Buddhism

I strongly suggest you get this tape of workshop given at a 2001 conference I attended (and where I also did workshops). The speaker gave excellent and insightful information on talking to Buddhists about the Gospel.

Go to this link:
http://www.emnr.org/forms/2001tapes.htm

The title of the talk is "Explaining the Gospel to Buddhists: the Message of Ephesians." This page is an order form you can print out.

Contact info for getting the tape:
Evangelical Ministries to New Religions
913 Huffman Road
Birmingham, AL 35215

Phone: 205-833-2858
Fax: 205-833-8699
Email: [email protected]


[The workshop leader is an Eastern Orthodox priest, and I have big issues with that particular theology, but that does not come into play at all in his talk]. He had spent several years in Asia and knew what he was talking about.

 

Hi, USMC71.

I've tried to comment on this twice. The first time, several days ago, the old "server busy" bug killed it. Then earlier today our power went out.

Anyway, I've seen Buddhists saved over the years, but Japanese Buddhism is no doubt quite different from what you are experiencing. They do everything differently here. Japanese Buddhism is typically simple ancestor worship, and the average Japanese couldn't say a sutra or a Zen koan to save his life!

Tell me more about the Theraveda Buddhism you are seeing there and I'll tell you if I see similarities. :type:

 

Most of those claiming to be Buddhists here in South Korea are also nominal . Adults say that their grandparents are ( or were ) devout , but the majority of so-called Buddhists here are just in name . I have noticed that some Americans have become Buddhists and have a platform to air their errant beliefs on TV for the edification of none . The nonsense they spout is truly appalling .

 

Going through some computer files, I found this that I had written to someone in a letter a few years ago. Maybe it will help.

Reaching Buddhists​

In many ways reaching Buddhists is just like reaching other people groups in that it is spiritual warfare and we need spiritual weapons. (Eph. 6:12) The most important weapons for evangelizing Buddhists are: the Word of God, which can pierce the hearts of Buddhists as well as anyone else (Eph. 6:17, Heb. 4:12); the fullness of the Holy Spirit, Who is the one who works on Buddhist hearts for salvation (John 16:7-11); prayer (Eph. 6:18), without which no one will be won to Christ, much less Buddhists; the Gospel itself, which has tremendous psychological power as well as spiritual power (Rom. 1:16).

Beyond the directly spiritual things listed, I do find there are other things we can do that are effective. The primary help is to know Buddhism. It is hard to reach people for Christ if you do not understand their thinking, in particular where they are spiritually. Therefore, anyone seeking to reach Buddhists should know at least something about Buddhism. However, the problem is that there are so many sects in Buddhism (as in Christianity), and even the sects differ according to country, that it is impossible to know.

Because of this, my approach has been three-fold. First of all, I have read much of the supposed writings of Buddha himself, collected by his disciples centuries after his death. Very few Buddhists have done this, so thus I am able to intelligently teach them about the founder of their own faith and compare him to Jesus.

Secondly, I have studied the Buddhist doctrines of Heaven and Hell, and am thus able to make the link from Buddhist doctrine (which says very little about how to get to either place) to the Gospel. Thirdly, I have studied the various festivals and ceremonies which are common to virtually all Buddhists, which helps me to witness intelligently to Japanese Buddhists who are only cultural Buddhists.

An example of how this works is Mr. Ueno, who was baptized on Sunday. His wife died in March. She was a Catholic, but had not been baptized, and so was not allowed to be buried in their cemetery. We were able to arrange for her to be buried in our church grave, which was a great comfort to Mr. Ueno. Then when I explained the Bible doctrine of Heaven (and compare it to the Buddhism he knew), and that his wife, if she truly believed in Jesus Christ to forgive her sins, was at rest in Heaven, he was greatly moved. This is what led him to Christ.

 

Japanese Buddhist doctrine is quite different, influenced by Confucianism to worship the ancestors, by Shinto to worship nature and even by Nestorian Christianity in China centuries ago to have a Paradise and Hell in some sects.

Japanese are also quite superstitious. In a sports store in our town they sell WWJD bracelets, calling them a Christian "amulet!"

Same here. Japanese face ostracism in many cases if they become Christians. I was thrilled the other day to learn that one of our families has finally told the wife's parents that their kids will not worship at the family shrine and they will not receive the shrine when it is handed down. This took great courage! raise: