J.H.Bavinck was a renowned Dutch Missiologist. His book, An Introduction to the Science of Missions, (1954) was translated from the Dutch and published in Philadelphia in 1960. It has been used as a textbook in many schools ever since and it is still in print. The following article is his perspective of those universal questions that all of us in one way or another seek to find answers for in our search for a meaningful life. We don’t have to agree with his categories to benefit from an understanding of just how similiar we are in some very basic instincts of life. The comments are from another book, The Church Between Temple and Mosque.
Man by virtue of his place in the world, must always and everywhere give answers to the same questions. He has to struggle with the basic problems which his existence itself entails. He is afflicted by grief and misfortune; he meets both adverse and prosperous conditions; deep in his heart he has a vague feeling of responsibility; he has to adapt himself to the course of nature; he is aware he is only a small being in the immeasurable greatness of the universe; and he knows very well that sooner or later death will knock at his door. Wherever he goes, he is surrounded by a multitude of questions, and although he has the power to escape from them for a certain time, he cannot help being overwhelmed by them at times. His being on earth is itself such an immense riddle that it threatens to crush him. The answers to all the questions with which he has to struggle may be different, but the problems themselves are always the same. And he has to respond to them, not only in his thinking and feeling but also in his whole attitude to life, in his acts and rites, in his existence itself; his whole way of life is a response. Therefore it stands to reason that this universal religious consciousness, with all its antagonisms and tensions, is something real and is to be found wherever men live and toil.
We have a lot to talk with people of other Faiths about. Somehow I have to believe that there must be a “civilized” way we can be who we are and let others know by our lives “whose disciples we are”. May the beauty of the Lord our God be seen in those who claim to know Him.
Read the article Religious consciousness by J.H. Bavinck
May 21, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Nice post!
Sometimes I feel evil forces are hardly working to separate people of different faiths from each other. I don’t know what benefit people get from insulting other faiths. As you know, since couple of decades ago, attacks on Islam, as a faith, has intensified by westerners. Since I have lived in the west for quiet a long time, I understand that these attacks and dark age behaviors is not any representative of civilized and faithful western and in specific Americans. But to be honest, most people in this side of the word don’t have this background and can not use such an analysis. They judge on what they see.
It is easy to pick a text from any holy book and separate it from the context and make a conclusion which is versus the real meaning of the text itself. In Quran, there are many verses asking people to defend when enemy attacks, I cannot comprehend how one would get the cause of terrorists from these verses!
I have come to a conclusion that many are using these events to reach their nasty goals of attacking other faiths and they hide their racist beliefs behinds these issues.
It is our duty to show that people are brothers and sisters all over the world, regardless of their faith.
May 6, 2010 at 7:56 am
See this 2010 Update-
The necessity for this same spirit of encountering others in the public forum on matters of faith is being recognized in the U.S…Sojourners has posted a civility covenant for Christian leaders to sign:
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.display&item=100308-civility-covenant
December 18, 2014 at 11:51 am
Advent 2014 – Listened to an incredible lecture by Alister McGrath on “double listening” that the Church must get better at for the sake of her Mission to the world! Recommended if you have time (1+hour)
December 18, 2014 at 11:53 am
Advent 2014 – Listened to an incredible lecture by Alister McGrath on “double listening” that the Church must get better at for the sake of her Mission to the world! Recommended if you have time (1+hour)
http://ustre.am/:3Km66
January 8, 2019 at 5:49 pm
Reblogged this on E4unity : A Prophetic Advocate for Unity and Peace and commented:
How will we answer these basic questions in the new year?