Justice, Courtesy and Love:
Theologians and Missionaries Encountering World Religions 1846-1914
Publisher: Epworth Press
Author: Kenneth Cracknell
ISBN: 0-716-20501-7

Amidst the growing ranks of converts to the form of Vaisnavism known today as the Krishna Consciousness Movement, there are a scattering of several table-thumping fundamentalists who might go so far as to claim that we have absolutely nothing to learn from Christianity, either theologically or through accounts of their two thousand year missionary history. To those who hold such views, or are persuaded by others who hold them, I would simply say that if you think you cannot learn from another religious practitioner, merely because their faith is 'different', you may deny yourselves many vital instructions and opportunities for spiritual development. God often chooses to reveal Himself through the words of those of another faith particularly, it seems, when we acquiesce to some platform of comfort or stagnation within our own tradition. And that, to me, is what this book is all about.Justice, Courtesy and Love is, as the subtitle explains, an account of Christian missionaries during the last century as they encountered religious life in parts of the world which Europeans had only recently 'discovered'. In quite fascinating detail, Kenneth Cracknell, himself a former missionary to western Africa, charts the progress of missionary work to India, Africa and China in the 'great century' from 1846 to 1914.

This book is not about machete-swinging, perspiration-stained priests cleaving their way through cannibal-infested jungles. Neither does it tell a triumphal tale of how savages were 'saved for Jesus' (and subsequently 'saved' for colonialism, exploitation and European cultural values). Justice, Courtesy and Love describes how missionaries were first intrigued, perturbed, confused and then shocked to discover that those whom they had risked life and limb to convert already had profound theological ideas of their own. Kenneth Cracknell tells a tale of incremental changes to Christian doctrine in order to accommodate the undeniable fact that God was indeed working in mysterious ways - and not just in civilised Europe, but entirely beyond the Judaeo-Christian world.

His accounts of entrenched attitudes amongst the theologians of the day, their wrangling and disputes, and the new doctrines which gradually took shape as missionaries returned from foreign lands explaining that Christ had been at work before they got there, makes for fascinating reading. So too, does the appreciation which many early missionaries had for the faiths they encountered.

Naturally, as a devotee of Krishna, I was particularly drawn to accounts of preaching in India. Whilst I have often heard tales of myopic missionaries and their part in the domination of the sub-continent by the British Raj, I had never heard of those who deeply appreciated the godliness, serenity, saintly behaviour and self-sacrifice of those whom they had come to convert. Successive waves of missionaries wrote about the elevated doctrines they discovered: concepts such as God's incarnations, contemplation and meditative states, scriptural language and learning, along with magnificent temples and surrounding priestly communities dedicated to the service of the Divine. All of these things gave them food for thought, but also prompted much discussion as to how God had wrought these religious ideas and behaviours in the hearts and minds of men as yet untouched by both Old and New Testaments.

Having been a member of a missionary organisation myself for more than twenty years, I must admit to smiling in recognition as I read of the constant disputation and search for higher meaning within the body of Victorian theologians. ISKCON may not be perceived as a mission by its own members, simply because most of us are preaching in the country of our birth and not in strange and unfamiliar lands. Yet because the nature of our movement is to preach Vaisnavism (and to Vaisnavism, most would ascribe the term Hinduism), in predominantly Christian countries, we are in fact, rather curiously, replicating the efforts of those missionaries in reverse. Certain sociologists have already remarked on the strange karmic arrangement of modern-day Hindus preaching to Christians.

What intrigues me is how much of the theological discussion that went on within the early missionary community finds its parallel in a modern 'mission' like ISKCON. Taking into account certain theological verities defined in Vedic scripture, the same level of debate, argumentation and reconciliation is again at work, this time amongst Europeans who liberally use Sanskrit terminology instead of Latin or King James' Biblical English. Unfortunately, as in the case of our Christian brothers of the past, theological wrangling is often generated not by the desire for genuine empathy and understanding, but out of a desire to preserve one's cherished worldview at any cost. As a consequence of such pride, even discussions of God Himself can descend into political haranguing and splintering within the faith community.

Kenneth Cracknell's book is thus an opportunity for us to learn history, and thereby to not repeat it. It reveals that it is indeed possible to love Christianity even more than Truth itself, and cautions Christians not to resist change when such changes bring them nearer to true understanding and practice. Vaisnavas can also heed this caution. God does indeed live and speak within the hearts of others, and a successful preacher is entreated to look beyond the external differences of language, dress, architecture and culture to realise this fact.

Justice, Courtesy and Love should also reveal to devotees of Krishna that amongst the Christian community there have always been, and always are, those who have deep and genuine respect for Vaisnava bhakti, seeing it as non-different from their own highest aspirations. Srila Prabhupada was always hopeful of the message of Lord Caitanya being accepted by leaders of society, and a reading of Kenneth Cracknell's book should prove to us that dialogue with leading theologians, if undertaken with justice, courtesy and love, will result in long lasting respect and understanding amongst us all.

Krpamoya Dasa  

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The Lost Art of Church Fund Raising
Publisher: Precept Press
Author: Ashley Hale

'A million dollars at the end of the rainbow.' I'm a believer in sadhana bhakti. How about you? What I mean is that if you find a pure devotee and follow his instructions carefully to the letter, you are guaranteed success in devotional service. And if you read The Lost Art of Church Fund Raising by Ashley Hale and follow his instructions, you will find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's a complete 'How To' on capital fundraising, and it works.

I especially appreciated Hale's emphasis on empowering the congregation to do the asking, keeping the priest as a spiritually detached adviser. The chapter headed 'Planning that works' should be required reading for every ISKCON leader considering a capital fundraising campaign. Hale also takes the reader step-by-step through the fundraising process, beginning with searching for congregational leaders who can spearhead the campaign, to seeking donor prospects. There's even a section on the difference between excuses for not giving and reasons for not giving, and how to react to both. This book is both philosophically sound and practically useful.

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