I have a 4,000 word paper due on Wednesday for my doctorate work and I am reminded once more how much deeper the learning is when one must write about a topic as opposed to when one is simply reading about a topic. I feel like I learn a lot from a good book, but when I am forced to process the information in my own words, the lessons are solidified and new connections are made.
But on this paper, I have found it very difficult to get excited about the topic: the similarities and differences between Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity and the best way for a Christian to evangelize in each case.
The biggest enthusiasm killer is the lack of relevance - I just don't run into tons of Buddhists from day to day. Certainly not enough to invest tons of time into learning the distinctives of Buddhist beliefs.
Besides, I could learn all those distinctives by heart, and if I do run into a Buddhist - and this is just an educated guess here - I am still going to find that he or she is 1) part of some smaller subset sect with its own distinctives just like each Christian is and 2) just as ignorant as an average Christian of the textbook orthodox beliefs they are "supposed" to hold as a member of their community anyway.
It seems to me that my knowledge of what I believe plus a willingness to foster a real relationship plus a dependence on the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit are still going to be way more instrumental on winning someone of another religion to Christ than me having some dry textbook understanding of their religion.
Besides, there's always Google.
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