'May we love our neighbours from different faiths and bear witness humbly'
 

BMS World Mission General Director Kang-San Tan has co-authored a new book called Humble Confidence that explores apologetics from an interfaith perspective. He explains more

 
Benno van Toren and I had the privilege of co-teaching apologetics and world religions in Malaysia, India, and Netherlands. Benno served as a missionary in Africa and is a professor of intercultural theology in the Netherlands. I was converted from a Buddhist family, grew up among Muslim friends in Malaysia and currently serve in the UK with BMS World Mission.

We felt there was a gap among Christian apologetic texts as they mostly focused on valid questions and objections raised by a small group of intellectual audiences in Western societies.

When we submitted our manuscript to IVP, the editors were enthusiastic in affirming that not only do we need a resource that addresses apologetic issues from within the aspirations, hopes and questions of different world faiths, but also one that seeks to commend the attractiveness and relevance of Christ in cosmopolitan and multireligious world in the Western contexts.

Humble Confidence: A Model of Interfaith Apologetics is divided into two main sections: Reimagining interfaith apologetics and Contextual apologetic witness to particular audiences.

We propose a model of contextual apologetics as an accountable witness (to Christ and the Christian good news) as well as one that is humbly taking different faiths perspectives and varied contexts seriously. We tried to illustrate this model with case studies and stories of conversions from different faith traditions (primal religions, Hindu, Muslim, and Buddhists)as well as how deep engagement with alternative worldviews could happen and enrich interfaith witness.

Although the focus was on world faiths, we devoted a chapter on how it could be applied to Western and (other) secular worldviews.

We seek to ground our apologetic approach not in abstract concepts but rather in the lived experiences of dialogue and sensitive learning from different faiths contexts, while at the same time on the particularity and the relevance of the Christian good news within God’s salvific plans for all of us. Witnessing within world faiths require us to reflect theologically on the relationship of the Christian gospel with different faith traditions. Should we see them as idolators and demonic vessels against the truth of God’s revelation? Or should we see them as fellow pilgrims of God’s future world? Can we expect truths, errors or lies?

We will conclude that multiple perspectives are needed to do justices to the complexities of dialogue and witness in multifaith contexts.

We hope churches as well as seminaries will be able to use it for small group studies, aided through study questions and further readings. Our prayer is God will use the book to sustain our confidence in the relevance and uniqueness of Christ, as well as help us to develop sensitivity to the variety of contexts in which we share our faith.

May we love our neighbours from different faiths and bear witness humbly, may we discover again and again that “he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26) and how grateful we are that “he has given assurance to all by raising him (Jesus) from the dead”.
 

Humble Confidence: A Model for Interfaith Apologetics by Benno van Toren and Kang-San Tan is published by Downers Grove: IVP, 2022

A book launch for Humble Confidence takes place at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies on 16 March (3-4.30pm). 

There will be an interview and Q&A with the authors, and talks by the Revd Seidel Abel Boanerges (Spurgeon's College) and Dr Cathy Ross (Church Mission Society).

The event will be chaired by Richard McCallum, Director for the Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies.

All are welcome.