Participants: Gary Krause (Host), Anees Abdelnour, Bradley Cacho, Cliff Maberly, Gregory Whitsett, Scott Griswold
Series Code: GMS
Program Code: GMS000106B
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00:01 Welcome back.
00:02 Next up, a fascinating interview in Bangkok, Thailand. 00:05 Thanks a lot, Gary. 00:07 Here with me in Bangkok, Thailand 00:10 is really a group that represents history. 00:13 It's good to have you gentlemen with me, 00:15 and happy that we have over 20 years of the history 00:21 of the Buddhist Study Center here. 00:23 Starting with Clifton Maberly, 00:26 who was, I think, the very first of the directors 00:30 of the Buddhist Study Center. 00:32 Cliff, what was it like when you first got here 00:35 and what kind of work did you do? 00:37 I was very daunted with the task 00:40 because we hadn't had one before 00:42 and we really didn't know much 00:45 about Buddhism at a high level. 00:47 So I decided to start the Center of Buddhism 00:52 next to the Buddhist University and attracted probably 00:56 50 or 60 Buddhist monks per day into the center 01:00 and we just listened and talked, 01:01 and listened and talked 01:03 and gradually began to understand 01:04 what Buddhism was at that level. 01:07 So the monks actually came to you 01:09 and you could exchange ideas and learn a lot. 01:13 They came and worked in our study center 01:15 and discussed things among themselves 01:18 and we discussed things with them as well. 01:21 How long were you here? 01:23 Seven years. 01:24 And in that time, it wasn't just in Thailand, 01:27 there were other projects in places 01:29 that you had influence there. 01:30 No, as I learned what Buddhism was at that level, 01:35 I used to do seminars and workshops 01:38 in probably 10 of the Buddhist countries, 01:41 different places here and there. 01:44 Well, next to you is Scott Griswold 01:47 who was here for some time too. 01:50 When did you come, Scott? 01:51 Came in 2002. 01:53 So you followed Cliff. 01:55 And what was the focus of your ministry 02:00 during the 10 years or so that you were here? 02:02 Well, with him working closely 02:04 with the level of Buddhist monks, 02:06 we felt a real need to work at the local level 02:09 where most of the Buddhist people are, 02:11 where they don't know as much 02:12 but they still have that background, 02:13 that's very much in their mind and it affects strongly the way 02:16 they're thinking about, 02:17 the message they're hearing, the Christian message. 02:19 So we need to try to help our church wrestle 02:22 through how do you speak to somebody 02:24 who is not from another Christian background 02:27 but somebody who's really, 02:28 has that eastern mind type of thinking. 02:31 So did some resources come out of that? 02:33 We started working on Bible studies, 02:34 on health approach, 02:36 different ways of trying to share, 02:37 and we ended up with materials like something 02:42 we call Bridge of Hope that starts 02:45 with no knowledge of God, no knowledge of the Bible 02:47 and then builds to an understanding 02:49 of the basic Bible truths. 02:51 It sounds like an approach where we're meeting somebody 02:54 where they are, which is a devout Buddhist, 02:57 but we're actually trying to carry them 02:59 through not only devoting their life to the Lord 03:01 but actually to be disciples 03:03 and there's a lot of gaps in there 03:06 from what we usually have-- create materials for. 03:10 So, where are you at now? 03:14 Back in the United States 03:15 where Buddhism continues to grow 03:17 and where people from many Buddhist countries 03:19 are moving and continuing to call people 03:22 to be involved, to think about the incredible beauty 03:26 of the Gospel of Jesus 03:27 and how it can be attractive to Buddhist people. 03:30 And now next to you is Greg Whittset, 03:32 and Greg was the one that followed you in the center. 03:36 And tell us a little about what's going on right now 03:39 with the center for East Asian religions. 03:41 Well, I have the advantage of building 03:43 on the progress of my predecessors 03:46 and I'm indebted to the lessons learned over the years. 03:50 As I kind of looked at it in my experience 03:53 and how, you know, where do you begin, 03:56 where do you add? 03:58 Came to the idea that really, maybe it's a good time 04:02 to survey where people are seeing needs are, 04:06 the leaders across the region here in Asia. 04:09 What are the issues that remain to be addressed 04:12 or that we need to continue to emphasize 04:14 if we are already, but need to keep 04:16 that at the forefront. 04:17 And so we're doing something exciting 04:19 and that we're inviting people to share their ideas 04:22 about what the issues are, 04:24 present those together in our annual conferences 04:26 and try to get more voices involved in addressing those 04:31 so that we can be more effective. 04:32 Even as we speak there's quite a group 04:36 that is gathered to have this conversation 04:38 and what's a specific emphasis this year? 04:42 Yeah, I'm very excited, 04:43 we have about a hundred leaders from across Asia here 04:46 focusing on the topic of Ministry to Mourners. 04:50 Reaching our East Asian brothers 04:52 during a time of funerals, 04:54 of grieving over the death of loved ones. 04:56 And this is actually perhaps the most important ceremony 05:02 or ritual in the Eastern religions. 05:05 It could be compared to Christian baptism, 05:08 so, but of course 05:10 it's a universal human issue, death 05:12 and then how do we deal with our differences 05:14 and minister to people. 05:15 Often times it's one of those key moments 05:19 where a person's heart may be open and if we, 05:23 if we can be appropriate 05:26 in how we respond to their grief, 05:28 we may be able to help them. 05:30 Exactly, that's right. 05:32 One question for each of you. 05:35 As you look forward now, what would your prayer be, 05:40 your hope for ministry over the next few years, 05:45 months and years? 05:48 Well, the fact that we're all three here shows 05:52 that we really need to continue to engage all people 05:59 who have a burden, to share Christ 06:01 with our East Asian brothers and sisters and so, 06:04 what I see in the future is a greater unity, 06:07 working together and realizing that the problem 06:09 is bigger than any one of us-- 06:10 we need to pull together. 06:13 Spending time looking at how to word our message 06:16 for Buddhist people has made that message 06:18 that we have come alive so much more to me. 06:21 And so it's my hope that as the church 06:24 continues to look at their neighbors 06:26 and figure out ways to reach out to them, 06:28 that they will find and experience a deep revival 06:31 of their walk with God and their understanding 06:34 and be able to share it powerfully 06:35 until it's finished. 06:39 I moved to Korea in order to be able to help them 06:44 reach out to Buddhists, 06:45 but they didn't and haven't. 06:49 And I put my spurs up on the hook 06:52 and haven't really thought much about 06:54 Buddhism for quite a while, 06:56 just preparing Koreans to be missionaries. 06:58 But Greg is dragging me back into this world 07:01 even though I'm off to Egypt now to get to be familiar 07:04 with Coptic Christians and Muslims. 07:08 I don't think he's gonna let me go, 07:10 so he's still gonna squeeze everything at me 07:13 that he can get so. 07:14 I think he's the one that we gonna look to 07:17 for the future of this project. 07:20 Gentlemen, Cliff, Scot, and Greg, 07:23 thank you so much for joining us, 07:24 really appreciate your time. 07:26 Gary, back to you. 07:28 Religious liberty is something 07:30 that's easy to take for granted, 07:32 but in many parts of the world it doesn't even exist. 07:35 Religious liberty is a fundamental human right 07:38 and it's something that is worth fighting for. 07:53 The Seventh-day Adventist Church 07:55 has an active missionary presence 07:57 in over 200 countries and territories. 08:02 But around the world religious hatred 08:05 exposes itself in countless ways. 08:16 If anyone says I love God 08:20 yet hates his brother, he is a liar. 08:23 For anyone who does not love his brother 08:26 whom he has seen, cannot love God 08:29 whom he has not seen. 08:33 Unfortunately, men never do evil 08:36 so completely and cheerfully 08:38 as when they do it from religious conviction. 08:43 But we hold true that religious liberty is a God given right, 08:47 the end of law is not to abolish or restrain 08:50 but to preserve and enlarge freedom. 08:53 For in all the states of created beings 08:55 capable of law, 08:56 where there is no law there is no freedom. 09:00 We believe in the natural and inalienable right 09:03 of freedom of conscience, 09:05 to have or not to have a religion. 09:08 To adopt the religion or belief of one's choice. 09:11 To change religious belief according to conscience 09:14 and to manifest one's religion individually 09:16 or in community with others. 09:19 Nevertheless, it's evident that freedom of religion 09:23 is increasingly under attack around the world, 09:26 diminishing our ability to pray, worship, 09:29 and share the love of Christ with others. 09:32 We sometimes see religion twisted in an attempt 09:35 to justify hatred and persecution 09:37 against other people 09:38 just because of who they are or how they pray. 09:41 But to harm anyone in the name of faith 09:44 is to diminish our own relationship with God. 09:50 Every faith is a candle we light in the public domain. 09:54 A little light drives away much darkness 09:57 and no one else's candle diminishes mine. 10:00 But if we all light our candles together, 10:03 we can turn a dark world into one full of light 10:07 and that is why working together 10:09 for the cause of religious liberty 10:11 is so fundamental and so precious. 10:16 In support of our efforts to defend religious liberty 10:19 for all people around the world, 10:21 we ask that you pray, that you write, 10:24 and that you rally because the world is a dangerous place 10:29 not because of those who do evil 10:31 but because if those look on and do nothing. 10:49 Well, thank you so much for joining us today 10:51 on "Global Mission Snapshots" 10:53 coming to you from the beautiful city 10:55 of Annapolis here in Maryland. 10:57 Please continue to pray for mission around the world. 11:00 Pray for the people and the places 11:02 that you see on this program. 11:04 Front line mission work can be exciting, 11:06 it can be invigorating but it can also be lonely 11:09 and at times even discouraging. 11:12 So it's encouraging to know 11:13 that there is a world church praying for you. 11:16 Before we go I'd like to offer you 11:17 the free Global Mission calendar. 11:20 This calendar is full of wonderful mission images 11:23 from around the world, 11:24 and it's a terrific reminder to pray for mission each day. 11:29 Well, that's it for today's program. 11:31 I am Gary Krause for Global Mission. 11:33 And I hope that you can join me next time 11:35 here on "Global Mission Snapshots." |
Revised 2015-03-26