Animism

It’s the day before Chinese New Year and our town’s markets are filled with red Chinese lanterns, packets of incense, bundles of fake $100 bills, paper offering baskets and other paraphernalia. Families gather together, cook special food, and burn offerings of incense and fake money to their ancestors to bring good luck in the coming year.

However, I am not in China. I am in another southeast Asian country that follows a form of Buddhism called folk Buddhism. The people incorporate animism, elements of Chinese ancestor worship, and Hinduism. In front of each house is a small spirit house for ancestral spirits or other friendly spirits who protect the home. Inside is a spirit shelf with offerings of fruit, incense, and alcohol for the spirits that guard the home’s inside. For people in our nation, life is a dance, tiptoeing through the realm of the spirits, trying to avoid the bad spirits and bad luck on the one hand, and wooing good spirits and good luck on the other.

“People of the Book”

Religions around the world can be divided into two categories: “People of the Book” religions, and everything else. “People of the Book” religions include Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, Mormonism, and Christianity. They share a common worldview: One Creator God gave us His law to live by, and He will one day judge everyone according to their deeds.

Missionaries working among “People of the Book” religions can build off the shared worldview. Questions like “How do you deal with your sin?” and “Do you know for sure where you will go when you die?” can create evangelism opportunities.

No Common Worldview

However, if missionaries working among non-“People of the Book” groups ask a gospel question like “Why should God let you into heaven?” it only causes a disconnect because it doesn’t fit into their worldview. It would be like someone asking if you’re going to shave your head when your father dies. So how do missionaries in such cultures do evangelism?

Starting from Scratch

In Acts 17, the apostle Paul also faced a culture with a very non-biblical worldview. He began by identifying God as the Creator of all things, to whom we are responsible because He has given us life. Having laid that foundation, he proclaimed Jesus as the One appointed by God to be the judge of all.

We need a similar approach in our animistic society. Our goal is to discern where a person is spiritually and to invite them to know more about God. We offer a Bible study covering foundational truths, starting with Genesis 1-3, and moving on to Christ. If they are interested, we take them through a more thorough Creation-to-Christ Bible study, such as Firm Foundations by Ethnos 360. It takes time before they can understand why Jesus came to earth as our needed sacrifice.

Engaging Animistic Cultures

Animistic cultures are not just on the other side of the world—people from those groups could be right next door. You might encounter people from animistic cultures at the hair salon, the mall, at college, or even down the street. So how can you be a witness for Christ to them?

First, don’t be afraid to talk with them. Learn to listen and understand where they are spiritually. In his book The Messenger, the Message, and the Community, Roland Muller suggests that we think of spiritual progress on a continuum. People may be (1) Not interested or even hostile, (2) Somewhat interested, (3) Actively seeking, and finally (4) Ready to trust Christ.[i] We should figure out where they are on the continuum and try to move them to the next step.

Secondly, prepare resources ahead of time that you can use when you meet people at Step 3. The Hope Story[ii] is a solid Creation-to-Christ video that has been translated into numerous languages. Ethnos360 has a very robust evangelism and discipleship program specifically for working with animistic and similar cultures.[iii] However, God did not give us the mission of simply handing people a resource and moving on. He intended that people reach other people with the gospel. Use the resources as guides and tools as you personally teach and interact with the person.

Above all, remember that no matter our differences, no matter how different the worldview, people are still just people. We all have the same sin problem, and we all need Christ to save us from our sins. The gospel is the same for the investor on Wall Street, the monk in the temple, the sadhu (holy man) on the riverbank, and the rickshaw driver on a dirt street.

[i] Taken and adapted from The Messenger, the Message, and the Community by Roland Muller, (pg 24)

[ii] https://www.mars-hill.org/the-hope/store/the-hope/grid

[iii] You can find the Ethnos 360 resources at: https://biblestudy.ethnos360.org/products/building-on-firm-foundations-volumes-1-9-bundle-download