Sikh and you shall find

Since I became involved with neXus church, I have had to scramble to find out something about Sikhism, a goodish size religion based in the Punjab area of India, but well represented right here in Abbotsford BC. Of 135,000 residents, about 20% of us are South Asians, the vast majority of these being Sikhs. The term 'Sikh' is a bit like 'Jew' in that it has both religious and ethnic meanings.

Why does a Caucasian attending a Christian church have to learn about Sikhs? In order to better convert them to my faith? curiosity? academic research? to attract more votes when I run for reelection to the school board this fall? None of the above (although they are very welcome to cast their votes in my direction).

But before explaining my motivation, a little bit about neXus.

neXus has chosen four values and objectives in particular as the emphases of the church, represented symbolically by four colours. I have highlighted some of the text in bold for future reference.

Red/Community - As we come to understand the fullness of the Gospel, we will grow to increasingly value healthy and authentic relationships with God, self and others which are characterized by virtues such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and self-control. Authenticity leads us to embrace diversity in our community, striving to live without contempt, informed by a spirit of grace and compassion for one another.

Yellow/Culture - We are called to be meaningfully engaged in our culture, finding and revealing the ideas of God resident in it. We believe that God and the truth of the Gospel are actively revealed through all of God’s creation; everything and everywhere.

Green/Health - We believe that useful perspectives on health embrace the entirety of our emotional, physical, spiritual and relational lives. All of these areas of our lives are equally valid and necessary. While we believe that knowledge and understanding about health can be found in all areas of study, we affirm that the Bible as our scripture provides direction and principles for a healthy life.

Blue/Faith - The Gospel is the foundation of all theology. It is the Good News that the finished work of Jesus Christ has established God’s permanent and unchanging delight, peace and friendship for all. In this we find rest from trying to please God or working to maintain His affections or favour.

As you can easily see, this group of Christians places a high value on cultural engagement, inclusiveness, and diversity. Given that Abbotsford is the third-most cosmopolitan city in Canada, these values are more than an academic exercise.

In fact, they have led to a historic twinning with one of the local Sikh temples. Why? See my next post!