This evening, a Catholic Father I’ve known for a few years, who is an acharya to one of my shishyas, called me again. He was visiting Bangalore and met a Tamilian domestic helper. When he began sharing the gospel with her, she firmly stated that she has her own gods and doesn’t need a Christian God. As usual, he told her that she need not become a Christian but could remain a Hindu while worshiping Jesus. He mentioned knowing a Swamiji who is a Hindu but worships only Jesus and immediately called me, putting the speaker on. I could hear the lady’s voice arguing with the Father. I asked him to turn off the speaker and speak with me privately. He complied and went outside to listen.
I rebuked him severely, saying: “First, you have antagonized her. You rebuked her in front of others and me, telling her to ‘stop, keep quiet, and shut her mouth and listen.’ But what is the use of talking to her now when you forced her to close her heart and mind? Even if the Lord Himself wanted to speak to her now, she would tell Him to mind His own business.”
The Father, in his zeal, forgot that he might have thought that being not highly educated, the lady had to listen to others. He also thought that though she didn’t want to hear from a Christian about a Christian God, she might listen to a Hindu Swamiji. But he forgot that several Christians, particularly Catholic Fathers adorning the saffron robe and calling themselves Swamijis, are going around. Becoming a Sannyasi is now seen as an easy way to make a living, and lay Hindus know this well.
This is a common practice among evangelicals and Christians: using various methods to impose their agenda, compelling others to sit and listen. However, they don’t realize that the people they’re imposing the gospel on only hear noise, not the message. In the name of social gospel, famine relief, medical help, etc., they make people listen to their message.
Even though you are a Catholic Father, I have to rebuke you as a bhakta has the right to correct even God if He does a mistake. [Netrikkan thirandalum kuttram kuttrame—by Nakeerar to Siva when the latter confronted the former over a mistake in a poem.]
Then he asked: “Are you sharing the gospel with others outside your group to bring them to the Lord?” Antagonized by the question, I rebuked him more vigorously: “Why should I answer you? Am I accountable to you? I know how, when, and what to say while sharing my bhakti. I never do it as an agenda or keep a target to share the gospel with a minimum of ten people and bring at least one or two to the Lord. These are mission agendas and programs. I believe my bhakti should naturally and spontaneously spread its aroma.
How many members of your congregation are doing that?”
He replied, “Not even one. They don’t know how to do that.”
I responded: “Then who is responsible? You never trained them for that as their Pastor and Shepherd. But you create a ‘GUILTY CONSCIENCE’ in the minds of converts or bhaktas, suggesting that unless they share the gospel and convert a few more among Hindus, their conversion isn’t validated and their faith isn’t genuine.
You all should abandon this hegemonic and condescending attitude as if you alone know the Truth, follow God, and can save others. This savior mentality should be discarded. As Pennington rightly titled his book, ‘Christian Barriers to Jesus Christ,’ you have become the first barrier to the Lord, other followers of the Lord, and even to your own church and mission. You have become the milestone tied around the Lord’s neck to be drowned.”
In our conversation, I shared another case study with the Father, which I’ve already posted on my blog. Once, I met young Brahmin converts in Kodaikanal Ashram during our annual meeting in Tamil. They attended a few of my classes and later approached me, requesting me to visit their home in Chennai to share the gospel with their parents. They insisted their parents need not become Christians or attend church, but simply follow and worship the Lord at home.
I responded, “Then why don’t you do the same?”
He replied, “No, I need fellowship and must go to my church every week.”
I asked, “Do you think your parents also need the same kind of Christian fellowship in the church? If they stay at home and worship the Lord, what if they ask, ‘Why don’t our son and his wife do the same? Why should they become or continue as Christians and go to church?’”
He had no answer. Subsequently, he did not attend any more classes, though they stayed for two more days, and never dared to meet me or anyone in our group.
The Catholic Father didn’t expect such a severe rebuke from me, as he always heard nice and encouraging talk from me before. Severely shocked, he tried to explain that wasn’t his intention or attitude. I pointed out that regardless of his intentions, he already antagonized the lady and me. He then said there was a lot of noise outside and he would call back in 30 minutes. I told him not to call as I was busy. Though I often confront Christians in my writings, I had never rebuked them so directly in person as I did with the Father. I hope he learned a valuable lesson from this episode and won’t repeat the same again.
DB
28-7-2024
This evening, a Catholic Father I’ve known for a few years, who is an acharya to one of my shishyas, called me again. He was visiting Bangalore and met a Tamilian domestic helper. When he began sharing the gospel with her, she firmly stated that she has her own gods and doesn’t need a Christian God. As usual, he told her that she need not become a Christian but could remain a Hindu while worshiping Jesus. He mentioned knowing a Swamiji who is a Hindu but worships only Jesus and immediately called me, putting the speaker on. I could hear the lady’s voice arguing with the Father. I asked him to turn off the speaker and speak with me privately. He complied and went outside to listen.
I rebuked him severely, saying: “First, you have antagonized her. You rebuked her in front of others and me, telling her to ‘stop, keep quiet, and shut her mouth and listen.’ But what is the use of talking to her now when you forced her to close her heart and mind? Even if the Lord Himself wanted to speak to her now, she would tell Him to mind His own business.”
The Father, in his zeal, forgot that he might have thought that being not highly educated, the lady had to listen to others. He also thought that though she didn’t want to hear from a Christian about a Christian God, she might listen to a Hindu Swamiji. But he forgot that several Christians, particularly Catholic Fathers adorning the saffron robe and calling themselves Swamijis, are going around. Becoming a Sannyasi is now seen as an easy way to make a living, and lay Hindus know this well.
This is a common practice among evangelicals and Christians: using various methods to impose their agenda, compelling others to sit and listen. However, they don’t realize that the people they’re imposing the gospel on only hear noise, not the message. In the name of social gospel, famine relief, medical help, etc., they make people listen to their message.
Even though you are a Catholic Father, I have to rebuke you as a bhakta has the right to correct even God if He does a mistake. [Netrikkan thirandalum kuttram kuttrame—by Nakeerar to Siva when the latter confronted the former over a mistake in a poem.]
Then he asked: “Are you sharing the gospel with others outside your group to bring them to the Lord?” Antagonized by the question, I rebuked him more vigorously: “Why should I answer you? Am I accountable to you? I know how, when, and what to say while sharing my bhakti. I never do it as an agenda or keep a target to share the gospel with a minimum of ten people and bring at least one or two to the Lord. These are mission agendas and programs. I believe my bhakti should naturally and spontaneously spread its aroma.
How many members of your congregation are doing that?”
He replied, “Not even one. They don’t know how to do that.”
I responded: “Then who is responsible? You never trained them for that as their Pastor and Shepherd. But you create a ‘GUILTY CONSCIENCE’ in the minds of converts or bhaktas, suggesting that unless they share the gospel and convert a few more among Hindus, their conversion isn’t validated and their faith isn’t genuine.
You all should abandon this hegemonic and condescending attitude as if you alone know the Truth, follow God, and can save others. This savior mentality should be discarded. As Pennington rightly titled his book, ‘Christian Barriers to Jesus Christ,’ you have become the first barrier to the Lord, other followers of the Lord, and even to your own church and mission. You have become the milestone tied around the Lord’s neck to be drowned.”
In our conversation, I shared another case study with the Father, which I’ve already posted on my blog. Once, I met young Brahmin converts in Kodaikanal Ashram during our annual meeting in Tamil. They attended a few of my classes and later approached me, requesting me to visit their home in Chennai to share the gospel with their parents. They insisted their parents need not become Christians or attend church, but simply follow and worship the Lord at home.
I responded, “Then why don’t you do the same?”
He replied, “No, I need fellowship and must go to my church every week.”
I asked, “Do you think your parents also need the same kind of Christian fellowship in the church? If they stay at home and worship the Lord, what if they ask, ‘Why don’t our son and his wife do the same? Why should they become or continue as Christians and go to church?’”
He had no answer. Subsequently, he did not attend any more classes, though they stayed for two more days, and never dared to meet me or anyone in our group.
The Catholic Father didn’t expect such a severe rebuke from me, as he always heard nice and encouraging talk from me before. Severely shocked, he tried to explain that wasn’t his intention or attitude. I pointed out that regardless of his intentions, he already antagonized the lady and me. He then said there was a lot of noise outside and he would call back in 30 minutes. I told him not to call as I was busy. Though I often confront Christians in my writings, I had never rebuked them so directly in person as I did with the Father. I hope he learned a valuable lesson from this episode and won’t repeat the same again.
DB
28-7-2024
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