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Originally Posted by james73
And what is the "Gospel"? Isn't it the good news that the Law is not necessary for salvation, that eternal life is not reserved exclusively for Jews? That literally anyone, gentile, tax collector, can be saved and all they need is love for God and their fellow man to achieve that?
In which case we are entirely free of religious dogma and biblical canons. So what if I read Hindu scriptures and meditate in Buddhist monasteries? Eternal life is too wonderful to constrain to one religion. The "way" should not be caged and paraded around like an animal, it should be lived and shared.
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This sounds like new age teaching .. we should be careful because the new age movement is definitely birthed by Satan.
Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation
* Jesus' name in Hebrew, Yeshua, means the Lord is our salvation! The bible authenticates who Christ is by his fulfillment of 351 prophecies.
* Just as there is only one telephone number you can use to reach a house, there's only one way you can reach the God of heaven.
* Jesus confirms this unequivocally in John 14:6 saying "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Quote:
Originally Posted by james73
When I was with LC, there was a young guy being sent to India, he joined our English speaking group first to practice his English (which was poor). All he really knew in life was Cantonese and the Witness Lee Life Study. And he was being sent as a missionary  . I advised him to read the Gita, so he could relate to the Hindus he would be meeting. I am sure by the expression on his face that this advice was ignored. He's probably still praying for my soul…..
But it's important. Jesus COULD NOT have liaised with the Jewish people in such a way had he not been a Jew. Likewise, a dogmatic Christian is going to get nowhere with people of other faiths. If you wanted to relate to a Buddhist, bearbear, how would you go about it? Start quoting them verses from a bible they don't believe in? Scare them with stories of hell? Tell them resistance is futile? "You will be assimilated…"  |
Hi James, I was in agreement with you. I'm all for reading Hindu scriptures if your intention is to learn more about the culture to preach to them. Paul said to the Jews he'd be a Jew, to a Greek he'd be a Greek. The gospel is so important that we should be willing to take any means necessary to communicate it in a context understandable in their culture, even if we have to dress like them. Hudson Taylor and many other missionaries who understood this practiced this.
There is actually quite a bit of intersection with Buddhism and Christianity. Here's a testimony I've enjoyed from an ex-Buddhist turned Pastor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=157UxWDprFQ