It is not uncommon in Indian homes to have a designated place for prayer. Sometimes it is a small room no bigger than a closet. My landlady kept idols at the base of her vanity desk that had a little compartment with two doors she would open each morning, light candles and recite prayers.
Muslims don’t have idols, but their concept of a communal faith is rich with ritual as they pray toward Mecca, recite prayers at the mosque or pray at the grave of saints like Nizamuddin Aluyia in Delhi.
What all of these examples represent, as well as countless other expressions of faith in animism, Buddhism and Christianity, is that many of these adherents worship communal god(s). Prayers to these deities are not personal in nature and the motivation behind their rituals is primarily for protection and blessing. In some cases their gods are family deities, in other situations their Supreme Being is an ethnic God, i.e., to be Wolof (Senegal) is to be Muslim.
Communal gods have been around since the beginning of time. It’s true that initially God sought a personal relationship with man when He created Adam and then Eve. Very soon thereafter, however, man began to worship the Creator as a distant deity that they prayed to in time of war or ritual festivals. What is interesting about Rachel taking her fathers idols when she married Jacob was that she had an attachment to these family gods (Genesis 31:32-53). By default, when God made Abraham the “father of many nations,” Jehovah became the communal God of the Jews as well as the collective Allah of Muslims.
One of great challenges in communicating the Gospel to others is explaining a “personal” God who loved each person individually and that He sent His Son to die for their own personal salvation. It’s easy for many Americans to grasp the concept of the personal God as we see the world as individualists. Cultures, which are collectivists by nature, have a more difficult time understanding anything but a communal deity. Perhaps one way to present Christ is through a collectivist mindset. How does one do that?
First, recognize that collectivists are multi-individualists. Though they live their lives in community every person has individual needs, tensions and private thoughts. Only when the stress of individual consequences becomes a reality will a collectivist be open to a personal God who cares for them individually.
Second, the concept of a personal God is best presented through personal relationships. A follower of Christ that has built a relationship with non-believers and who models a personal walk with God will have more impact on others more than impersonal methods of evangelism.
Third, and the most difficult thing to do, move the collectivist toward a personal God without intentionally diminishing the gods of people who they hold as a family protector. Missionaries make a huge mistake when they try to argue their case by dismissing the faith of others. Successful evangelism is seldom quick. To bring people to an understanding of a personal God is often a lifetime process.
Lastly, collectivists must not be pushed to be “extracted” from their community. Alan Tippett wrote 20 years ago,
"In communal society where the people have an intense awareness of the social group, where the group means social cohesion, security and the perpetuity in an uncertain world, one of the greatest cultural feelings of satisfaction is the idea of belonging, or HAVING A PLACE OF YOUR OWN IN THE GROUP, AND BEING ABLE TO PLAY YOUR OWN SPECIFIC ROLE IN THE GROUP LIFE. THIS IS WHY IT IS SO TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT FOR CONVERTS, WHO COME OUT OF THE PAGAN GROUP, TO FEEL THAT THEY ARE NOT WITHOUT SOME GROUP TO WHICH TO BELONG. THEY COME OUT OF SOMETHING INTO SOMETHING" (Introduction to Missiology 1987:78).
The challenges of communicating the reality of a personal God to those who view God communally are enormous. Our role as cross-cultural workers is to be aware of different views and finding the bridges of communication for the Gospel.
