Christianity Rediscovered

Posted by Sappho on October 29th, 2002 filed in Worship

Telford Work wrote, in a post on October 16th, about the perspective that the book Christianity Rediscovered, by Vincent Donovan, had given him on Islam.

It’s a book which has been on my mind lately as well. Last week, for my Education for Ministry class, I read about Cain and Abel, and I couldn’t help thinking of Donovan’s account of telling that story to the Masai, and their reaction (which I recall as basically “See! It’s the farmers who are at fault, in conflict with herders.”). I remember Donovan’s account of translating the stories and parables of the Bible into Masai cultural terms as both amusing and enlightening.

But the passage which I have been remembering lately is one where the Masai tell about their view of God – the God who favors the Masai, and defends them against those enemies of the Masai out there. Donovan, as I recall, speaks of a higher God, who loves all peoples. And one of the Masai challenges him, does he follow that God? And he is brought up short, for a moment, as he recalls all the ways Christians also make our God the servant of one country. No, he says, but we can learn to follow the high God together.

The combination of Donovan’s faith in Christ and his humility about himself and other Christians has stayed in my mind, and is something I frequently find myself calling to mind now.