Can we, as Christians, find beauty in the expressions of other faiths?
Saint Patrick is said to have used much of the existing pagan Celtic beliefs in Ireland in order to share the Gospel with them in ways they could understand and relate to. As the Irish came to faith, they brought us some of the most beautiful expressions of the Christian faith that the world has ever known.
The Apostle Paul, of course, first demonstrated this approach for us when speaking to the Greeks in Acts 17, commending them for how devout they were and then using their own religious beliefs and literature to introduce them to the Gospel.
In every faith, there are the beliefs of that faith and the expression of those beliefs. The expression flows out of a people's culture, environment, history and a host of other elements. Does the Bible require us to compose music? No, but Handel's Messiah is still a beautiful expression of our faith. Does the Bible command us to paint? No, but we are much richer for Rembrandt's "Return of the Prodigal Son".
Yes, there is always the danger of syncretism - where instead of fully embracing the Gospel, it is adapted and melded into the existing milieu of beliefs. But there's also the danger that we impose our own cultural expressions of faith onto people and stifle the artistry that could produce masterpieces like the Book of Kells.
When I see beauty on the grounds of a Buddhist temple - as in the photo above - it makes me wonder what that aesthetic might look like in the context of my own faith. What new and beautiful expressions of faith might we see as the Gospel captures the hearts and minds of people very different from ourselves?
Evan
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