Become World-Class Christians—Part 10
READINGS – Part 1
Ramji is small of stature and of dark complexion. He lives in a one-room house made of sun-baked clay. His ancestors are the aborigines of Western India. His language is an unwritten tongue called Mouchi. Ramji ekes out starvation rations for his family from a small parcel of overworked, undernourished soil which has been passed down the family line for generations. Jungle roots and occasional chunks of wild boar meat supplement the family diet.
Waghdev, the tiger god, is Ramji’s tribal deity. His sincere devotion to Waghdev is astounding. Though he has never seen a Hindu hymnal, Ramji can be heard singing the praises of his deity at almost any time of the day. Though he has never read any books about Waghdev, he has an amazing wealth of information concerning him.
Ramji has never studied for the priesthood, yet he faithfully offers sacrifices to his god. He is as meticulous•about the place, the time and the way in which he carries out his religious ceremonies as if he were guided by a manual of ritual. His annual blood offering (a slain chicken) is made in the hope that the tiger god will not molest his one pair of bullocks and 11 goats.
Strange, isn’t it, that you have never heard of Waghdev when there are so many like Ramji who worship him so devoutly? No, it’s not strange at all, for Waghdev is only a tribal deity. He is worshiped within the confines of a small geographic circle. Nor have his devotees ever dreamed of the necessity of proclaiming his virtues to others. Waghdev’s responsibilities are definitely localized.
As a missionary to India, it has been my privilege to gather information on numerous tribal deities. Frankly, the more I have learned about most of them, the more thankful I’ve been that their influence is circumscribed. But I have become more and more concerned about one particular tribe of people. Numerically they are a much larger group than any Indian tribe of which I know. They are widely scattered and possess a great diversity of languages.
The religion of the group which concerns me has little in common with the other religions of the world. There is, however, one apparent similarity between the followers of Waghdev and this larger group; it is their indifference toward the proclaiming of the virtues of their religion to others. Let’s scrutinize for a moment the religious practices of a typical devotee within this tribe and see how they compare with those of Ramji.
For the sake of convenience, let’s call this fellow Anthony. Our first contact with him convinces us that he is deeply religious. He is faithful to his ritual responsibilities and sensitive to spiritual values. His religion has made a commendable contribution toward his good way of life.
But let’s listen to Anthony’s prayers. His requests are woven around a tight little circle of loved ones and friends. They seldom reach beyond his localized situation and never—just never across the ocean. Obviously his god is a tribal deity.
Are sacrifices and offerings a part of Anthony’s worship? Indeed they are, and he is faithful in them. That is, as long as he can see some practical and personal benefit from them. If they will provide a more commodious place of worship for him, if they will lessen the amount of juvenile delinquency in his community and if they will provide schools where his children can become indoctrinated in his religion, then he is quite ready to give. In watching Anthony offer his sacrifices, one is convinced that the one who is the object of his worship is only interested in the local tribe.
It is already obvious to you that the tribe to which Anthony belongs is that large, gifted, and God-blessed group of people called Christians. It is that group which has been chosen of God to be a witness of the grace of Christ to every tribe, race and nation. But Anthony, who is so typical of many in his tribe, seems as indifferent to a world without Christ as Ramji is to a world without Weghdev.
To Anthony God is bilingual, speaking only the language of heaven and English. God has no concern about getting the Gospel into other languages. God is nearsighted, seeing only the needs of men and women in the English-speaking world. God is limited in His capacity to love and partial in His desire to receive worship. He is provincial and nationalistic.
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Get with It, Man, Don W. Hillis, Moody, pages 22-25.
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Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?
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