In the Bible, the general understanding of “witnessing” is construed as suffering martyrdom while proclaiming the Good News.

Matthew 28:18-20 is popularly known as the Great Commission, a command given by Jesus to his apostles to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the triune God.

“Commission” in itself means a responsibility and the authority to carry the same out.

Therefore, witnessing or proclaiming is not an option but an obligation to the One who has entrusted God’s people with the task of establishing His kingdom on earth.

It challenges them to witness effectively in a pluralistic society and the possible ways of coping with it. Therefore, it is important to understand what pluralism is.

In social sciences, pluralism is a framework of interaction in which groups show sufficient respect and tolerance of each other that they fruitfully co-exist without conflict or assimilation.

Arguably, pluralism is one of the most important features of modern societies and groups and may be the key factor for progress in scientific, societal, and economic developments.

Religious pluralism is a belief that neutralizes religious differences and denominational conflicts within religions.

For most religious traditions, religious pluralism is essentially based on a non-literal view of one’s religious tradition, hence allowing respect to be engendered between traditions, especially on core principles rather than marginal issues.

It is perhaps summarized as an attitude which rejects focus on immaterial differences and gives respect to beliefs held in common.

It is alleged that because we live in a pluralistic society, we have no moral right to try to change a person’s beliefs.

It is often said that we should rather pursue dialogues in a multi-faith context on the assumption that all beliefs are equally valid.

The primary barrier for the Gospel in a variety of settings is ideologically driven pluralism.

This does not merely extol the virtue of understanding and appreciating cultural differences. Virtually everyone agrees on that.

Pluralism holds that distinct cultural beliefs are true for that culture, but not for cultures that operate out of a different paradigm.

Pluralists say truth is a “social construct.” It is created through social consensus and tradition, not discovered in reality that exists independent of our beliefs.

Therefore, it is the height of arrogance to try to convert someone from other paradigm to Christianity (or to some other tradition).

That’s what most people mean when they say Christianity is intolerant.

But what does this analysis mean for the Christian witness to a secular culture? There are certain principles to deal with this challenge.

First, most peoples’ thoughts about the world’s religions are shaped by their cultural and political legacy more than the prepositional or doctrinal contents.

With this in mind, Christians should not try to defend the indefensible.

The only association many primal cultures have had with Christianity has been when it was used as a tool of exploitation and domination.

In colonial countries, Christianity used to be looked upon as “foreign,” “Western,” or some form of slavery.

Therefore, we need to distinguish between what the Christian message is and how it has been abused.

Second, the rise of pluralism requires us to be more sensitive to the role culture plays in identity and spiritual beliefs.

This might mean looking for opportunities to meet people in places where they are comfortable, even if we aren’t.

This facet of pluralism which espouses salvation of all humanity notwithstanding is called universalism.

If universalism is true, it really doesn’t matter what a person believes or what he does with his life.

Universalism trivializes the meaning of divine love because if there is no judgment — no ultimate accountability for our lives — then the choices we make in life are of no final consequence.

In the New Testament, a passage in Acts 4:12 declares the uniqueness of Jesus Christ and denies the possibility of salvation apart from faith in him.

While acknowledging the challenges involved in being witnesses for Christ in a pluralistic society, I believe pluralism also affords opportunities to keep witnessing.

One such opportunity comes in the form of the Universal Declarations of Human Rights.

Article 18 of the Declaration ensures the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

This right includes the freedom to change one’s religion and the freedom to manifest one’s belief in teaching, practising, worship and observance.

Article 19 guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

This right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers.

With such legal sanctions, it is surprising to see the negative reactions elicited over issues of conversions.

Though it is a voluntary choice as opposed to an imposition, through our word and action we should be able to bring the listener to a point where he is able to make the most important decision of his life.

Narayan Mitra is the pastor of Merritt Baptist Church.