Fatal Hindu Gospel Stumbling Blocks

Pani’s three unnecessary obstacles placed in front of the gospel by western missionaries are cultural superiority, rights and rebellion, and control. The problem of cultural superiority is portrayed as Western arrogance, demonstrated by narrow-mindedness and lack of teachableness versus Eastern humility. In Pani’s view cultural bias is demonstrated in the inability to differentiate between Hindu culture and Hindu religion.

The problem of rights and rebellion is depicted as a struggle between Western individualism, demonstrated in personal creativity versus Eastern community which views this individual expression as rebellion. Pani argues that Western protest mentality and imperialistic attitudes work together to build a church in India “liberated” from Hindu society. Pani contrasts what the Hindu sees as “social order”, the Protestant sees as “subjugation and despotism”. The Hindu sees assisting “rebellion”, the Western missionary sees assisting in “liberation”. Pani ends his argument on rights and rebellion by stating that, “the early church was focused on the liberation of the soul, not the exercise of personal rights.”

The problem of control is represented as an opposition between Western self-determinism and Eastern fatalism. The Western mindset intent on external control versus the Eastern mindset of self-control. Pani ends this section on control with the the statement that while, “one system teaches people to expect less of God, the other system teaches people more of self.”

D. D. Pani, “Fatal Hindu Gospel Stumbling Blocks” (IJFM, Spring 2001)