Chiang Mai Orality Network

There is a peculiar village outside of Chiang Mai called “Village of Two Gods”. At first I wondered if there had been some kind of mythical battle in the past between two rival gods … a kind of Buddhist version of the “Battle of the Titans”. But it turns out there is a temple in this village that has two Buddhist images made out of different metals (usually there is just one main Buddhist image in a temple). As I reflected more, it reminded me of the tendency of the Thai to absorb and adopt whatever god they think can be of help. That is the reason why many Thai wonder if you can simply add Jesus to their pantheon of dieties. The exclusive nature of our faith (John 14:6) often ends up being a stumbling block to a Thai world view. To counter this, I often use a series of Thai proverbs to help them see why it is necessary to make a firm decision about who you follow as your master in life: 1) Step each foot into two canoes (chances are you’ll split right down the middle); 2)Love the older sister, but forfeit the younger sister (you may fall in love with the older one, but forfeit the cuter younger one); 3)Catch a fish with two hands (trying to do two things simultaneously).

In each case, the lesson is that one must make a clear choice in life, you cannot vacillate. Lot was sternly warned by two angels to flee Sodom, but in Genesis 19:16 it says he “hesitated”. Fortunately the angels pulled his whole family out of the city and even with that, Lot’s wife hesitated again and turned to a pillar of salt. Pray that our message to the Thai will be clear enough that they can easily see the uniqueness of the gospel and be able to make the correct and eternal choice of Jesus.

I just read a fascinating article called, “In Thailand, blood sacrifice is out, Strawberry Fanta is in. (https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-04-06/thailand-blood-sacrifice-out-strawberry-fanta) Most all Thai homes have a “spirit house” in which resident ghosts reside in order to protect a person’s property and in exchange for this service are served a variety of fruits, sweet meats, rice, coconuts, but especially Strawberry Fanta. If you see a number of bottles displayed, then no doubt someone in the residence is asking for a particularly important favor. None of this comes from the teaching of the Buddha, but instead can be traced to original animistic beliefs.

No one is sure why red is the preferred color, but in the article this explanation is given, “Bangkok office worker wishing for a raise isn’t going to slaughter a chicken and lay it upon an altar outside her condo. But she may very well swing by the 7-Eleven and buy the next-best thing — blood-red Fanta — to placate her guardian angels.” Some Buddhist take offense at this idea maintaining that these “angels” are strictly vegetarian and only demons would demand a blood sacrifice.  With such world views you can imagine how difficult it is to communicate why it was necessary for Jesus to shed his precious blood in order to satisfy the just wrath of God against sinners (1 Pet 1:18-19). Pray that the Thai will see that “ … without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Heb. 9:22).

I was teaching a Bible class in the evenings in Phuket, South Thailand. I had extra time during the day and so would frequent a Roti shop run by a young Muslim man. This man impressed me because he had a large Koran set out prominently on the table. I told him I enjoyed telling the stories concerning the various Nabi (prophets) of the Bible. I started by sharing the story of Abraham and Isaac from Genesis 22. He then asked me if I knew any story about Joseph and so I told him Genesis 39:16-28 (encounter with Potiphar’s wife). Next he wondered about Solomon, so I told him 1 Kings 3:16-28 (two prostitutes and a baby). After that he began to give me free rotis in exchange for a story like that of the flood of Noah. Do pray that the church in Phuket will follow up on this young man so that he might truly come to know Isa Al-Masih.

I was asked to preach on Thanksgiving/Harvest Sunday in a mainly tribal church in Chiang Mai called “Beulah Church”. It was impressive to see a huge mound of fruit pilled up at the pulpit that morning (Thailand is known for its abundance and variety of fruits – 28 varieties of Bananas!). I did not inform the pastor of my sermon topic, but since it was Thanksgiving I decided on Luke 17:11-19, the 10 Lepers Story. You can imagine my surprise when I entered the church and saw a huge poster of a scene from that exact story which had just been put up! I could have chosen a number of passages from various parts of the Bible that day to expand on a thanksgiving theme, but amazingly was led to this one. It was gratifying to have a few of the tribals come up to me after the sermon expressing an appreciation for presenting the story in a more oral/dramatic way. Do pray for communicators of the gospel in Thailand, that they would be able to incorporate drama, dance, music, proverbs and Biblical story telling into their presentations in such a way that it will really resonate with their listeners … Christmas is especially a good time of the year to use all of these approaches.

Before making a one day visa run to Bangkok, I prayed that I would have an opportunity to share Bible stories with the Thai I encountered that day. The first was a retired civil engineer in his early 50s who was going on vacation. The story I told to him was the Tower of Babel with an emphasis on the shoddy construction materials they used and the scattering of the nations.

The next was on the way to the Labour Department with a taxi driver who had never heard about the resurrection of Christ and so I told him both the crucifixion and resurrection account. The return trip gave me an opportunity to share with my 64 year old chauffeur. As often happens when they hear me speak Thai they say, “Oh, so you must have a Thai wife”. I revealed to him that I am a widower and have lived in Thailand for 30 years, and he inexplicably replied, “I had a wife, with also 3 minor wives in the past … but now I’m down to just one.” I ended up telling him the story of David and Bathsheba with all the repercussions that flowed into David’s life afterwards.

Finally, I sat next to a tall 27 year old Chinese/Thai business man named “Boat.” Boat grew up in Bangkok but had studied in China and now ran an export business to China. He showed me pictures of his beautiful Korean girlfriend who he has visited four times a year for the past seven years (he said they communicate in Mandarin). I asked him why he hadn’t gone ahead and married her and went on to show him pictures of my family and a bit about how my children had found their mates. I decided to tell Boat the story of Isaac and Rebecca, because it seems to be the clearest story in the Bible about the “dating” process.

In each meeting with these men, I handed out a gospel tract and encouraged them to pursue more stories and information from the Bible. Some had Christian friends and I urged them to talk directly with those who were believers.

My basic approach is to seek to start a winsome conversation and then insert a Bible story that fits their felt need or situation. Of course, in an hour long conversation we end of talking about lots of things and I am sometimes led to use a more apologetic approach. But mostly I go through my database of Bible stories and ask God for the one that fits best. My goal is not to force the entire gospel message into the conversation, but to at least present the Word of God accurately (which will not come back void…my own words do not have that same guarantee).

Then I pray that the gospel tract I leave with them will be read and they will follow up on my admonition to talk with a Christian they might know, search for information on the internet or attend a church. If I sense genuine interest then I may try to arrange another meeting with those that live near me.

There are many unreached people in Thailand. Telling Bible stories is one way for Thai Buddhists to learn who Jesus is and turn to him in repentance and faith. Many who hear the gospel in story and song then go on to tell others.

For a week I had been teaching orality at a conference and whilst going home on the last night I passed a couple on the side of the road. Feeling convicted that I should help them, I stopped and then reversed back to them. Their motorcycle had broken down and they needed a ride. The young man was a 19 year old Shan from Myanmar who had been in Thailand for 10 years. I asked if the girl with him was his younger sister and he said, “No, this is my 16 year old wife of one month.”  They both worked on a coffee plantation outside of Chiangmai.  I was able to tell this couple ‘The Good Samaritan’ story and was pleased when the young man answered my questions about why the two religious people walked by without helping. This couple thanked us profusely when they left our car.

The next day I caught a taxi in front of my condo.  A tourist was sitting in the back and I sat up front with the driver. The first thing the driver asked me was, “Why did that foreigner in the back give 1000 baht to a stranger?” as he had seen this transaction in his rear view mirror. When we dropped off the tourist and he paid the fare I said, “This driver is curious as to why you gave 1,000 baht to that Thai.”  The tourist simply said, “He needed it.”  This prompted a discussion with the driver about giving generously and freely to people who might not be that deserving.

I chose then to tell the driver of when Jesus was having dinner in the house of Simon the Leper and a notorious woman anointed Jesus’ feet.  In that story Jesus uses an illustration of a creditor forgiving a large debt out of simple generosity. I asked the driver a few questions about the story and then compared it to the “works” orientation of all world religions, including Buddhism.  When we got to the airport I tried to give him a tip; at first he refused and in the end would only let me give him a smaller amount.  I am praying he will read the tract I gave him and realize that his human works will never attain the righteousness that God requires and that the only way to experience true peace is by receiving the free gift of salvation through Jesus.

Photo source: ptownsend@flickr.com