Christian and Sikh

“ALL THEOLOGY”, it has been said, “at its heart is biography.” St Augustine’s Confessions are a prime example. John Barnett combines personal stories, observation of religious practice, and theological reflection in this important book, in which he reflects on being both a minister of an Anglican-Methodist church and a regular worshipper at a Sikh Gurdwara. Barnett begins by describing a moment some years earlier, when, running on a treadmill, he saw “a silhouette of silver light round a black human shape. . . His glory was visible. Later he says, “I realized, that Christ does not need or seek to diminish the glory of others. In his light the glory of Muhammad or the Buddha shines more clearly than ever.” As part-time interfaith officer in Wolverhampton, Barnett met many members of different faiths, but he recognised that these meetings were often more about community relations than spiritual sharing. He wanted to move beyond this, and, in 2015, he began his research on multiple religious participating (MRP) — making himself as the subject of that research. MRP is a term used of those whose spiritual life is nourished by more than one spiritual tradition — perhaps because their partner is of another religion. On a Sunday, after the church service that he had led ended, Barnett was on his way to join the worship at a local Sikh Gurdwara — although he paused to record his impression of the church service before putting on a headscarf and removing his shoes. In the gurdwara, he sat on the floor and had to rely on others to explain what was happening. He shares with the reader much of what he learned about the teaching of the Gurus and the ceremonies of the Gurdwara, as well as the fellowship of the langar, the community kitchen. Gradually, Barnett moved from being a welcome guest to helping in the kitchen and becoming an unofficial member. When he moved away, he was given a fond farewell by his Sikh friends. The real focus of the book is on the effect that this had on his own spiritual life. There are graphs showing when he would label himself as a Christian-Sikh or when he would feel that he was a Sikh-Christian. Barnett refers to much recent literature on shared religious identity and interfaith worship. The discussion would be enriched by reflecting on the experience of Indian Christians such as Chenchiah and Chakkarai — both converts from Hinduism − and, indeed, on the life and work of Max Arthur Macauliffe, who, in the 19th century, translated much of the Guru Granth Sahib — the Sikh scriptures. It is said that ten minutes before his death Macauliffe was reciting the Japji, a Sikh prayer. -- Marcus Braybrooke * Church Times * Christian and Sikh is a story about a Christian believer (and leader) becoming a worshipping Sikh. As John Barnett states early on, this is a personal journey from one faith tradition to another, but also a story of changes in society regarding the issue of multiple religious participation (MRP). Barnett begins by inviting people to consider afresh the relationship between Christian and other faiths. This publication is inspired by Barnett’s doctoral thesis in practical theology in which he undertook autoenthnographic research, visiting and worshipping at a Gurdwara some thirteen miles from his West Midlands home. Throughout this period, he describes his Sundays as beginning with leading Christian liturgy and ending lying prostrate before the Guru Granth Sahib Ji (the Sikh scriptures). The book is rooted in practice and therefore clearly a work of practical theology following the classic motif of practice – reflection – practice, and his commitment to reflection is on-going even after the research project has ceased and the publication is in print. There is a clear commitment to the field of practical theology in this sense, believing that the journey of critical self-reflection is never ending. The method of autoethnography requires the researcher constantly to critique oneself in the light of one’s experience. Barnett embodies this critical space successfully but also reflects more widely on the social and cultural implications of growing religious diversity in the UK context. There is only a skeleton body of literature in the field of practical theology regarding interreligious concerns and so it is heartening to read of a practitioner-researcher’s transformative journey from one faith tradition to another, inspired by the geographical context in which he is based. This journey of deep substance reveals not only an openness to neighbours of faith traditions other than Christianity but a desire to take such exploration to a next level, as the author immerses himself in the community and worshipping life of the religious other. A disappointing element of this publication is the lack of theological reflection regarding Barnett’s understanding of God/the Transcendent/Divine or the One God (to use the Sikh description) in light of his extensive experience of Sikhism. As a doctoral student currently researching the theological impact of interreligious encounter from the perspective of first-hand experience, I had hoped for some illumination on what Barnett’s theology of Sikhism is from his Christian position. Barnett does touch on the metaphysical in his elucidation of a religious experience that stimulated him to explore his personal spirituality at a much greater depth (p. 5), and he does offer a christological reflection on this experience claiming that the light of Christ shines on other religious sages such as Muhammed (PBUH) and the Buddha. But he does not state whether the One God equally embraces all faith traditions. Barnett, like many studying religion in the present time, particularly in the scant field of interreligious concerns in practical theology, is unwilling to use the typology terms of theology of religions – exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism (Race, 1983) – to confirm their theological view of the religious other. As a practitioner-researcher in the field of practical theology, working in contexts of religious diversity, I have felt a continuous desire to reflect theologically on what seems to me to be the ever-expanding nature of God/the Transcendent as a result of interreligious encounter. The theologian Paul Tillich (who is much studied in practi- Reviews 82 | Vol 19 No 1 Jun 2021 cal theology with reference to the model of correlation theology) ventured into Christian-Buddhist dialogue precisely in order to wrestle with theological questions regarding the religious other from the Christian perspective. It seems that rather than avoiding the big questions of theology – such as what we understand as the One God from a Christian-Sikh perspective, as a result of our direct experience of the religious other – it is time to plunge into such dialogue and reflection to work on this collectively. Just as the theologian Mary Elizabeth Moore stated, there is an urgent need for the field of practical theology to embrace interreligious concerns (Toward an Interreligious Practical Theology, YouTube, 2010). Barnett has to a large extent achieved this with personal devotion and commitment but perhaps this needs to be taken a step further into the realm of asking what do we know of God now in the light of our encounter with one another and do we believe the Transcendent/One God truly and equally embraces all? -- The Revd Sonja J. Wratten * Interreligious Insight * The UK is home to Sikhs, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists among others of faith and none. We are called to engage in our current culture and discover how God is speaking through it. Barnett, a priest in an area with a Sikh community, was drawn to participate in their worship. He sees such participation as a significant gift to the church because it changes the emphasis from dogma to the experiential, especially prayer and community. Backed by his bishop, he set up focus groups as part of an academic study. He chronicles the effects on his family, colleagues, his parish. His clerical collar/ turban combination, the adjustment to new rituals, his absence from Sunday family lunch, the support of both communities in illness, his exploration of a new world and what he found there – these form the fascinating core of this book. The theological basis for this is the friendliness of God to other religions. Two questions are raised: ‘Can we see through differing faiths to one God?’ And ‘In interfaith relations is this the best or the only way forward?’ -- Rosie Budd * Transforming Ministry *