Yesterday I had a conversation with a friend who had recently done some short-term mission work in countries that were predominately Buddhist and/or Muslim. I was glad to hear his stories and see some pictures, but there was something in all of it that left me sitting up in bed later, wondering what didn't sit right with me. And I think I now know partly what bothered me.
What disturbed me was his lack of knowledge about cultural and religious customs. There were pictures of Buddhists doing different actions that appeared to be ritualistic, but he had no idea what they were doing or why. He didn't know what kind of Buddhism they were practicing or if there was any significance to the different shrines and temples of which he had taken pictures. He didn't know what branch of Islam was being practiced, or how well the two different faiths got along there. He just didn't know, and from the way he talked, I got the impression that he didn't care.
This bothered me on a personal level, but also as someone who does want the Gospel to be birthed in this foreign place. I felt let down by the missions organization he had gone through, which had done a great job teaching him the Bible, but had obviously done a disservice to him when it came to teaching how to do cross-cultural missions and bring the gospel into a new context. To be honest, I think they probably came presenting the gospel of the West as much as they came bringing the gospel of Jesus. But I was equally saddenned that this friend didn't even realize that this was a problem.
My question is, Do short-term missionaries, going to a place where they don't know the language, history, theologies or cultural make-up, really have a right to go into foreign countries? As a youth pastor, I wonder about my seniors, who could really grow from an experience that a group such as YWAM could provide. This is good for them, but what about the places they go to? Or what if it's just a group that is going to do building projects? They can go to a new place outside of their comfort zone, be challenged spiritually and physically, and do good for others in the process. Or they can send the money they would have raised and pay poor people from the same part of the world to build the building themselves, providing the same structure, but honest work and pay for the people as well.
I'm totally messed-up on all of this right now. I have certain leanings that have become apparent to me just in writing this, but I still have more questions than answers. Any helpful thoughts?
Peace,
Matt
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2 comments:
I love this topic.
I've talked about this with you before about the thought that it is almost like in our missions work, we have trumped teh Greatest commandment with the Great Commission. (Don't hate, Assimilate Player!)
Kurt and I disagree on this, but I like some of the thoughts of the Jesuits, in that when they did missions work with the Huron Tribe, they lived amongst them for a while before they even spoke to them.
It's a thought of loving our neighbor through respect for their culture and upbringing before even speaking to them. Earning respect before speaking into someones life.
I too have been thinking about this. The roots of my faith began growing through missions and that is where I discovered Jesus in a very real way. I see the good is done in us who travel and a misappropriation of funds seems to be taking place. We travel to touch the poor or lost and discover it is we who are the lost and they are just poor. We don't need to spend thousands of dollars to figure that out, but that seems to be what we do. I have been caught up in reading a number of other books, but one that is defiantly on my list is the book appropriately titled "Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence (Paperback) by David A. Livermore (Author)
I have heard great things about it and a breakout session at a conference a recently attended was birthed from the inspiration of this book. I have also heard this Livermore guy speak. I think he gets it. I would love to talk more about this I have some cool ideas that might mix the old way with a new way. Love to share them with you. Recently I have become more and more aware of how valuable some knowledge or training in the world of anthropology would benefit people in missions as well as those who are involved in church planting, evangelism or anything dealing with entering the “non-churched” cultures for Jesus. I recall a little part in the McLaren book “A new kind of Christian” one of the characters was talking to a small group of Native American Pastors and they were opening up to him about how they have removed all of the culture from the expression of their faith. One mentioned how secretly when drums beet that symbolizes prayers going up to God and another said the same about stomping feet when dancing. They were all told that all of there cultural rituals were not of God or antichrist. What a shame to make people feel that when they become Christians they need to become the person who showed them Jesus. What a crock
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