A Meal for Anyone
Walk into a Sikh gurdwara, and before long someone will offer you a meal. You will sit beside whoever came in ahead of you, rich or poor, Sikh or not, and no one will ask you to pay. That free kitchen, the langar, tells you much about the people who built it. They take God, honest work, and their neighbor very seriously.
About 25 to 30 million people are Sikhs. Most live in the Indian state of Punjab, with large communities in Canada, Britain, and the United States. Your Sikh neighbor may be the man in the turban at the next desk. Many people assume he is a Muslim or some kind of Hindu. He is neither. This study sets out what Sikhs believe from their own sources, answers from Scripture, and gives real help for sharing Christ with a Sikh friend.
The Sikh scripture opens with a creed every Sikh knows: “One Universal Creator God. The Name Is Truth” (Guru Granth Sahib, p. 1, trans. Sant Singh Khalsa). Sikhs give their lives to remembering that Name. The Gospel speaks of a Name too, and it belongs to a Person.
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”ACTS 4:12 · KJV
Sikhism is its own faith, with its own founder, scripture, and code of life. A Sikh does not follow Muhammad or the Qur'an, and his faith forbids worshiping Hindu gods or images. Getting this right is the first kindness you can show him.
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For Deeper Study
- Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World ReligionsAmazon Winfried CorduanFair, careful descriptions of world religions as their adherents practice them, with a Christian assessment. Includes a chapter on Sikhism.
- Bakht Singh of India: The Incredible Account of a Modern-Day ApostleAmazon T. E. KoshyThe life of the man raised a Sikh whose story appears in this study, and what following Christ cost him. The word apostle is the book's, not ours.
- Sikhism: A Very Short IntroductionAmazon Eleanor NesbittA brief, fair academic survey of Sikh history, belief, and modern identity, not written from a Christian point of view.
- A History of the SikhsAmazon Khushwant SinghThe standard two-volume history by a Sikh author. It explains the memories your friend's family may carry.
- Sri Guru Granth Sahib: English TranslationSant Singh Khalsa, trans.The primary source: the translation quoted in this study, also free online at srigranth.org. Read what your friend treasures.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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Engaging Other Religions
Sincerity is not the same as truth: every religion makes exclusive claims, and Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father.
Open Doctrine