In Reply to: Re: your niche? posted by Thinker on March 12, 2009 at 19:35:42:
yesterday I discovered your new thread & I thought,...really nice...suits me...like a fast forward -pass in sports, then I got a bit "down" about it, because it's work to distinguish/differentiate, in order to not sound too naive, simpleminded dogmatically, e.g. how India is anyway changing, globally network-wise through modernism...with many NRIs living in America etc. communicating with their home-families etc....a nice Bollywood movie along that line is: "Swades"...about an Indian NASA-engineer returning home and working on bringing electricity to his little village etc...
Mother Theresa hardly ever preached in India...she said, that love would do it's own preaching/converting...I read her biography before going to India & was deeply impressed...however Jesus did say, that the gospel is preached to the poor & of course we could/should help them as much as we can
For me someone perfectly helping the disabled nowadays in India is Stella Deetjen...she's literally nomen est omen...a star...I think I got to know about her 2 years ago
In her biography it did say that she asked in Rome ...she wanted to study there art & photography...a priest many questions, but didn't get the proper/satisfying answers...a pity.
In my opinion, it'd be anyway better in India to live as a good example to your neighbours, but as questions might come to not hide behind the bush...even Gandhi was not so convinced about the example he found in England, being guest with a Christian family...if I record that right (some though, it's anyway hard to "please"...just as a general comment)
Mother Theresa had also a "tough stand" : West Bengal/Calcutta was (is?) having a communistic orientated government, plus having quite a staunch Hindu community opposing conversions...neighbouring Orissa was proving last year, that the Christian communities can have quite some tough life and opposition...just to say, preaching is anyway not so welcome with some...on the other hand there are many young people who also question parts of their culture...like in any other country in the world and therewith are ready to "hear something different"
Completely wrong it is, to want fast/quick results/conversions, to have some success-story for the congregations back home...TF was similar in that regard...just quick stats.
To come to some point:
I feel, that the NT gives the detailed answers: salvation/everlasting life in God's presence is a gift, you can't work for it, that's a Pauline "stronghold"...nevertheless even he harps on it, that you cannot behave/act/live as you please, "other people are reading your bible"...as somewhat Erika has put it...that's where James is even a bit more outspoken perhaps...you need both..two sides of a coin
I figure, that in Christian history, various, big groups put the emphasis falsely on one or the other or mixed the importance of both up, e.g. the roman Catholics not pointing out enough, that you cannot labour for salvation...or the Lutherans/Protestants getting into a libertinism...which is still wrecking people's lives &nerves...being a bad example through your lifestyle, negating with your deeds what is written and therewith actually showing the own disbelief
...in the end, that is my niche...any Christian group keeping that in mind and balancing it aright