Christian Thought of the Day

If this one does not give you pause, i do not know what will:

"In conversation with him one day I said, 'Mahatma Gandhi, I am very anxious to see Christianity naturalized in India, so that it shall be no longer a foreign thing identified with a foreign people and a foreign government, but a part of the national life of India and contributing its power to India's uplift and redemption. What do you suggest we do to make that possible?'
"He very gravely and thoughtfully replied, 'I would suggest, first, that all of you Christians, missionaries and all, must begin to live more like Jesus Christ. Second, I would suggest that you must practice your religion without adulterating it or toning it down. Third, I would suggest that you must put your emphasis on love, for love is the center and soul of Christianity. Fourth, I would suggest that you study the non-Christian religions and culture more sympathetically in order to find the good that is in them, so that you might have a more sympathetic approach to the people'."

-E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Indian Road (London: Hodder and Soughton, 1925) 146-148
Stanley Jones was an American Methodist evangelist/missionary in India from 1910 to 1970.

Yes, folks, if Christians had acted like Christians, we could have had Gandhi as one of ours.

Comments

Voyager said…
That does give me pause. It is sad that many Christians, especially those who are the most vocal, have such a very hard time sharing the love of Christ with everyone. It is in my opinion that too many Christians have a very hard time differentiating between loving the sinner and hating the sin. All too often we err in that, and end up either hating the sinner or allowing the sin.

That is good food for thought, Archer.
10/20/2004 10:12 PM
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