Christian evangelists often initiate a gospel presentation in the format of offering an answer to one of life’s big questions. This approach is not only relevant to the hearer, it also provides the opportunity to challenge a person’s worldview and provide an answer from a biblical perspective, ultimately offering the hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ.
However, life’s big questions vary from culture to culture, and context to context.
Answering the Wrong Question
Answering the question “Why does a loving God allow suffering?” in gospel presentations is felt to be very pertinent in Western post-Christian culture. This is one of the highest trending questions; it effectively resonates with fundamental concerns. It is of particular interest to someone who has the understanding of God as a loving entity—a concept that comes exclusively from the Bible. A substantial number of resources have been published addressing this very question.
The question, however, is irrelevant and inapplicable to people from countries like India or Nepal where Hinduism dominates. Within a South Asian context, addressing this question in evangelistic outreach presentations is like aiming to answer a question that has not even been asked. For Hindus, God’s love is a foreign concept; they have the concept of the fearfulness of God. Hindus are not interested in an answer to this question as it does not resonate with the collective concerns of their culture.
How Can I Be Certain About Receiving Deliverance?
According to Hinduism, the gods are up in heaven making repeated demands, and human beings are down on earth striving wholeheartedly to please them—by sacrificing animals on special occasions, visiting temples and worshiping different gods on different days of the week. They are haunted by the fear of attracting misfortune to themselves or their families by failing to propitiate their gods. Therefore, evangelists who are reaching out to people from a Hindu background should address the questions and concerns they are wrestling with.
Hindus are deeply aware of needing spiritual deliverance from the cycle of rebirth and ultimately attain union with the Creator. Therefore, they are tirelessly involved in ritual and spiritual practices. The question a Hindu may have is “How can I be certain about receiving deliverance?”
To this urgent question, Jesus answers, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28). Jesus offers rest to people who are burdened by religious systems or rituals. The deliverance from sin is not possible through rituals or works but through faith in him. In addition, the promise of knowing the Creator God is available only in Jesus. He says, “I am the way, and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6).
Can I Follow Jesus Without Causing Offence to My Non-Christian Family?
I was born into a Hindu family. Most of my own family, relatives and childhood friends are still Hindus, yet they have a huge respect and veneration for Jesus. They believe Jesus is a god among many other gods, and are therefore happy to follow him. However, they prefer to follow and honour Jesus while also honouring their family and friends. Honouring, in Hinduism, requires participation in the ritual practice of worshiping their ancestors’ gods and spirits. That does not align with the Christian faith, as following Jesus requires the rejection of participation in Hindu religious practices. Therefore, it is in fact impossible to faithfully follow Jesus without causing offence to one’s non-Christian family. A time will come when one must “dishonour” one’s non-Christian family and friends in order to truly honour Jesus. However, it must be done prayerfully, with love and respect, not in rebellion.[1]
Believing merely in one god sounds unfathomable to a Hindu since they have gods for every existence of life and there are many ways to receive eternal life. Therefore, to my Hindu family, my faith in Jesus alone came across as strange and as a rejection of their faith. However, in a sense, believing in Jesus is not the rejection of their faith, rather it is coming to a saving, personal knowledge of the “Unknown God” (Acts 17:22–23) who is the one true Creator God of all.
Jesus says, “Whoever acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven”. He warns his followers of the potential division and conflict that arises within families because of his teaching (Matt 10:32–36). In my own life I have gone through the unpleasant experience of being disowned by my father and expelled from our home when I started following Jesus. Following Christ sometimes violates family traditions, disrupts cultural values, and breaks social order. Following Christ involves steadfast commitment, even if that means dishonouring your non-Christian parents. It is a one-way road with no turning back.[2] This is the cost of following Christ. It is challenging, yet required. It is even more challenging in a collectivistic culture where multiple generations live together under the same roof, and where spiritual decisions are usually made together.[3]
But following Jesus, whatever the cost, is actually the best thing anyone can do. And being faithful to Jesus is the best way for a Christian convert to give their family the opportunity to also find life in Jesus. Even if they are offended at first, they may eventually come to faith themselves.
[1] See Jeanette Yep et al., Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents (Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1998), 45–47.
[2] Paul Tanner, “The Cost of Discipleship: Losing One’s Life for Jesus’ Sake,” JETS 56 (2013): 43–61.
[3] Jeanette Yep et al., Following Jesus Without Dishonoring Your Parents, 48.
