Relating to People of Other Religions
Review by: Henry Neufeld
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Thangaraj, M. Thomas. Relating to People of Other Religions: What Every Christian Needs to Know. Nashville: Abingdon, 1997.
Recommendation: This book is good for those involved in Christian evangelism, especially with those of other cultures, for those interested in interfaith dialog, and for those who want to learn how to listen to those of other faiths and learn from them. You can enhance your Christian witness by learning!
There are certain points in this books which I found somewhat disturbing, but the author does an excellent job of surveying his topic and of examining the various ways in which Christians should relate to persons of other faiths.
Understanding and Christian Evangelism
Let me state my own perspective on this up front: I believe that Christians can and should be convinced of the value of their spiritual experience and should be prepared and willing to share that faith without fear or hesitation. At the same time, I believe Christians need to learn a great deal about listening and politeness, and about the value of material that comes from other traditions. Knowledge of other religions enhances rather than diminishes our Christian witness. Our evangelism, or proclamation of the good news will be more effective if it is combined with understanding, and if we are prepared for interfaith dialog rather than monolog.
Thangaraj does not deny the notion of faith-sharing completely. He surveys the suject from several perspectives which Christians have held and often hold currently. Chapter titles such as "We Know and They Know Not," "We Perhaps Know; They Perhaps Know; Who Knows?" "We Know in Full; They Know in Part" will likely give readers an idea of the ground covered.
Need for Learning and Interfaith Dialog
Thangaraj ends on the title "We and They Together Need to Know More!". In my view, this is both true and inadequate.
As Christians, we do indeed need to keep the humility to realize that we can learn more at any time and from anybody. We should not approach people with the arrogance of knowing. At the same time, a profound experience with Christ through the Holy Spirit should have such an impact on us that we know inside even though we can't prove. This conviction involves the centrality of Jesus Christ, the one who brought to us the ultimate message of God in the flesh. This is of value to us, and we should consider it of value to others.
This doesn't mean that we force our understanding or experience on others. It doesn't mean that we don't listen. It doesn't mean that we don't learn from others and exchange with them. It does mean that we share a deep experience which we conceive as having unique value. And as difficult as it may seem, we have to share from that depth without in any sense judging another who does not share the experience or cannot even see it as we do. It means sharing a deep experience without looking down at others and without denying that we may not know all or have attained all.
This book can help with this process. Amongst the things we can learn from it are: 1) the variety of ways in which Christians see and have seen mission; 2) the way in which our attitudes and views are perceived by those of other faiths; 3) ways to avoid offense; 4) some course corrections in how we perceive other religions.
Christian Evangelism and Diversity
Thangaraj also discusses the Biblical basis for understanding diversity. This is an interesting discussion, and I believe that he errs in one sense. He applies scriptures which support God's appreciation of diversity in physical things into a support for diversity in doctrine and morality. There is a boundary line here Biblically, and I don't think Thangaraj has found it.
Further I think there is an incipient problem in the entire approach to diversity which tries to say that everything is more or less equally acceptable and that's why we can get along. I believe it is important for us to learn that we can get along with folks who disagree with us profoundly as long as we can find some common ground on which to work. Tolerance needs to include tolerance of that which is difficult to accept.
I recommend reading and thinking about this book despite my serious disagreements with many points. It is well written and challenging.
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