A half-day conference in London on October 17, entitled ‘Buddhist thinking in the UK — challenges and opportunities for the church’, encouraged people to become more informed.
Buddhism is now ‘a culture shaper’, said Dr. Hugh Kemp. There are Buddhist ethnic minorities and Buddhist centres in the UK, but there are now also attempts to develop a British style of Buddhism. Even though the numbers of converts — and there are Christians converting — may be low, there are many others, including non-religious people, who are drawn to aspects of Buddhism.
The second session was led by Sue Burt from Friends International looking at the challenges faced by students from Buddhist countries when they return home after having believed in Christ while in the UK. The final session was an open discussion about engaging with Buddhists and those influenced by Buddhism in Britain.
