400. How to Evangelize to People of Other Religions - Pastor Kyungjoon Lee
This is quoted from Pastor Kyungjoon Lee's post on HCMI (House Church Ministry International) website. He is the director of HCMI Korea.
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It is rare for people to develop faith simply by hearing logical arguments, but when evangelizing to those of other religions, I explain as follows when necessary.
The common problem for all people is the fear of death and a sense of guilt. The reason we wore masks out of fear of COVID-19 not long ago ultimately stems from this fear of death. While people may not show guilt in their daily lives, when faced with serious illnesses like cancer or unexpected accidents such as traffic collisions or fires, the first thought that comes to mind is often, “What sin did I commit?” Or, “What sin did my ancestors commit?” Or even, “What sin did I commit in a past life?” Such thoughts reveal the pervasive sense of guilt and fear of death. Faith is what resolves these two fundamental problems.
If we were to name the greatest figures in human history, four are typically mentioned, often referred to as the “Four Great Sages”: Socrates, Confucius, Buddha, and Jesus. The teachings of these individuals differ significantly. Socrates emphasized “Know yourself,” Confucius advocated for “Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, Xin” (benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faithfulness), and Buddha taught the “Eightfold Path.” Socrates’ advice to “Know yourself” essentially means to understand one’s limitations, which is a moral teaching and has no direct connection to salvation. Confucius’ principles, such as Ren (benevolence)—having compassion and sharing kindness, Yi (righteousness)—feeling ashamed of wrongdoing and detesting evil, Li (propriety)—being humble and considerate, Zhi (wisdom)—discerning right from wrong, and Xin (faithfulness)—staying centered and trustworthy, illuminate how to live ethically and morally but do not address salvation. These teachings focus on morality and ethics, not faith.
Blindly opposing other religions is not a wise approach. Instead, it is better to understand and explain that other religions are primarily about ethics and morality. Buddhism’s central teaching, the Eightfold Path, underscores this point. It includes Right View (seeing things correctly), Right Thought (thinking rightly), Right Speech (speaking rightly), Right Action (acting rightly), Right Livelihood (living rightly), Right Effort (striving rightly), Right Mindfulness (observing rightly), and Right Concentration (focusing rightly). These are moral guidelines. Don’t these teachings resemble the wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs in the Bible? They do not offer salvation; they are about living righteously.
Faith must address humanity’s core issues: guilt and the fear of death. No other religion teaches that someone died to atone for humanity’s sins. All humans die once, as ordained by God, because everyone is a sinner. But Jesus bore our sins in His body and was crucified in our place. No greater proof of God’s love for us exists than this.
Moreover, no one else has risen from the dead. Only Jesus rose from the dead and now sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. When a prodigal son repents and returns home, the father runs out to embrace him unconditionally. However, some fathers might say, “You can only come back after earning back what you squandered.” Other religions are similar to such fathers—they demand good deeds, ascetic practices, or meditation. But these are doctrines born of human thinking and only teach moral living. However, humans cannot live entirely without sin. No amount of good deeds, penance, or meditation can solve the problem of sin.
Like the father who welcomed his prodigal son unconditionally, God gave His Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sins and freely accepts us. Therefore, there is no salvation in anyone other than Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life.
