A few years ago, a trip to the Middle East gave me an opportunity to get to know a number of Muslims who lived in Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries. The conversations that I had with some of those Muslims were rewarding, intense, and quite theological. We explored one another’s religious backgrounds, discovered significant differences, and even some similarities.

Today, within our neighborhoods and communities, the number of committed believers of other faiths is steadily increasing. We no longer need to travel to the Middle East or Asia to find passionate Muslims, Hindus, or other non-Christian believers. Some of them are right next door, and this new situation presents a crisis of faith for many of us.

I suspect that none of this would be a great surprise to E. Stanley Jones. He spent many years in India doing his best to “offer Christ” to those who did not know Christ, including the leader of India at the time, Ghandi. This great Methodist evangelist and missionary probably knew that the diversity of religions he experienced in India would soon enough find its way to the great social melting pot of America.

In the midst of religious diversity, I suspect that we are prone to chose from one of several extremes. We might, on the one hand, decide that theological integrity requires us to separate ourselves from those who believe differently. Pointing out our differences, our fear of being “unequally yoked” might prevent us from even becoming friends with neighbors who regularly attend temples, mosques, or even synagogues.

On the other hand, our desire to pursue unity, and even civic responsibility, might encourage us to set aside our differences and find the common ground. The uniqueness of Christ and his work on the cross for the salvation of the WHOLE world might well fade away in the passion of interfaith activity. Jesus’ call to make disciples of ALL nations might be neglected for fear of the offense that it might cause.

I believe that E. Stanley Jones can help us to navigate this new religious frontier. He ministered in colonial India, a country where Christianity was a marginal minority. Every day he rubbed elbows with Hindus and Muslims, many of them some of the most influential men and women in the country. He established retreat experiences called Ashrams, where people of various faiths came to talk and learn from one another. He created roundtable discussions for people to share their own religious story no matter what their faith.

But what I find remarkable about Stanley Jones was that in the midst of all this “dialogue” – which he considered so essential to establishing relationships with others – he never lost his passion to lead people to Christ. He never surrendered the centrality of Christ for the salvation of the world. He never put down other religions or called them false. But he always pointed to Christ as the final answer and kept offering him to friends and acquaintances. He even offered Christ through his friendship with Ghandi. It pained him dearly that Ghandi never accepted the offer.

Can we follow Jones’s lead? Can we become good friends with those who believe differently from us? Can we advance social causes through cooperation with people of other faiths? And, just as importantly, can we find the courage, in the midst of our friendships and dialogues, to offer Christ to ALL who do not know him?Maybe it’s time for the church to learn how to be witnesses again. Maybe we can teach them about the witness of E. Stanley Jones.

© 2007 Michael Weaver