Being Indian and Christian #2
Hi friends,
Welcome to the second edition of Being Indian and Christian.
I began the previous edition by quoting John 17:18. Over the past few weeks, I've been meditating on verses 16-18. These verses give us Jesus' understanding of what the identity and mission of his disciples ought to be.
Who am I and why am I on this earth?
In this second edition of Being Indian and Christian, I reflect on how the identity and mission of the disciples practically play out in the world.
The blog post I wrote this week focuses on the idea that both the identity and the mission of the disciples are an emulation of the Master's own identity and mission. Their possessions are not of this world and their passions are not for this world. Similarly, the mission of the disciples of Jesus makes them live with the people and love the people in the world as their Master did. They love the people by loving their culture and by loving their language.
What does this look like in the Indian context?
One of my favourite articles from the past few weeks is this article by Jimit Mehta for The Gospel Coalition.
India’s hospitality, inclusivity, ethnicity, diversity, cuisine, humility, and even our openness to spirituality all reflect the image-bearing nature of man.
But sins of casteism, corruption, self-centeredness, greed, and hypocrisy betray the image of God—grieving and angering the heart of our holy God.
If the previous article is one where the idea of loving culture is explored, the following by Jim Miller is one where the idea of loving a language is explored.
One of the simplest ways to love people is to learn their language. While it requires almost daily death to self, when we’re finally able to share the gospel fluidly, using language, references, and analogies that people understand, it’s all worth it. What we once dreaded becomes the means through which the gospel is preached and the dead are raised.
That’s it for this edition. Hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
Caleb
P.S. Please feel free to write to me! I would love feedback on how these newsletters can better serve you. Just hit reply to this email and start typing. Thanks again!