to such questions; some arenegative, some are patronizing, while some are respectfullyopen. Particularly in India has for long lived with the

3 Roger Gaikwad, “Major Issues in a Dialogical-Pluralistic Paradigm for

Inter-Religious Relationships” (Ph D.

Thesis, SATRI, 1995), 335.6

phenomenon of religious plurality in a spirit of generaltolerance, yet it too has had to face problems of inter-religious relationships.

II) Tensions and Conflicts in Pluralistic Society

The dialogical-pluralistic paradigm acknowledges thatreligions could be involved in communal tension and conflictin society. But religion could also be important in promotingpeace, harmony and growth in society. Religions can beinstruments of deception, oppression and conflict as well asagents of truth, liberation and peace in society. In such asituation pluralists advise a comprehensive perspective of theforces which cause tension in society. There are religiouscauses, such as exclusivistic or inclusivistic attitudes whichpeople of one religious affiliation adopt in relation to otherpeople. There are also social causes for tension in society;political forces could also cause divisions in society. In thecontext of communal division tension and conflict, thepluralists assert that religions still hold the key tocommunal peace and harmony. Not long ago, Christians believed that the religions of tribalpeoples, which they saw as a little more than superstition,would be replaced by Christianity. This has not been the case.Traditional religions often persist as undercurrents afterpeople become Christians. The result is a split-levelreligious scene in which orthodox Christian beliefs coexist inuneasy tension with traditional beliefs.

A second phenomenon is the emergence of new religiousmovements wherever tribal religions confront high religions,such as Christianity, Islam and Hinduism. The independentmovements are local indigenous religious response created bythe common people which incorporate elements from both thetribal and high religion in various ways. Many independentmovements have emerged out of the encounter betweenChristianity and tribal religions.

III) Christian Approach to Other Faiths

Discovery of other faiths and the recognition of theirrole in the universal salvific plan of God is perhaps thegreatest challenge to Christian theology today, which calls

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for inter-ecclesial and inter-religious dialogue forarticulating a new theology of religions and for the creationof a new human society.

There are three stages of encounter that can be seen inChristianity with respect to approach towards other faiths. Inthe first encounter/stage Christianity considered otherreligions as a threat to its own existence and its absoluteand universal claims. Here the approach to other religions wastotally negative in terms of true religion vs. false religion.The other religions were considered to be merely man-made ormagic, which is human manipulation of the divine or humanattempt to control the divine. As this stage some missionarieseven called other religions as ‘devil’s work’. When the greatmissionary Francis Xavier wrote,

‘the true God cannot dwell among heathen or hear their prayers... theidols of the heathen are of the devil and they must be destroyed at thefirst opportunity’. He was only echoing the attitude and thinking of thechurch of his times.4

The mission policy at this stage was conquest of otherreligions or their total rejection and condemnation andproselytism or conversion to Christianity by any means. Thisfirst period extends from the beginning of Christianity to themedieval period and to the larger part of the colonial period.

The second stage/encounter of Christianity with otherreligions began with the modern period of history when all thereligions were seriously studied by the various sciences suchas history, anthropology, sociology, psychology,phenomenology, philosophy and so on. Christianity had toacknowledge and accept the findings of these sciences. Allreligions were accepted as containing truths and human valuesand they had to be positively understood and not totallyrejected. At this stage , other religions were considered tobe simply human and natural, whereas Christianity claimeditself to be ‘divinely revealed’ or ‘supernatural’ and thusthe fulfilment of all other religions.

Today we are at the third stage, or what seem to takeplace as a third encounter between Christianity and otherreligions. Religious pluralism has been established today notonly as an irreversible historical fact but also as atheological principle. Christianity has begun to acknowledge

4 Walbert Buehlmann, The church of the Future: A model for the year 2001, (New York: Orbis Books, 1986), P. 45.

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and accept other religions as ‘religions’, as ‘ways ofsalvation’ to their believers. This seems to be the onlyhonest and open approach to other religions. If the entirehumankind is God’s creation and it has one and the samedestiny, and if God wants to save people, we have to admitthat God’s ‘effective will’ penetrates the whole humanhistory, all peoples, cultures and religions, that allreligions are activated by the saving spirit of God and thatthey have a salvific role.

Today the question is no more whether the believers ofother faiths are saved or not, but how are they saved. Here wefind both ‘Christocentric’ and ‘Theocentric’ schools onChristian theologians and their different interpretations.According to some, in this economy of salvation everybody issaved in and through Jesus Christ and the saving grace is‘Christic’, whether it is inside the church or outside it. Forothers God’s saving action is not limited which God offerssaving grace.

IV) Christian Response to Other Faiths

One of the most significant developments in recent timesis inter-religious relationships and the spirit of mutualdialogue and the purpose is to indicate the role played byChristianity in promoting religious dialogue.

It must be admitted that Christianity has been known fromthe beginning as a missionary religion, seeking to spread itsfaith and practice to all people. Traditionally thismissionary character has been expressed through programmesdirected to the displacement of other religions by some formof Christianity. Christianity has made authoritarian as wellas totalitarian claims over other religions and cultures inIndia. In Christian history many Christian kings of Europeforcibly converted the people they had conquered to theChristian faith, for example the crusaders of the middle ages.It may also be pointed out that there are passages in thebible reflecting a crusading type of religiousauthoritarianism; this approach shows an uncompromisingrejection of all other religions as the basis.

But radical criticism of such totalitarian interpretationand attitude of the Christian mission has developed within theChristian missionary movement itself. The validity of the

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dialogue method for mutual understanding, harmony andenrichment among people of different religions has beenrecognized widely today in all the major Christian traditionsnamely protestant, orthodox and roman catholic. In recentyears many Christian scholars and theologians have openlydeparted from the traditional exclusivistic and authoritarianapproach to other faiths and advocate a more liberal and openminded approach which would promote healthy dialogue.

In India, during the past few decades there has beenconsiderable development for the promotion of dialogue betweenChristians and people of other faiths. “Defining dialogue as acollaboration of persons based upon attitudes of mutualacceptance and respect for each others integrity and a shareddesire for growth in truth”, we find that the most fundamentalattitude for persons engaged in dialogue is hope-expectationpossible new lines of development founded on the creativenessof two co-operating freedoms.

The two important emphases in the Christian approach todialogue are that: first is that the openness of truth whichis fundamental to dialogue also implies that there is no blindassumption about the sameness of equality of all religioustruth. On the contrary we shall be prepared to recognize thatdifferent religions may have different approaches. Thereforereligious dialogue may be helped greatly by an objectivescientific and empirical study of different religions.Secondly the dialogue promoted by Christians is not merely onabstract religions doctrines or metaphysical questions. Theyare also on social and political issues which more directlyaffect the lives of people such as development, justice andpeace. If human well being is the ultimate concern ofreligion, certainly we should be concerned about what thedifferent religions have to contribute to the social,political and cultural issues affecting human well being.

V) Religious Movements

Religious systems are constantly changing in response tointernal social pressures, environmental changes and foreignideas like other areas of cultures. While change is a constantfactor in all religions, many important religious movementsare characterized by revolutionary shifts in worldviews. Theimpact gained from the change in spread of western culture hasled to numerous religious movements among the common people in

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traditional societies. The emergence of revitalizing movementsas a common response to cultural confrontations hasrestructured the old religious belief system to answer theneeds of the people in their new contexts.

Another type of revitalization movement is renewal inestablished religions and churches. Revivals of new religiousvision and fervor often occur on the margins of theinstitutional structures, and are led by prophets and folkleaders. Priestly elites often feel threatened, and seek tostamp them out, or to excommunicate their followers becausethese movements do not fit the bureaucratic order ortheological orthodoxy established by the institutionalleaders. Tensions between folk religious movements and formalestablishments are difficult to resolve. The latter have thepower of organization, money and at times legal support. Theformer has the support of the people. If such movements aresquashed, there may be no renewal of vitality in the church.If they are absorbed uncritically, they can distort itstheological stance. In churches it is important that theleaders keep in touch with their laity, and guide them not bycommand and control, but by modeling and patient instruction.The separation between leaders and lay people has devastatingconsequences for the life and outreach of the church.

Religious movements often give rise to mass or peoplemovements in which whole families and communities turn toChrist. In the past, many missionaries rejected thesemovements as misguided and encouraged seekers to makeindividual decisions of faith. This response often killed themovements. Missionaries, who came from societies in whichpeople were taught to make personal decisions and takeresponsibility for themselves, did not understand theprocesses of decision making in highly group orientedsocieties in which elders make all major decisions, includingarranging marriages and religious loyalties. Not everyoneagrees with the elders, but they go along with the decisionsto maintain the unity of the group. How should missionariesand leaders respond to these movements of whole peoples toChrist?

In Indian rural settings it is important to allow thedynamics of group decisions to take their course. The initialdecision is not so much a decision by all to follow Christ asit is to explore Christianity further. Churches and mission

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need to send pastors to instruct the people, and encouragethem to discuss their decision because, in a sense, the gospelis on trial. After some time, those who reaffirm their desireto become Christians should be baptized. This second decisionis critical for their growth. Others will choose to return totheir old gods. Having affirmed the unity of the group byjoining in its first decision, they are now free toreject/accept the new religion.

People movements are important in group-orientedsocieties which are common in India especially in religioussettings. Converts who come to Christ one by one often aredisliked by the group, and they have little witness amongtheir relatives and neighbors. When a number of familiesbecome Christians together, the village cannot reject themwithout destroying the community. The new Christians also havea community of fellowship and support in one another. Thereare also problems with group movements such as if there islittle or no follow-up to the initial response, the movementdies, or the Christianity that emerges is shallow. When thereare proper follow-up, people movements can lead to strong,growing churches, even in hostile environments.

VI) Folk Religions

Folk religions synthesize popular beliefs and practices,frequently animistic in nature, that are developed withincultures to handle every day problems. The folk religions paysattention on certain beliefs such as: meaning of life anddeath, human well-being and misfortune, guidance and unknownand about what is right and wrong and practices such as:sacred signs, sacred myths, religious rituals, leadership andinstitutions and religious movements. In many contexts theyco-exist within high religious traditions and sometimes evenwith secular humanism.  In tribal contexts (where peopleunderstand themselves to live in terms of an extended family,a clan, and a tribe having a distinct cultural heritage) folkreligion frequently exists outside the fold of a major worldreligious tradition.  Folk religions can also be understood asthe blending of folk practice with those of major religions,so that folk practices among people in Christian countries arecalled "folk Christianity," in Islamic countries "folk Islam",and so on. The term is also used, especially by the clergy ofthe faiths involved, to describe the desire of people who

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otherwise infrequently attend religious worship, do not belongto a church or similar religious society, and who have notmade a formal profession of faith in a particular creed, tohave religious weddings or funerals, or (among Christians) tohave their children baptized.

Folk religion can also be thought of as the practice ofreligion by lay people outside of the control of clergy or thesupervision of theologians of organized religion. There isoccasionally tension between the practice of folk religion andthe formally taught doctrines and teachings of a faith. For"folk religion" to be a meaningful category, there must be aninstitutional religion with a traditional teaching orprofessional clergy to contrast it against; in cultures thatlack these things, it is difficult to speak of folk religionas a meaningful category.

People are immensely religious.  Some follow orthodoxChristianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Many more mix folk religion with their high religion.   SomeChristians reverently worship God yet venerate saints andbelieve that certain relics have the power to heal.  ManyMuslims say their confession of faith (shahadah), "There is noGod but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet," several timesdaily but use it as a power phrase to counter the forces ofthe evil eye and to ward off jinn (evil spirit).  While aBuddhist believes that human desire must be subdued in orderto enter nirvana, he also fears numerous spirits, which hestrives to manipulate.  The Hindu accepts the high religiousconcepts of karma, reincarnation, and samsara (eternal cycle ofbirth, suffering, death, and rebirth) yet believes that rakasas(evil spirits) and ancestors imminently affect life and,therefore, must be manipulated and controlled.  TraditionalChinese, who view the world as interplay between yin and yang,also use divination to determine why a particular incidenthappened to them.  Folk religion answers human needs forreassurance in times of trouble, and many of its rituals areaimed at mundane goals like seeking healing or avertingmisfortune. Many elements of folk religion stem from animisticor fetishistic practices, which is almost inevitable given itsmundane goals and ritualistic nature. Folk religion also oftenaims at divination to foresee the future.

VII) Church and its Mission in India13

The church serves as the moral perspective and consciencein society. Christian service in India should no longer belimited to the activities of the institutional church, asthough the sphere of Christian influence is to be confined toecclesiastical life, the believers in India should fulfiltheir Christian vocation as they live and work among theirfellowmen. Through their good works they are to bring glory totheir father in heaven. Jesus began his ministry byproclaiming that he was sent to preach good news to the poor,to bring freedom to prisoners and to release the oppressed. Heis described as anointed by the Holy Spirit and power, doinggood, healing all who were under the devil’s rip.

There is considerable suffering in many parts of Indiadue to poverty, sickness, exploitation, political and armedconflicts, and natural calamities. India is characterized bydiversity of people, cultures, languages and religions. It isconfronted with realities of poverty, injustice,powerlessness, marginalization and ecological degradation.India is facing problems resulting from fundamentalism, ethnicand religious rivalries, power and politics. In such acontext, the Indian church is struggling to tell the Christianstory to its people to bring more life and meaning.

“The church needs to remove the prejudices that have beenintentionally or unintentionally created against Christianity for the lastseveral centuries. The dialogue should be initiated to clarify theinclusive concept of a nation where Christians have their legitimate rightto propagate their religion.”5

We live in a pluralistic society in India. There havealways been many different cultures, languages, worldviews,moral codes, scientific systems, and religions. What is new isthe modern world in which religions must live side by side innon-traditional combinations. And what is new is the extent towhich many people are aware of alternatives both in theirimmediate context and in the larger world.

The church is a community of Jesus disciples who are sentto the world with a mission “Go into the whole world, preachthe gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15), “Go therefore andmake disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name ofthe Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Mt 28:19),many scholars consider this text as an interpretation,

5 Tano, op. cit., P. 62.14

moreover there are various other texts in the Bible thatexplain the nature and function of our mission, unfortunatelyit is only this “Great Commission” text that had more inspiredthe mission of the church in the past even to extent of an‘Aggressive’ mission of “Conquering People” for Christ byconverting, baptizing and making them members of the church.As many scholars have pointed that, the great commission mustbe coupled with another strong ecclesial tradition of‘Witnessing’ to the gospel; “you are the salt of the earth;you are the light of the world...” (Mt 5:13-16). This latteraspect of the mission as ‘Witnessing’ is more Theocentric,giving glory to God by building up God’s kingdom, it is acommunity witness rather than individual proclamation. It isthe spirit who impels and compels us to proclaim the greatworks of God in every specific historical context. Onehistorical mission model cannot be simply copied everywhereand at all times. We have to re-conceive and reinterpret themission of the church in today’s historical context.

“In the actual Indian context of religions pluralism and the immensehuman misery and utter poverty, the primary path of the church mission inIndia seems to be to enter into dialogue with all the major religions ofthe country in creating a just and better society based on the vision ofJesus and on the authentic human/gospel/kingdom values. In such a contextthe proclamation of Jesus shall not be seen as something totally different.It is Jesus who calls and inspires us to enter into dialogue with all ourfellow human beings, and thus to form a new kind of fellowship cuttingacross the boundaries of religions, cultures, races nationalities andlanguages.”6

The church mission is not to destroy the other religions,but to challenge and transform them mutually andcomplementarily, the church has to recognize the missionaryrole of the other religion too and let itself be challengedand purified in constant interaction and dialogue with theother religions. The church’s mission is therefore not a one-way traffic, but a process of giving and taking, resulting inmutual fruit bearing and transformation. Faith in Christ andthe hope given in Christ is the ultimate ground for our totalcommitment to dialogue and liberative action. HenceProclamation of Christ, Liberation and Dialogue shall not beseparated, but constantly related as parts of a single

6 Kuncheria Pathil, “Plurality of Religions”, in Jegadish P. Gandhi and John K.C.Upon the wings of wider Ecumenism, (Delhi: ISPCK, 2006), P 215.

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process, the process of the realization of the mystery ofGod’s plan of salvation which cannot be identified with ourown plans and ideas.

VIII) Methods for Evangelism in India

There are many ideas about the meaning of evangelism. Tosome, evangelism is what some great public preachers do andwhat their pastor does not do. To others, evangelism is justreciting of Bible verses at probable converts. To stillothers, anything one does as a Christian is evangelism. TheBible does not give a quick answer when we search for adefinition of evangelism. The word evangelism in fact is notin the Bible -- but the words evangelist and evangelize arethere, and from these we learn what evangelism is. The Greekword ‘euaggelizo’ means "to preach, to proclaim the goodtidings, to tell the good news." The angels evangelized. Theybrought "good tidings of great joy"(Luke 2:10). Jesusevangelized. He preached the "glad tidings of the kingdom ofGod" (Luke 8:1).

Evangelism is not the mere testimony of a good,consistent life. The quiet, pervasive influence of theChristian life is necessary - but it is not evangelism. Beingfriendly, helpful, and neighbourly may be a necessarypreparation for evangelism, but it is no substitute forevangelism. Christianity cannot be radiated; truths about Godand his Son have to be communicated. Good deeds do not conveythe actual content of the gospel, this is what many Indiansthink; the good news must be expressed in words. Evangelism,then, is the specific, articulate presentation of the messagethat Christ's death upon the cross propitiates (turns away)God's wrath which abides upon man in his unregenerate state(Romans 3:25; John 3:36). Evangelism is the presenting ofJesus Christ, so that men will accept Him as their Saviourfrom the guilt and power of sin, and declare Him Lord as theyseek to follow Him in their daily lives

The New Testament illustrates several methods ofevangelism. We find examples of mass evangelism in the work ofJohn the Baptist. Peter, and Stephen (Acts 2:14-41). We seepersonal evangelism by observing the thirty-five personalinterviews of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels (e.g., John

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4:5-42). Paul used dialog evangelism on Mars Hill in Athens(Acts 17:16-34). The early Christians practiced visitationevangelism when they went from house to house as recorded inActs 5:42. And then there was literary evangelism as seen inthe writing of the Gospels of John and Luke (John 20:31).

The most common and perhaps the most effective biblicalmethod of evangelism in India is the sharing of the Good Newson a person-to-person basis as we come in contact with others.Sometimes just being a friend or listening to another person'stroubles becomes a point of contact. It is usually best not tojump upon a prospect and start off on him. It is best to waitfor an opportunity to open, because Indians usually don’t likeloose talk especially with religious matters. Some think weshould give the unbeliever a "believe-or-be-damned" ultimatum,but witnessing is relating to persons, and people havefeelings. We need to take their feelings into consideration.Witnessing is something we learn by doing. Each time we talkabout the Christian life, we become more at ease. We learn byexperience. We profit from past mistakes. We can build uponstrong points gradually discovered. The methods Indianchurches use in receiving new members usually require aminimum of commitment, and many smoothly slip into churchmembership thinking of the church simply as a nice ethicalsociety that practices a few interesting ordinances, andstands by to offer special services for weddings, illnesses,and funerals. Therefore many of the Indian churches today havebecome fields for evangelism rather than forces of evangelism.Each of us needs to examine his own life, and respond to God'scall to repentance and cleansing and then let evangelismbecome a priority in life.

IX) Evangelistic Strategies

There are many ways to do evangelism; strategies are notsacred, only the message is. The aim is same whatever themethod: to present the gospel clearly and persuasively so thatpeople will understand who Jesus s and will be moved to committheir lives to Him. In evangelism what is important is not themethod but the message. After all the message is not ourcreation, we received it and so we pass it on. At some stagein the process of developing of outreach it will becomeimportant for a church to make sure that there is clarity

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about the content of the gospel message. Hence there arelargely three options of doing evangelism.

1. Individual Outreach… this takes places when one or twopeople seek to share the gospel with another individual –this is often informal

2. Small Group Evangelism … this occurs when a group ofChristians engage in sharing the gospel with a group ofnon-Christians

3. Large Group or Mass Evangelism … this happens when thegospel is presented to groups too large for in-depthinteraction with the presenter.

Each type of outreach has its advantages, as well asdisadvantages. The choice of a particular strategy will resultfrom the analysis done of the needs of the target group andthe abilities of the evangelizing church. The aim is to choosea method that is compatible and appropriate to both thoseevangelizing and those being evangelized.

In Individual evangelism the best way of approach is‘Visitation Evangelism’ in this usually teams of lay peoplevisit homes in order to present the gospel. This has to becarried out with certain principles like first the church hasto undertake a ‘Survey Calling’ to know who lives around thechurch and what are there needs. Second ‘Invitationalvisiting’ this is to invite the people around personally to aspecial event in the church as a public gathering programs.Third ‘Weekly Visitation’ this is done to encourage the newcomers and make them feel welcome and wanted. Fourth‘Evangelistic Visitation’ the intention behind this is topresent the gospel message; this requires extensive trainingand needs gifted people to do it.

In Small group evangelism the basic idea is a fewChristians join with a few interested non-Christians and in acomfortable environment for a pre-determined period of timeand discuss together some aspect of Christianity in order tolearn and not just to debate. This can be carried out withcertain principles like 1) training Christians to participateeffectively, 2) invite friends and make a group, 3) prepareproper structure, 4) prepare appropriate input forinteraction, 5) choose a possible contemporary topic, 6)

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cordial attitude for approach is essential, 7) assert on thetruth.From the above points small group evangelism can be anexciting and appropriate both to our society

In Mass evangelism it requires extensive preparation,expert organization and the presence of a popular preacher.Mass evangelism can also be done with few people with a localpastor where it may not require much preparation, despite thedifference in size and organization, the activity is the same:a single evangelist addressing a group of people in asituation that often allows for little or no personalinteraction, with the aim of presenting the gospel in order toelicit a response of commitment to Jesus Christ. The localchurch can use mass evangelism effectively in various wayslike preaching the sermon to the new people brought throughexisting believers in the church this is known as ‘SanctuaryEvangelism’ usually in the common worships evangelisticsermons are preached that encourages the new comers and thegifted evangelists, this sermons are mainly based on 1) HumanNeeds 2) The good news about Jesus 3) The response ofrepentance and faith.

Many churches are paralyzed into action when it comes toevangelism. It is always to start evangelism activities withalready existing plans instead of plotting new ones, this canbe accomplished by 1) training of the members in the art ofoutreach 2) sensitizing of the members to the possibility ofevangelism 3) restructuring of the activity. There are stillmany types of evangelism programs that can attract non-Christians such as ‘Event Evangelism’ which focuses onbringing non-Christians to an special events, ‘Help-OrientedEvangelism’ in this the basic idea is that in the context ofproviding specific and valuable help in response to aparticular need or aspiration. In mass evangelism the mainstructure is 1) preparation 2) proclamation and 3)preservation

Evangelism in India can be defined as “Rich harvest inmidst of thorns” which means that there are many souls to bewon but that they are in midst of so many obstacles. The abovementioned strategies and methods of doing evangelisticactivities can be applied into India context no doubt, butthere are always limitations and controls over implementing

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it. Mostly in India more successful evangelistic method is‘Mass Evangelism’ or ‘Crusade Evangelism’ where preaching isdone in open air with much advertisements and invitations. Insuch programs people from diverse religious background socialstatus attend the program, many non-Christians accept Jesus aspersonal savior through these events; and in such programs thechurch(s) that organize prepare follow up brochure and followthe receptive and share the gospel in more intimate way. Thisis the reason many Pentecostal churches in India organizecrusades or open conferences very often.

I have just listed few of the evangelistic strategiesthat can be applied in Indian rural context, mostly evangelismin rural India has to go with some social development projectsand activities, which means to say the approach should beholistic. Few of the objectives focused by some Missionorganizations are shown below…..

Provide basic health care services to the targetpopulation and to reduce the mortality and morbidityrates.

Bring down the incidence of preventable diseases by apackage of health services such as antenatal/postnatalcare, immunization, growth care, and prevention ofprotein energy malnutrition among children under five.

Bring awareness among the target group regarding thehealth care system. 

Educate the target groups regarding safe sex and to makethem aware of sexually transmitted diseases.

Integrate the project activities with the governmenthealth care system so as to sustain the continuation ofthe activities initiated. 

Promote the youth and mother sangams (groups) and to20

organize regular meetings and to involve them in villagedevelopment activities. 

Tap government resources through the sangams (groups)towards village development and to sustain them asautonomous organizations. 

Promote thrift groups and to involve them in incomegeneration activities to uplift the family income. 

Involve the target communities in environmentalprotection and promotion activities. 

Involve the target communities in home and villagesanitation promotional activities to help preventmosquito-borne diseases and communicable diseases such asTB, malaria, jaundice, etc. 

Take up nursery and green belt promotion (socialforestry). 

Involve the community in sustainable resourcemanagement.

Empower women through awareness trainings and to buildup capabilities among them.

Impart agricultural information and to involve thecommunity in eco-friendly practices. To portray thevillage church as the life-radiating centre byencouraging the communities in and around the churchthrough the love of Christ.

Organize small evangelism groups with proper training

Conduct special seminars for new converts

Encourage home cell groups

House visitation and hospital visitation

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Conclusion

Down through the centuries, Christians have been askingvery relevant questions – Is Christianity truly unique? IsJesus truly the only way for salvation? The questions haveemerged even more intensely with the resurgence of religionsover the recent decades. Not only so, Christian all over theworld has become more aware of the claims of peoples of otherfaiths. And hence another question is being asked – aresincere adherents of other religions also saved? There is anurgent need to us to face the context intelligently, and thento affirm our belief within the climate of plurality thatprevails.

So far we have seen what the actual Indian context islike, the pluralistic context in India is very unique andthere are great challenges and tasks to be undertaken toevangelize this country. Every Indian has a differentunderstanding on Christian religion; to some it is a foreignreligion and hence Indians should reject it, to others it isjust a religion like so many others which already exist inIndia and still to others it is just a new religious movement.With this many various understandings on Christian religionthe Indian Churches are burdened with a great zeal toevangelize and carry out mission activities to its people. Itis only in recent few decades that the indigenous evangelistsand missionaries have come to existence and they have beendoing a great job in proclaiming the gospel. There are goodmany testimonies and examples from these indigenousevangelists who have reached to the unreached parts of Indiacarrying the gospel. Every Indian evangelist has come acrossthe folk religions and practices apart from major religions,at first it would not be easy to distinguish them but onlywith critical observation we can know the differences. Thereare still many other religious movements which sprung up nowand then that pose threat to the Christian leaders, becausethese movements disguise themselves behind Christianreligions. Indian churches needs to emphasize more onevangelism and other social mission activities. Pluralism isnot new in the present days. What is new is the challenge thatcomes to us forcefully today – a challenge not only torecognize the presence of religions around us but also torespond to the need for our relationship to them. We may standup and proclaim – Jesus is the only way. But then the Muslimstand up for what he too believes is the only truth and in

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doing so challenges all other truths. The result is a clash ofcommitments. Rather than aggravating these clashes we need tospell out our claims amidst such plurality as Jesus would haveus do in today’s context. Hence plurality can not be a threatto the Indian churches because Christianity has contributedmore to the Indian society than any other religions have done.Most of the major educational institutions and social welfarecommunities are run and managed by Christian missions eitherindigenous or international.

We can conclude that evangelism is a everyday business ofthe Indian church and the more the church engages its membersinto evangelism the more the church can grow in number. SinceIndia is a nation where freedom for religion is permittedchurches can be more active and influential in socialdevelopments. As it is stated in the evangelical strategies,India needs more of a holistic missions and personal levelevangelism. Considering the under-developed rural contexts,the churches can be a source of better development through itsmission activities that comes out of Christ’s love for thepoor and un-privileged. The low caste people who areconsidered as the marginalized are the good harvest fields forChristian missions. In every province/state there are morethan 20% of marginalized people, if the Indian churches canfocus on these groups it will be enough of its missionaccomplishments. If the church wants to be effective in itsmission, merely continuing to state its claims will notsuffice. Mission has to be carried out in an awareness of thepresent context of the claims of others. It requires anunderstanding of the beliefs of our neighbours, as well asbecoming a more integral part of the world within which we arecalled to be a witness I just wish to conclude that: India isa land for rich harvest of souls among the thistles andthorns; it is the work of the indigenous evangelist to reapthis harvest, because only he knows how to tread through it.BIBLIOGRAPHY

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