1 DMS 930 Worldviews and Living Religions Instructor: Dr. Robert H. Bennett Student: Hteing Nan Zau November 5, 2019 THE CONCEPT OF SALVATION-NIRVANA Proclaiming Christian Gospel to Burmese Buddhists in Myanmar Introduction Bringing the Christian Gospel to other spiritual realms is a Must task for all believers who profess that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. Christians are called to involve actively in the Spiritual warfare 1 until “every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:11) In other words, Spiritual warfare is inevitably part of Christian life for the sake of God’s Kingdom. Succinctly, Dr. Bennett delineates that Spiritual warfare is “the battle between God and Satan for the souls of people.” 2 A sober mistake to this reality by the early missionaries in the past is an attempt of demythologizing the Scriptures and “replacing them (spiritual realities) with fanciful myths and diagnosis of psychological diagnosis.” 3 The upshot is an ill-effective gospel for non-believers in Christian encounter with other religions. It is evident that Christian missionaries in the 19 th and 20 th centuries narrowly connected the Christian gospel with spiritual warfare in various cultural contexts of the strange lands. One significant example is that they strived to win other peoples by the imperialistic attitude. Such maltreatment of the 1 On the definitive understanding of Spiritual Warfare, Moreau vividly denotes that “in biblical terms, spiritual warfare essentially encompasses Satan’s rebellion against God and the manifestations of that rebellion in the created order. In practical terms it refers to the ongoing conflict between humanity and Satan framed in light of the kingdom of God.” A. S. Moreau, “Spiritual Warfare/Territorial Spirits/Demons,” Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundations, ed., John Corrie (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2007), 369. 2 Robert H. Bennett, I Am Not Afraid: Demon Possession and Spiritual Warfare (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2013), 13. In a real sense, the appropriate means for Spiritual problem, Bennett insists, are “Confession and Absolution, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper.” See Robert H. Bennett, Afraid: Demon Possession and Spiritual Warfare in America (Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2016), 12. 3 Bennett, I Am Not Afraid, 13-14.