Burqas and Cell Phones

The country of India's culture is difficult to sum up in just a few words. This is because the culture is so diverse. I've heard it said that traveling from northern India to southern India is like traveling from Norway down through Europe to Italy. It is that different from top to bottom.

Despite these differences, I'm going to attempt to summarize what I've seen. One way to do it is "East Meets West." Another is "Old Meets New."

One interesting example that I saw was women dressed in burqas talking on cell phones. When I think of burqas I think of conservative Islam. Islam tends to look backward toward its golden years of Muhammad. It is a religion that cherishes its past. Cell phones, meanwhile, are a primary example of modern technology. These phones, especially smart ones, have fundamentally changed communication within just the last fifteen years. They point to the future, making us wonder what new form of technology is coming next.

As we think about world missions, we must remember that what we see will not always "fit" what we expect. Our preconceived notions about new and old, rich and poor, black and white, intelligent and not so much, east and west, etc. frequently do not match with what we experience in other cultures. We must be flexible, becoming all things to all people, in order to effectively convey the love of Christ through the gospel.

Forrest Gump, sitting on a park bench in my home city of Savannah famously said, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Missions work is something like that. You really never know what you're going to run into, whether it be near home or overseas. You may even see a woman in a burqa talking on a cell phone.

Wait...What?

As I was checking out from my hotel in India on Saturday, one of the employees handed me a small box. The two of us had become acquainted throughout my two week stay there. He wanted to give me a gift upon my departure. I opened the box and found the above ornamental sun. At first I thought it was pretty cool.

However, after a few seconds the employee said to me, "This is a sun god to protect your home. You can hang it up in your house to protect you and bring you blessings." My reaction was something along the lines of, "Wait..what?" I didn't actually say that, but it is what I was thinking.

I should have known. Much of Indian life and culture carries Hindu overtones. It is often difficult to know where culture ends and Hinduism begins. In this respect it is far different from the secularized culture here in the USA. Almost any type of statue, sculpture, pin, broach, or anything depicting any sort of likeness in India is directly related to Hinduism.

Well, I like the sun ornament gift I was given. Unfortunately, it's going in the trash. The reason is that I was told that it is a god. Of course we Christians know that it is not in reality a god of any kind. It is simply metal artwork. However, since I was told that it is a god I do not want to mess around with it. I refuse to play the postmodern game of thinking, "It means different things to us, so it's O.K."

My primary concern is that I do not want anything around my home that might confuse other people. Nothing idol-like is going to take up space in my place of residence.

I will always appreciate the employee who gave me this gift. I'm just not going to have it in my abode.

Home Safely From India

I've made it home to Savannah with no problems. I thank God for that. Because jet lag is already setting in this will be a short post (and probably not well written).

It takes a looooooooooong time to get from India back here to the USA. My flight from Delhi to New York non-stop lasted fifteen (15!) hours. Yuck. As life has it, a small child with clueless parents kicked the back of my seat for much of the flight. Anyway, my second flight (New York to Savannah) only lasted two hours. Easy.

Although this trip was long, I didn't have any hassles along the way. I passed through security, customs, and immigration without any hiccups. Traveling for business purposes seems to make those situations easier for some reason.

It is wonderful to be home. I'm finishing here to go spend time with my family.

Man, I Am Really White!

As you can see, I am white.

This is not a shock to anyone who knows me. Nothing about my appearance stands out. Back in the USA I sort of blend in with the crowd. I'm not unique in this. When you are part of the majority population anywhere, you tend not to think a whole lot about the color of your skin.

Since you read this blog you know that I've been in India for over a week now. Over 99% of the people I see here are not white. Sometimes I catch locals staring at me. I can only assume that it is because of my skin color. This causes me to occasionally think, "Man, I am really white!"

I suppose this has some implication for missions. I'm too tired to write anything deep about that right now. It's just that skin color does matter. We are foolish to pretend it doesn't. We can look to the recent situation in Ferguson, MO to remind us that skin color will always play a part in decisions we make.

While skin color is important, it is not the most important thing. Every person is an individual. I'm trying while in India to see people as individuals instead of just part of the teeming masses. Every one of these people needs Christ. Bridging the cultural gap, which in this case includes skin color, is one of the challenges.

One other thing: life is easier when you are part of the skin color majority. Again, I'm not sure about the missions-impact of this, but it is the case. Back in 'Merica I'm part of that majority. Because I'm part of that numerical group that makes up over 50% of the population, people tend to not notice my skin. I wonder how I would feel if my skin was a different color.

To sum up, let's just remember that skin color is an important thing, but it is not the most important thing.

My Red Fort Photos

Along with the India Gate, I also had the chance to visit the Red Fort in Delhi. Constructed in the 1600's, the Red Fort is best known for its huge red sandstone walls. It was commissioned by Shah Jahan, one of the Mughal emperors of India. Jahan also ordered the construction of the more famous Taj Mahal, thus the resemblance to the Red Fort. I love this type of architecture.

Photos From My Visit to the India Gate Today

This morning I had the opportunity to do a little sightseeing. One of my stops was the India Gate, which is a large monument dedicated to the Indian soldiers who died in World War I. Frankly, I didn't even know Indians fought in WWI, but I suppose it was in support of England's military.

The final photo has a dull finish because it's actually a photo I took of a photo someone took of me at the gate.

False Gods, False Gods Everywhere

India is a fascinating land because the worship of false gods is so blatant.

During my two weeks here I’m staying in a hotel that is about a forty minute drive from where I’m working. As I make that exciting and frenetic voyage back and forth each day I pass many, many Hindu temples. While they vary somewhat in the details, the architecture is essentially the same. Just as a Baptist church building sits on every street corner in Texas, there’s a Hindu temple in every neighborhood in India. Additionally, Islamic mosques – easy to spot because of their distinctive minarets – are sprinkled here and there between the temples.

The facility where I’m working is similar to the JCB plant back home in Savannah. The heavy equipment, tools, machines, offices, and even building color schemes are the same. The one main difference is that small Hindu shrines sit inside each assembly area. If I want to cross from one side of the skid steer building to the other I have to walk past pictures of Krishna, Vishnu, and Shiva to do so.

Last night I had the privilege of visiting with a co-worker’s family. He is a very friendly Indian man who I just met two day ago. To use an expression from the American South, his family “put on the dog.” Not literally mind you. This means that they prepared much nice food. I was stuffed with all sorts of wonderful Indian cuisine by the time I left. The only sad part is the false god worship. Not long after I first entered his home, my co-worker pointed to a picture up on a wall and said, “This is our family god Krishna.”

India has 800 million Hindus and 200 million Muslims (other religions, including Christianity, make up small percentages). For comparison, the entire United States only has 300 million people. The Indian religious scene is refreshing in a sense in that the people are at least honest and up front about the false gods they worship. There’s no hiding it. Of course they do not think of it as idolatry, but that’s what it is nonetheless.

We residents of the United States know that the worship of false gods is alive and well in our country. Just as numerous false gods exist in India, there are many others in the USA. The difference is that those in America are a little more subtle. What are they? Let’s name a few: money, power, status, privilege, comfort, food, sports, sex, cars, clothing, technology in general, Facebook, smart phones, exercise, politics, vacations, movies, houses, and even pets. You could probably add many more to this list. The American false god smorgasbord is as thriving as it is varied. I’m not sure which is sadder: Indians intentionally worshiping false gods or Americans cluelessly doing the same.

I realize that I’m painting with broad strokes here. There are doubtlessly many Indians who worship from the American list above. Also, some Americans do worship the more traditional false gods; I can think of a Hindu temple, Islamic mosque, and Buddhist place of worship in our relatively small city of Savannah.

My primary point in this post is that false gods take many forms. They are everywhere. We must all be vigilant to rid these from our own lives. Also, these realities should spur us to share the gospel widely and abundantly. While India has a vast population that needs the good news of Christ, let’s not forget about the need back in the USA.

As I write this post I can hear what sounds like some sort of Hindu chanting in the background. I’m not sure if it is coming from inside or outside the hotel. Regardless, someone is doing his morning puja (worship). We live in a world in desperate need of the only good news. Let’s be liberal sharers of the one message that can combat everpresent false gods.

India and Lostness

Please click on this link and then look at India on the map.

I'm not suggesting that any lost person in India is somehow more important than others apart from Christ around the globe. What I am suggesting is that India's need for the gospel is statistically speaking quite possibly the greatest in the world.

The Great Commission is something that we believers in Christ should be able to unite around. Yes, we likely have differences over other issues. Let's put those aside for the great cause of taking the gospel where it isn't - whether that be in India or elsewhere.

It Requires Everybody's Involvement, Simple Methods, and Perseverence

The above map clearly shows both where the people live and who's heard the good news. India has almost as many residents as China (at the current rate it will pass China later this century). Also, India is far less evangelized than China is. As someone once said, "India is the Mount Everest of the Great Commission."

How can we possibly tell all these people in India about Jesus? Three things come to mind:

First, this will require everybody being involved. Christians from around the globe must come together to make this happen. It CANNOT be left up to salaried missionaries. Not enough exist. Although the church within India probably needs to take the lead, we must all work together, putting aside denominational boundaries, and labor together to get the gospel out.

Second, this task must be attacked with simple methods. Too many people need to hear for us to spend time on complicated issues. For example, there is not enough money or space available to build special church buildings for all those in need of Christ. Therefore, believers need to gather simply, wherever they can. Additionally, leadership (servanthood) should come from the elders within the local bodies. While robust theology is important, specialized theological training is not.

Third, we must persevere in this endeavor. Spreading the gospel to hundreds of millions of people is not quick nor easy. It will require much effort, a decent amount of money, a significant amount of suffering, and a commitment to never give up.

My prayer is that we, Christ's church, will in fact commit and persevere to the end.

I Am Greatly Blessed

We all occasionally fall into the trap of feeling sorry for ourselves. I do this sometimes because my job usually requires me to work 60-65 hours per week. If I don't push back against it, these types of feelings can consume me.

I was reminded today just how blessed I am. This morning I spent a total of close to two hours being driven around Delhi. I saw numerous people living in wretched conditions. The poverty extends far beyond anything in the United States. Frankly, words can't accurately describe it. You literally have to be here to understand it.

Additionally, and more significantly, India is a country consumed with false religions. Today I saw multiple temples to various Hindu gods. I haven't seen many Muslims yet, but I know that over 200 million followers of Allah live in this country (compared to over 800 million Hindus). While there is a Christian presence here, it is extremely small in overall percentage.

Meanwhile, I have a job that pays the bills, no deep financial problems, a fantastic family, and - most importantly - know the Lord. I am blessed.

Safe Arrival

I've landed safely and made it to my hotel in New Delhi. After a very quick night's sleep, it's off to work for JCB. It should make for an interesting day. I don't really know what to expect. I appreciate your prayers for God to use me in some small way while here for two weeks.

An Indian Color Theme

India is a country of many vibrant subcultures. The moment you step off the plane you are confronted with sights, sounds, and smells that almost take your breath away (not hyperbole). The other thing you see is people, people, people everywhere; India has more residents than all of North and South America combined.

Since I'll be in India for the next couple of weeks, and in light of India's vibrancy, I'm changing my blog color scheme to match that of the Indian flag. Much more importantly, I'm thankful to God for the opportunity to return to India for the first time in over seven years.

Kumbh Mela Illustrates India's Need for the Gospel

The current Kumbh Mela festival in India makes clear the desperate need for the gospel in that part of the world. Click here to view photos from CNN that show thousands upon thousands of Hindus trying to wash their sins away in river waters. Like all of us, they need the only One who can wash away sins: Jesus Christ.

On the Ceremonially Unclean Side of the River

As many of you know, our family had the privilege of serving the Lord in Varanasi, India in 2006-2007. Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in all of Hinduism. You've probably seen photos such as the one above. The Hindus are ceremonially bathing in the Ganges River in the hopes of washing their sins away. Large stone steps, referred to as ghats, line the city side of the river. Literally thousands of people pilgrimage to V-town every day to dip in the Ganges.

The far side of the river is barren. I don't have a photo of it because there isn't anything to see other than a mud bar and some small trees. The far side is considered ceremonially unclean by the Hindus. Somewhat ironically, and appropriately, the Indian Christians of the city hold their baptisms on the far side. What the Hindus consider impure, the Christians embrace.

The Christians often baptize of the far side because they face less persecution there. This is completely understandable; they will face enough persecution as it is. There's no reason to foolishly invite more by trying to baptize on the ghat side. As a bonus, the far side, while considered ceremonially impure by the Hindus, is actually much cleaner because there's nothing over there.

The baptisms on the far side of the Ganges remind me of Hebrews 13:11-13:

"For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured."

In many ways, the Indian Christians of Varanasi have run to Christ outside the gate. When they leave Hinduism for Christianity they often face all sorts of persecution (some worse than others). The far side of the river baptisms are a perfect illustration of living outside the gate with Christ. They have given up much for His great cause. They suffer with Him. They see that it's worth it.

It's odd living here in the USA. I often wonder what it truly is to go outside the gate to live with Christ. I've never suffered in any significant way for my Lord. I'm not complaining, but it certainly seems like an anomaly compared to what most believers face around the world today.

To some extent we all suffer a little when we reject the things of the world. However, in the United States this isn't really that big of a deal. We American Christians almost never face actual persecution for following Jesus.

I suppose the best thing to do is to be ready to suffer when the time comes. We'll all likely to be called to reside outside the gate sooner or later.

Culture Shock India

I've written a bit on this blog about our time living in India. To sum up: it was quite an adventure. For much of our short stay there we were smack in the midst of culture shock. In a funny way, the following video shows some of the things we experienced. In the end, we realized that Indians don't do things better or worse than we do. They just do many things very differently. Additionally, over one billion of them still need Jesus.

On Speaking a Different Language

If you take time to read this blog then I'm guessing that church-related issues are important to you. I'm also guessing that when you try to talk about the church you often realize that those you are talking with have no idea what you are saying. They simply don't understand. This happens to me frequently.

Regardless of whether or not I'm talking with a follower of Christ, I find little comprehension on the part of the person with whom I'm having the conversation. It reminds me of our time in India. India is an interesting country for many reasons. One of them is that since England colonized India, many Indians speak English to one degree or another. When in South Asia, we could talk with a good number of the people about basic issues. However, when it came to more in-depth discussions we often struggled to communicate. In particular, conveying Christian truth was difficult. The reason? English was not their first language. That's why we were beginning to learn Hindi before we had to come home.

Back to the present. What should we do if others do not understand? The fleshly temptation of course is to feel pride and/or disgust. However, those are not the responses Christ would like us to have.

So how should we respond? We need to take the responsibility of speaking in ways that others will understand. We need to meet them where they are. This is not condescension; it is rather servanthood. It is trying to humbly talk in a manner that will bring about understanding.

Up until just a few years ago I had never thought about church issues outside of the institutional box. If I had stumbled into a conversation such as we often have on this blog I would have had no framework for understanding. I simply hadn't thought about it before.

It's sort of like when I hear people talking about things like knitting, European literature, music from the 2000's, ancient Cambodian architecture, wigs, and Twilight. I have no idea what's going on.

We have a responsibility to talk with others, both Christians and non-Christians, in ways they understand. As for non-Christians, the best thing to do is talk a lot more about Jesus Christ than the church (at least at first). As for other Christians, let's humbly talk using terms and phrases that make sense. Let's continue to ask hard questions and point out inconsistencies in the church, but let's do so in a way that brings about solid dialog.

This does not mean that everyone who understands will agree with what we say. I know this about this blog. For example, one blogger who understands what I write at the same time takes me to task on his blog every few weeks. That's fine; he disagrees with me. But at least he understands. I'm glad about this.

Let's go out of our way to help others understand what in the world we are talking about as far as the church is concerned. We cannot control whether or not they will agree with us (they probably won't). We can't even really control whether or not they comprehend (but we can try).

Let's humbly and lovingly do our part.

Varanasi Street Scenes

This is a nice video of Varanasi, the city in India where we served for several months a few years ago. I like this particular video because it has no commentary; instead, it simply shows life as it is in this Hinduism-dominated city.

BTW - I have no idea why it says "Varanasi Cruise 2010."

Video of Varanasi Ghats

In contrast with where we now live, this video shows a glimpse of our home city from late 2006 until early 2007. Varanasi is the holiest city of Hinduism, and therefore is in desperate need of the gospel. The ghats (large stone steps) are the focal point of life and worship along the Ganges River.

Varanasi Hit Again

In 2006-2007, our family had the opportunity to serve the Lord for several months in the city of Varanasi, India. Varanasi is considered to be the holiest city in all of Hinduism. Even if you have never heard of it, you've probably seen photos of people walking down large stone steps to bathe in the Ganges River at Varanasi.

Because of its religious significance, Varanasi is occasionally the target of terrorist attacks. According to news reports, a bomb detonated today at one of the busiest locations along the river. At least one person has died and about 20 are injured. Read more about it here and here.

Above all else, the city of Varanasi needs prayer for spiritual awakening to the glorious grace of Jesus Christ. Although some Indian Christians live in Varansi, it is Hinduism that dominates all of life there. Muslims make up a significant minority.

Please pray for the people of this city.

On Goat Sacrifices and Stampedes

Click here to read a tragic story about an argument over goat sacrifices leading to ten deaths during a Hindu festival in India. Pagan practices always lead to negative results. We have much to be thankful for that Christ is our once for all sacrifice.

Hebrews 5:27, "He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself."

Hebrews 9:26, "...for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

Hebrews 10:10, "And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

Hebrews 10:12-14, "But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."