| christianity in . . . |
January 2006 index|
What would life be like if, rather than being Christian countries, Britain and Ireland were under the influence of another belief system? Here are two fascinating insights into what it means to be a Christian living in a non-Christian culture |
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Crosslinks supports mission partners, projects and theological training in several Buddhist countries.
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. . . a Buddhist country
Saffron is the colour worn by Buddhist monks, the colour of Thailand. Buddhism pervades every aspect of Thai life, from the saffron buckets of gifts for the monks to the spirit-houses, with their moulds of Buddha, candles, joss sticks and ringlets of paper flower buds. Buddhism is said to be the religion of peace, but beneath it appears a great sense of apathy, with an underlying philosophy of “why get involved since you still need to earn your way to Nirvana?” By contrast the tiny Church in Thailand is filled with joy. However, after 122 years of outreach, Christians still only number 1% of the population. People are always polite, talking and listening, but the step towards Christ is a huge one. So how can we share the Gospel in a land so dominated by Buddha? By learning the language and customs, by sharing our lives and living out our faith and by continuing to pray for this beautiful nation. |
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Andy Buckler, Crosslinks mission partner working in France writes… |
. . . a secular country
France is officially a ‘secular’ country (‘laïc’ is derived from ‘lay’, ie. not clergy). ‘Secularism’ (laïcité) has been the object of heated discussions, behind which lie two very different understandings of the position of religion in France today. The first position is militantly anti-religious, and seeks to eradicate any religious expression from public life. Religious faith is private, to be tolerated but not encouraged, and ‘evangelism’ is undesirable. Thus an inter-school conference on resolving violence was cancelled because a parent discovered that the organiser was a committed Christian. The other understanding of ‘laïcité’ is quite different and most Protestant believers are positive about it. On this understanding the separation of church and state enables all religions to have an equal footing. All have the right to meet and express their faith so long as they respect the freedom of others. Moreover, in law everyone – of whatever religious or cultural origin – has the right to change religion. This guarantees freedom of expression, and protects converts to Christianity. The law is therefore a safeguard that allows for respectful evangelism and personal expression of faith. A law is under discussion making the teaching of religion compulsory in state schools. There is a constant struggle in French society between these two understandings. All this affects the evangelism and witness of churches and Christians. It is encouraging therefore that the Reformed Church chose for its 2005 synods the theme ‘Confesser Jésus Christ dans une société laïque’ (Confessing Jesus Christ in a secular society).
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