All religions have a message that contains their core beliefs and tells the story of their understanding of reality. For them this is good news. It helps them make sense of the world. It gives meaning to their lives and they wish to share it with others, believing it has universal truth and relevance. Within Christianity the word for this good news is gospel, a word derived from the Anglo-Saxon term god-spell, meaning “good story,” a rendering of the Latin evangelium and the Greek euangelion, meaning “good news” or “good telling.” Evangelisation, the term used for the spread of this gospel, sometimes in a forcible way to encourage converts, is associated with Christianity. The forcible propagation of the faith, proselytisation as it is called, is denounced by other faiths and Christian themselves but all religions are in fact as missionary as Christianity. All faiths have their own gospel with a message that they believe is relevant for everyone and have a desire to share it.
For Muslims there is the duty of dawah i.e the duty of inviting others to understand and embrace Islam, and, like evangelisation in Christianity it can be directed to fellow Muslims as well as non- Muslims. It is rooted in the belief that Islam is the true religion, and Muhammad is God's final messenger with a message for the whole of humanity. It is the responsibility of the Muslim community to convey this message to humanity, to reveal the truth that worship of and surrender to Allah, the one God of all is the way of peace.
Within the Baháʼí Faith there is the concept of pioneering, which involves individuals relocating to areas where the faith is not yet established with the aim of being able to offer the teachings of the Baha’i Faith and work with others to promote unity which is so central to the faith. It too sees its founder Baha’u’llah as a manifestation of God and a prophet for this time. The Bahai scriptures say “If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost kindliness and good-will. If it be accepted, if it fulfil its purpose, your object is attained”.
Buddhists too are intent on sharing the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha about the nature of reality and the practices that can liberate from suffering and lead to enlightenment. This teaching is seen as a universal truth and many Buddhist monks and teachers travel the world sharing this wisdom with their followers but also holding public talks, aimed at non-Buddhists. Sometimes at the end of retreats people will be invited to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha (community), declaring a commitment to the Buddhist way. I have seen this when I have been privileged to make retreats with the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Tich Nhat Hanh.
So, all faiths have their gospel, their good news which they want to share. Interreligious dialogue is one place where this can be done but not in the sense of evangelising or preaching. I have experienced this sometimes in visits to places of worship or even at events, particularly during interfaith week when faith communities use this as an opportunity to invite other faiths to an event in their community. But usually the sharing at such events allows for listening and talking and is carried out in a spirit of friendship and openness. For me this often helps me see my own faith in a new light and recognise the universal nature of the truth at the heart of other faiths. I have been helped in this by my experience of Buddhist dialogue, particularly my retreats with Tich Nhat Hanh who I think had the genius required to express the Buddhist Dhamma in human terms that touched the heart of all who listened to him. It made me want to do the same for the good news of Christianity and express its gospel in terms that were relevant and meaningful for the modern age.
It so happened that a theology discussion group that I attend did try this recently. We were to come up with 5 statements that spoke to us of the heart of the gospel message. There were similarities and differences, and our attempts were in no way complete. My attempts, no-where near Tich Nhat Hanh’s way of doing things were:
For Muslims there is the duty of dawah i.e the duty of inviting others to understand and embrace Islam, and, like evangelisation in Christianity it can be directed to fellow Muslims as well as non- Muslims. It is rooted in the belief that Islam is the true religion, and Muhammad is God's final messenger with a message for the whole of humanity. It is the responsibility of the Muslim community to convey this message to humanity, to reveal the truth that worship of and surrender to Allah, the one God of all is the way of peace.
Within the Baháʼí Faith there is the concept of pioneering, which involves individuals relocating to areas where the faith is not yet established with the aim of being able to offer the teachings of the Baha’i Faith and work with others to promote unity which is so central to the faith. It too sees its founder Baha’u’llah as a manifestation of God and a prophet for this time. The Bahai scriptures say “If ye be aware of a certain truth, if ye possess a jewel, of which others are deprived, share it with them in a language of utmost kindliness and good-will. If it be accepted, if it fulfil its purpose, your object is attained”.
Buddhists too are intent on sharing the Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha about the nature of reality and the practices that can liberate from suffering and lead to enlightenment. This teaching is seen as a universal truth and many Buddhist monks and teachers travel the world sharing this wisdom with their followers but also holding public talks, aimed at non-Buddhists. Sometimes at the end of retreats people will be invited to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha (community), declaring a commitment to the Buddhist way. I have seen this when I have been privileged to make retreats with the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Tich Nhat Hanh.
So, all faiths have their gospel, their good news which they want to share. Interreligious dialogue is one place where this can be done but not in the sense of evangelising or preaching. I have experienced this sometimes in visits to places of worship or even at events, particularly during interfaith week when faith communities use this as an opportunity to invite other faiths to an event in their community. But usually the sharing at such events allows for listening and talking and is carried out in a spirit of friendship and openness. For me this often helps me see my own faith in a new light and recognise the universal nature of the truth at the heart of other faiths. I have been helped in this by my experience of Buddhist dialogue, particularly my retreats with Tich Nhat Hanh who I think had the genius required to express the Buddhist Dhamma in human terms that touched the heart of all who listened to him. It made me want to do the same for the good news of Christianity and express its gospel in terms that were relevant and meaningful for the modern age.
It so happened that a theology discussion group that I attend did try this recently. We were to come up with 5 statements that spoke to us of the heart of the gospel message. There were similarities and differences, and our attempts were in no way complete. My attempts, no-where near Tich Nhat Hanh’s way of doing things were:
- There is a holy mystery at the heart of the universe, a mystery some people call God. It is the source of life and love and the reality in which we live and move and have our very being. This mystery manifests itself in all living beings and systems and calls us to fullness of life. This is what makes everything sacred.
- human beings (as well as other creatures) participate in the one life. Each one is a unique expression and manifestation of the life and love at the heart of the universe. Each person has been called forth from the beginning of time to take form at this point in history with the unique possibility and responsibility of respecting one another, rejoicing in diversity and so taking humanity and our planet further on their journey to wholeness.
- all aspects of life are interconnected and interrelated so that the intentions and actions of each one affects others for good or for ill. It is in community that we receive and give support to one another and encourage one another to live a purposeful and fruitful life.
- Jesus is the prophet and teacher who manifests the Reality at the heart of life and shows us a heartfelt approach to life and religion so that we stand with and feel the pain of the oppressed and marginalised, reach out with love and compassion to our brothers and sisters and treat the earth with reverence and respect.
- our commitment to follow the way of Jesus opens us up to his energy and spirit – a spirit which is the spirit of God. It is this Spirit that keeps the memory of Jesus alive in his community and the world and motivates us to cooperate with others to contribute to a better future in which the values of justice, peace, integrity and wisdom which we call the values of the kingdom of God will be manifest wherever we find ourselves.
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