Evening star., 1925-01-29
MISSIONARY ASKS
CHANGE IN METHOD
Says East Must Be Taught
Church Does Not Aim
at Culture.


native churches in non-Christian
lands and for a sweeping revision of
missionary methods stood out prom
inently IN addresses delivered at to-
days session of the foreign missions
convention at the Washington Audi
torium.
A caustic arraignment of some
methods hitherto used in approaching
non-Christian peoples was brought
before the audience of more than
5000 persons, representing every Prot
estant denomination, by Rev. DR.. Z.
Stanley Jones from India
He emphasized that a keen appre-
citation of the native civilization was
needed in missionary work and told
how the issue had been clarified in
recent years by showing the people
of India that missionaries were not
attempting to raze the civilization
built up in that country in placing
Christ before them, but that Christ
and Christian doctrines were being
brought entirely independent Of west
ern civilization.
Quotes Mahatmn Ghandf.
Then he quoted what Mahatma
Ghandi, leader Of the Indian move
ment of passive resistance, had told
him personally:
IF you come to US as Christ came
But Ghandi added four other re-
quisites-Christians to convert nom
Christians, must live more like Christ
lived; they must practice the Chris
Tian religion without adulterattng 1t
or toning IL down; emphasis must be
placed on love, the central thing IN
Christianity as a working force, and
a sympathetic study must be made of
the non-Christian religions so that
ThaYa Will 10 hlYrnharingr
OF non-Christians by missionaries.
AS a result, DR.. Jones said, mis-
sionaries are not trying today to
make the East a pale copy of the
West, but to offer Christ for the
East to interpret for her own"
Sees Motives Often Lost.
mission motives and aims are often
misunderstood in the East" he eN-
planned. Sometimes we are thought
of as furnishing the religious side to
imperialism. Many Of the non-Chris-
tians suspect that we are in the pay
of governments, others that big busi-
ness is behind US as the forerunners
of later exploitation. 1t is well that
we therefore clarity the issue and
make known our aims and motives.
First, we are not there to western
ize the East. ! would not turn over
my hand to westernize the East.
Again, we are not there to i'm
plant western forms of Christianity
in the East with no other alternative
but to accept them whether or no.
The finished product of the differ
ent faiths might be stated as follows:
Greece said, BE moderate-know thy
self Rome said: BE strong-order
thyself Confucianism says: BE su-
perior-correct thyself.' Buddhism
saws: BE lusioned-annihilat
myself Hinduism says: BE sep
arated-merge thyself.' Mohammedan-
ism says, BE submissive-bend
thyself' Judaism says: BE holy
conform thysef.' Modern material
ism says: BE industrious-enjoy
thyself.' Modern diletantism says:
BE broad-cultivate thyself.' Chris
tianity says: Be Christlike-give thy
self
IF the end in view Of the Christian
missions is the production of CHRIST
like character in the world, we nave
no apology to make for that aim, for
we know nothing higher for God or
man than to be Christlike."
Asks Race Harmony.
J. H Oldham of London, secretary
of the International Missionary Board
and editor of the International Mis-
sionary Magazine, pleaded in his ad-
prejudices. Summarizing the progress
of the last 100 years in missionary
work, he showed that the doors of
the Orient were now open, but that
race prejudices might act as a bar
rier today unless rooted out.
Give Christ a chance to transform
the situation in which we find our
selves today" he urged. IF we wish
to be Christian, We must see non
Christians as Christ saw them, as In
teresting human beings and equal as
human beings to all other human be-
ings. The great need is for re-human-
izing mems relations with one an
other This alone will not solve racial
problems, but 1t will set a great Gre
ative force at work in the world which
will go far toward this end. Root out
false ideas and implant the true
ideas"
The topic Of discussion today was
"Christ: The Solution of the Prob
lens of the World" This aspect of
Christianity as IL relates to indi-