One hundred years ago, Mahatma Gandhi was asked by his friend Rev. Dr. E. Stanley Jones how the Christian religion might make greater inroads into the national and cultural life in India. Gandhi’s response was kind, grave, wise, and timeless. He suggested four things that are just as true—perhaps even truer—a century after he said them. Gandhi’s counsel to the Christian Church was this:
- I would suggest, first, that all of you Christians, missionaries and all, must begin to live more like Jesus Christ.
- Second, I would suggest that you must practice your religion without adulterating or toning it down.
- Third, I would suggest that you must put your emphasis upon love, for love is the center and soul of Christianity.
- Fourth, I would suggest that you study the non-Christian religions and cultures more sympathetically in order to find the good that is in them, so that you might have a more sympathetic approach to the people.[1]
Beautiful and true realities can get buried under foolish, inept, or toxic people and systems. How tragic for the world if the beauty and life of Christ gets covered by dullness, pride, or insensitivity. Those of us who claim allegiance to Jesus have a chance to live lives that lift the world and point to a greater reality. Perhaps Gandhi’s observant words can help us.
[1] E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Indian Road (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1925), 118-120 (Kindle edition).