Through an imaginative dialog between six men with different worldviews, Praveen Raju of the Sakshi Times illustrates the implications of each in relation to the meaning and destination in life. At the Indian international airport, in a small restaurant,  five people are seated  around a long table relishing steaming tea . There is also a sixth person seated in a corner, on the next table, mutely watching  everyone. The announcer in her concerned yet pleasant voice apologizes the passengers for bad weather and thick fog  and  announces  in a regular and serious tone concerning flight  delay for about three hours. Suddenly, when the announcement was over, one of the five, Mr. Atheist, bangs the table and yells … 

I am a follower of Christ and my life must reflect that truth whether I am working at my job, shopping at the mall, throwing a party, attending classes at university, serving in church, hanging out with friends, deciding on a career, choosing a spouse or in any other activity of life. And I won’t need to label all my activities as ‘Christian’ because such labels are unnecessary and rather lame. It is understood that because I am a follower of Christ, everything I do will comply with the standards and values I profess to hold. If your walk with God is simply a part you play, an act, getting in and out of character is as easy as changing clothes. If it’s who you are, it doesn’t change with circumstance. Don’t fall into the trap that separates the spiritual and the secular. Being a Christian isn’t just a part of who I am—it is who I am.

Undeniably, Jesus lived an exemplary life. He made claims of himself that remain extraordinary and startling, though reasonable and profound. We need only to read some of the autobiographies of great men and women who have gone before us to see that they were subject to the same moral frailties distinctive to you and me. Yet nothing of the sort is said about Jesus, a fact that pierces heart, mind, and conscience. Of this, historian and skeptic William Lecky writes: "[Jesus] has exercised so deep an influence that it may be truly said that the simple record of three short years of active life has done more to regenerate and soften mankind than all the disquisitions of philosophers and all the exhortations of moralists. This has indeed been the wellspring of whatever is best and purest in the Christian life."(2) We cannot but come to the conclusion that Jesus was far from typical.

So what are the alternatives? Obviously it would be foolhardy to expect one to go back to the days of the bullock cart. To be sure one cannot entirely abandon reliance on fossil fuels for economic activity must go on. But if Pachauri words are to be taken seriously how can we cut emissions immediately and drastically? Wasteful use, for one, can be avoided. What are the areas you recognise wasteful use of energy? How could you alter those habits? That, you may say, is only a drop in the ocean! But isn’t the ocean made up of droplets of water? If large numbers do take action then we will most certainly make a difference. Besides acting we can also advocate greener lifestyles. What are the practical ways in which you could encourage your local church to promote greener lifestyles?

Often, many people view the resurrection of Christ merely as an historical event that supplies us with Christian doctrine without understanding the vast implications it has for believers. The following points will attempt to make the implications of the resurrection of Christ much more real and practical to us. When I experience the resurrection of Christ my personal values begin to change to more reflect the heart and character of God. What I once valued as a priority now becomes low priority so that eternal things can take the ascendancy. Jesus said that the things honored by man are detestable in the sight of God (Luke). Where once possessions possessed me, now I own nothing and steward everything. Where once I wanted to express my persona, now I want Christ in me to shine. Where once I lived for today, now I live in eternity. Where once I wanted to live for my purposes, now I endeavor to die to self for His purposes.

In Passion of the Christ, Jesus appears helpless – a victim of religious hatred and intolerance; a victim of social power-play between religious orders clamoring for a shrinking social space in the face of alien occupation; and a victim of a Roman governor who reflected his own insecurities of political failure, nonetheless different from the Empire he represented in the troubled Roman outpost. Why couldn’t God help Jesus? Where was God when Jesus was falsely accused and unjustly punished with a death penalty? It hurts to see BAD things happen to GOOD people. Even today, there are many whose right to life itself is crushed by forces of systematic evil, which constantly re-invents itself and continues to threaten hope for new life. Jesus’ pain and powerlessness and his consequent death raise a question, ‘Where is God when it hurts?’

The primary call for the Indian-Christians is to make the gospel relevant to Indians. The gospel needs to be 'situated' in our language and culture if it has to be 'acceptable' to Indians. What is worrisome is the uncritical 'Americanization' of the gospel if not the McDonaldization of the gospel – 'same gospel everywhere'. We trust the 'tried' and 'tested' American gospel to work a miracle in India. Do not get me wrong. This is no smear campaign. There's nothing wrong with American Christianity itself. It is its uncritical application in the Indian context that causes me to raise the alarm. The point I am making is that 'localized' flavor is essential to reach out to a larger audience. It is important to be sensitive to local 'tastes' and 'preferences' and serve local needs. Indian curry is popular in England but one finds curry served in London 'less-Indian' than what is normally served in India. It is cooked to 'please' British taste buds.

I had contracted a disease, which the doctors couldn’t explain. After two years of unsuccessful treatment, I decided I had had enough and asked the Lord to heal me, and I decided to trust Him only. And true to his word my Lord kept His word and healed me totally. Then a few months later I developed boils, which would ooze with blood and puss. I once again placed my trust on the Lord and asked Him to heal me. And miraculously the Lord healed me completely. Only the scars remain . . . I am a living example of the power and faithfulness of God. It’s no fairy tale, it’s real life, it’s not hearsay. I am a first person witness to this miracle.

When I used to wear the hijab as a young Muslim woman, I thought it was pretty cool. I felt protected, modest and feminine. I no longer do so, as I have become a Christian and have seen with greater clarity the negative side of Muslim attitudes towards women . . . . When I was growing up in Pakistan, I encountered a lot of sexual harassment. There was no redress. My mother just told me to be quiet and walk on, or else men would gather and gawk at me in the most humiliating way. Since I came to the United States twenty years ago, I have not worn the hijab, and I have never personally had any bad experiences. Although the United States is far from being a convent, I feel freer and more relaxed among the Christians here than I ever did among Muslims, either in Pakistan or the US. 

Often it appears that we are Christian in confession (profession and preaching) and Hindu in conduct (practice) – there seems to be a chronic belief-behaviour or preaching-practice inconsistency and the gap seems unbridgeable. It is disgraceful and painful. No wonder Mahatma Gandhi challenged the Indian Christians by saying, ‘show me one true Christian and I assure you that whole of India will become Christian’. There is certainly exaggeration in this, but there is also a great deal of truth. . . .