Methodist Church or Buddhist Temple

We live in a pluralistic society.

More and more, I’m told, from a cultural perspective, that I am to be tolerant of those who believe differently than I do. Recently, this became very real to me as I drove by the Methodist church where I spent my early childhood. This is the place where I cut my teeth on the backs of the wooden pews … the congregation where I learned how to be reverent and respectful to God in worship. I was trained to be an acolyte (candle lighter) in elementary school. I played piano for junior church worship. I also gave my heart to Christ during a revival meeting when I was ten years old. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that the Methodist church where I went to Bible School was now a Buddhist Temple.

Would this shock you? I’d like to know.

The cross of Jesus Christ has been replaced by a very large Buddha statue. The symbols of the Bread and the Cup have been retired for works of art depicting fire, air, earth, water, and wisdom–important Buddhist symbols. The pews aren’t there anymore … there are simple chairs facing forward toward the large golden statue. The baptismal font has been removed in order for other Buddhist worship furnishings to adorn the space. According to the local newspaper, “Traditional Buddhist chants [echo] the bang of Taiko drums and cymbals” … and “a traditional Lion Dance, where children are dressed as two imposing paper lions, one bright red and the other golden yellow, to ceremoniously scare away bad spirits” were a part of the opening celebration of the temple.

Hmm … I remember the worship space resounding with the singing of hymns like “Onward Christian Soldiers,” and “A Mighty Fortress,” to the sounds of an organ and piano. The “bad spirits” were thwarted by the Holy Spirit’s power moving among His people, and kids, like me, were dressed wearing robes and carrying ornate candle lighters and a really big Bible to place on the Communion Table as we carefully and reverently processed forward at the beginning of the worship hour.

We do live in a pluralistic society …

WWJD? (What Would John [Wesley] Do?)

… and if you look around you, demographics have changed. In this small town above, a growing number of Vietnamese migrated into the area of the church where I experienced my earliest Christian formation. Thus, when the doors closed to the Methodist church (not sure exactly why) there was obviously an open space for those of the Buddhist religion to simply rearrange things to make it conducive for Buddhist worship. Sunday school classes and a fellowship hall have been converted into living spaces for monks to meditate and to reside temporarily.

The fact that religious pluralism is a reality in our country today came very close to home for me and I would be lying if I said I didn’t grieve a bit seeing this, once dedicated structure for the worship of the Almighty God, where Jesus was exalted, and a community of faith in Christ existed, now being the home to those who really don’t believe in God, and think of Jesus only as an enlightened teacher. I know a church is not the building … but, for me, as a child, it was the place where I met God. I admit, I was shocked. Should I have been? The culture demands that I’m to be tolerant of such a shift. But is tolerance the real answer to how I should respond, feel, or act?

In the town I minister, we have a large number of Chin people who are refugees from Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. In another town close to where I live, an Islamic mosque is being proposed, literally in the middle of a field. My neighbor behind me and several other neighbors in my neighborhood are from India and are Hindus. There are also those of other world religions just down the street and in the cul-de-sacs of our subdivision. As a professor, I have the opportunity to teach the Bible and theology to people of different faiths, including Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and others. I consider it one of the greatest privileges of my life.

More and more, we are in touch with friends, neighbors, doctors, clerks, teachers, and many others whose worldview of God and religion are far different than ours as Christians. I see this as opportunity, not something to be simply tolerated.

It is an opportunity to have a friendship with a person who believes something different than I do. It is also an opportunity for them to get to know what I believe. How else might they hear and know about Jesus Christ? The gospel? So, because of the demographic shifts in our own communities, we attempt to understand the deep faith of another who is a part of a different religion or faith belief than our own. That’s fine to do … I personally read books, articles, and watch videos to educate myself on the differences of what Islam is from Judaism, Judaism is from Christianity, and Hinduism is from Buddhism. Maybe what would be best, though, is if I would invest that time in getting to know the person, rather than simply the religion they adhere to. What I find is that there are people of deep faith in all of these religions. My question becomes … how do I engage with these beautiful people around me? I do need to know something of their religious experience … but I also want them to know something about mine. I want them to encounter the Truth of the Bible. Is it enough to attempt to just be tolerant? It seems to me that tolerance is nice, but is it right for me as a Christian to simply be tolerant of their religious perspective? Are they tolerating me? Do I even want to be tolerated? Do they?

“One of the things we have to do is not ask, how are we going to understand other faiths, but how are they going to understand us?”

Stanley Hauerwas| Professor of Theological Ethics | Duke University

Hmm … okay, then. I think I agree with that. In other words, how do we demonstrate our love for God in a way that people will want to talk with us about our faith? Three things I can think of, right off the bat:

So you see, I don’t believe it is a matter of being simply tolerant as the culture dictates to me. Tolerance is not engaging … it is absolutely a benign attitude.

I can be tolerant of my Hindu neighbors, but not give one care about them. I can be tolerant of my Chin friends I see every week, and not even give a thought about what drove them to my foreign city. I can be tolerant of the woman sitting in the restaurant I saw wearing a burkha without wondering about her story.

I think, I think, as Christians, if we are to take cues from our Master, He engaged with the Samaritan woman, he healed the daughter of a Roman Centurion, and he ate dinner with outcasts. In each of these, Jesus revealed the Truth of who He was. And so can we.