BISHOPS IN METHODISM

 

A Celebrity cricketer’s spouse has shared her personal testimony, which has provoked reactions from both non-Christians and Christians that are both favorable and bad. In a nation where the acceptance of God or the rejection of God is the norm, we must learn to listen to and learn from one another's religious perspectives. If we fail to do this, we risk inciting unnecessary religious war in Sri Lanka.

It is a practice in our nation, no matter what creed we follow, to seek the blessings of our religion for both national and personal events in our lives. While some have limited it to one’s personal preference of religion, others have acknowledged the importance of bringing a multi-religious atmosphere to such events, enabling everyone to find their religious identity.

With the claims of certain individuals that the positive outcome of a particular event is due to their personal religious pleadings, there seems to be an uproar from certain other religious or non-religious groups expressing their disapproval of such claims. They are asking, "What about the blessings of our religion?" "Have they not produced results?" Such queries are now on the increase and cannot be ignored.

A Christian's life includes the practice of testifying to one's personal experience with God through prayer.Some testify publicly while others do it very privately on a one-to-one basis. What really matters is using that opportunity to bring glory to God and encourage others to taste and see how good the Lord is. It is not an attempt to disregard or ridicule another’s faith practices. The problem arises when a non-Christian is made to feel that an attempt is being made to "rub it in my face."

What has gone wrong now is when someone seeks personal glorification or denominational propaganda through the genuine personal experiences of another. Therefore, people who are both Christians and non-Christians have started reacting negatively to this. They know that certain Christians (not all), especially some pastors and so-called prophets, have tried to gain personal mileage out of such testimonies. This must be stopped!

The church must learn from Christ that he did not seek unnecessary publicity through the healings and miracles people received from him. Very sadly, certain Christian individuals and denominations do quite the opposite, seeking to gain popularity by making the personal testimonies of others go viral.

We Christians who share our testimonies must strive to keep the focus and spotlight of the testimony on God and give him all the glory for what has taken place.

In a secular world that seeks better human interactions, it is always profitable to share our experiences with others. Such sharing has been very enlightening, especially in terms of shedding new light on other options available in each situation and encouraging others to do the same.

In the Christian faith, the sharing of personal testimonies is also carried out almost along the same lines with a few additions. "I prayed, and God answered my prayer," and "When I couldn't make a decision, I prayed to Jesus, and He led me / guided me to move in faith" are two examples of extra inputs.Just as we Christians take joy and pleasure in sharing our personal experiences in our comfortable zones and languages, we have to be mindful that there are others who are not on the same wave length and who will have difficulties with what we say, throwing various questions that seek answers. We Christians become very uncomfortable over such questioning most of the time. We tend to become very judgmental over such reactions.

It is my humble opinion that our Christian practice of preaching and sharing testimonies should also bring in opportunities for further sharing and discussion, "Dharma Sakachcha," which seems to be practiced in Buddhism to some extent after their Bana preaching. We preachers prefer to be monologues in our preaching, for which we have been trained. After our sharing, we are appreciated as good preachers or testimony bearers, which thrills us! But very sadly, everything ends there, and the people go home with so many unanswered questions. It is the same with the sharing of testimonies.

The time has now come to develop a system where there is dialogue, giving people room to discuss what we share. I do not mean to imply that there should be a time for questions and discussion immediately following the testimony or sermon because they are done in a worship setting and atmosphere. However, when the worship service is over, another half hour or a little more can be spent on such interaction.

St. Peter, in his first epistle, Chapter 3:15, encourages us to create space for dialogue as follows: "But in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord." Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to explain the reason for the hope that you have. "But do this with gentleness and respect."

Providing a "defense" or giving an "answer" for one’s hope is based on the Greek word "apologian," which carries the idea of "defending" something as a lawyer would defend his case in court. From the Greek word comes the English word "apologetics," "the discipline of defending" the Christian faith. Peter does not say that the job of giving an answer is only for the pastor or professional apologist. All Christians need to be prepared to give an answer when someone asks them the reason for the hope that they have. To suitably answer someone who asks about one’s faith, the Christian must use "gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience." There’s no place for harshness or disrespect in a Christian’s life, especially as he represents Christ and gives an explanation of his faith.

May these thoughts not only throw light to my non-Christian readers but also to all Christians, having a soul-searching effect to find better understanding and a grip on the whole issue of sharing personal testimonies.

Rev. Asiri P. Perera

November 22, 2022