American Evangelical missionaries believe God commands them to go to foreign countries to evangelize the lost; “lost” meaning anyone who is not an Evangelical Christian. Catholics? Lost. Hindus? Lost? Buddhists? Lost. Muslims? Lost. According to Wikipedia, there are about 600 million Evangelicals in the world. This means Evangelicals believe 8 billion people are lost and headed for Hell unless they repent of their sins and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Evangelicalism is comprised of hundreds of sects and countless non-denominational churches. Those within the Evangelical tent bicker and fight among themselves about who is and isn’t a True Evangelical®, so the actual number of Evangelicals is likely less depending on who is doing the counting. In the 1990s, I was the pastor of a Sovereign Grace Baptist church in San Antonio, Texas. Sovereign Grace churches are Evangelical and Calvinistic. Some members believed only Calvinists were saved; that Arminians were headed for Hell unless they repented of their heresy and embraced Calvinism. A tract floating around the church posited that the great Evangelical revivalist D.L. Moody was lost. Why? He wasn’t a Calvinist. Similar arguments take place in countless denominations and churches, judging Evangelicals with theology different from their own.
Many Evangelical churches are mission-minded, believing they have a duty to send missionaries to the ends of the Earth to evangelize sinners. An interesting observation is that many of the missionaries end up in countries where English is their first language. There are even Evangelical missionaries to the United States, the most religious nation in the world. Why? Remember, only Evangelicals are True Christians®. Think of all the lost Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Mormons, Seventh-Day Adventists, and liberal Christians there are in the United States. Lots of souls that need saving.
I was an Evangelical pastor for 25 years, pastoring Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB), Sovereign Grace Baptist, Southern Baptist, Christian Union, and non-denominational churches. Every one of these churches financially supported foreign missionaries, and several of them sent out missionaries from their congregations. I planted five Evangelical churches, and several pastor friends treated me as a missionary, sending me monthly support while I was getting the new churches up and running. I had a heart for world missions. Countless missionaries visited the churches I pastored to present their work to congregants, asking for our prayers, and most importantly, our financial support. One church I pastored had a small one-room apartment called a prophet’s chamber. Missionaries would come and stay with us for several days so I could get to know them better. Unfortunately, some missionaries did not fare well when I paid closer attention to them. One man spent a week with us. He had no interest in helping me at the church. He spent his time with us driving to nearby towns to look at used cars. Needless to say, we didn’t support him.
Evangelical missionaries believe God divinely calls them to go to their chosen foreign field. Most missionaries work with mission agencies. These agencies send out the missionaries, provide material support, and handle the monthly donations sent to them on behalf of the missionaries. Some missionaries decide to have their home (sending) church handle these things instead. Regardless of how the missionaries are sent out, the goal is to win souls to Christ and establish new Evangelical churches. Some missionaries believe they are called to do other things for the Lord such as pastor established churches, do medical work, fly airplanes, translate/print Bibles, teach school, start radio/TV stations, or build new church buildings. Most missionaries are men. Female missionaries are typically only permitted to teach school, do medical work, teach children/women, or be a nanny for married missionaries. Some Evangelicals permit women to be full-fledged missionaries, though they are far and few in between.
Missionaries bring to their chosen foreign field American values and ideals, including capitalism and Evangelical moral/ethical beliefs. Instead of allowing indigenous people to worship Jesus in the context of their own culture’s beliefs and practices, they force them to adopt Westernized worldviews. I knew one missionary who was perplexed and upset over the fact that women in the African country he ministered to didn’t wear underwear, especially bras. He felt it was his duty to convince women after they got saved to wear proper undergarments. 🙂
Many missionaries believe that their calling, Western values, and the Bible supersede and are superior to other cultures. Worse, they often believe that the teachings of the Bible usurp the laws and customs of their chosen field. This often gets them in trouble with law enforcement or religious leaders. When arrested or attacked they scream “persecution,” when, in fact, what’s really to blame is their arrogance and smug American/Evangelical superiority.
Suppose a Muslim missionary came to the United States to reach sinners with the gospel of Islam. Believing he was called by Allah and walking in the footsteps of Muhammed, he entered an Evangelical church one Sunday, stood up, and started preaching from the Koran. What would happen? He would be asked to leave, and if he refused, he would be arrested for trespassing. Was he being persecuted? After all, he was doing the will of Allah.
Suppose this same missionary went to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial (which is not public property) and started preaching to passersby, violating the law. Law enforcement was quickly called and the missionary was arrested, prosecuted, and thrown in jail. Again, was he being persecuted?
In both instances, no, This Muslim missionary violated U.S. law and was duly arrested and prosecuted. After serving his sentence, he was expelled and sent back to his native country. None of us would object to this. We rightly expect foreign nationals to obey our laws, regardless of their personal beliefs and practices, or what their holy book says. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?
When American missionaries arrive in their chosen field, they often think that their personal beliefs and practices, along with their Western understanding of culture and law, can continue to be followed regardless of local customs and law. And when they are harassed or arrested for violating the law, what do they do? They scream persecution! Some countries forbid proselytization, preaching, or handing out religious literature, including tracts and Bibles. Shouldn’t missionaries obey these laws? Of course, they should, but believing God’s calling and the teachings of the Bible are above man’s laws, they break the law and end up in jail. Their supporting churches are called on to pray for “persecuted” missionaries. Calls are made to congressmen and the State Department, asking for help to get their “persecuted” missionaries out of jail. Far too often, lawbreaking missionaries spend years in jail for breaking the law. Sad, to be sure, but they broke a cardinal rule: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. A foreign country is not the United States. Western values and laws do not apply. Missionaries are visitors, and just as we expect visitors to follow our laws and customs while within our borders, other countries expect the same. Just because a country is Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or communist doesn’t mean a missionary has a right to disobey the law. If a missionary can’t work within the legal framework of their chosen field, then they shouldn’t be there. That includes, by the way, missionaries who fraudulently take jobs in foreign countries as teachers so they can secretly evangelize their students. If they are caught doing so, they are lawbreakers, and not persecuted Christians.
To quote the great preacher, Tony Baretta, Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. Every nation has its own laws. Missionaries are expected to obey those laws. And if they don’t? They shouldn’t cry “persecution” when they end up in a dirty, dank prison. Maye this will be their opportunity to pray, as the Apostle Paul did, for God to unlock their cell door and set them free. Good luck with that.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Such profound truths in this post, Bruce. We jesus-ed our socks off supporting foriegn missions and I agree, the cultural insensitivies are legion. (e.g. appealing for bras to be sent to the bra-less or white wedding dresses for ‘proper’ wedding ceremonies.)
And the lying-for-jesus is massive too. I was involved with a mission that discovered China needed TEFL teachers and got hundreds of them sent out there. Their visas said ‘Teacher’ – but their purpose was proselytising of course and their home churches were praying for them to get converts among their students. I was staying with one of these missionaries in Shanghai when he got parcels of theological books through the mail from earnest supporters back in the USA that the donors prayed he could pass on to new converts – some would have enough english to read them, but not all obviously…..a huge waste of resources.
I’d also add laziness. One missionary to France told us he spent his afternoons sitting in a pavement cafe in central Paris where he prayed for contacts with others at nearby tables. Nice work if you can get it, as they say. Then he wanted prayer for ‘preparing a course of sermons’ for his church – it had about 20 members. Hubs and I did full time secular jobs and managed to do a lot more actual work and evangelism in our church every week than this guy who was so deluded he believed he was working hard doing those two things..
P.S. Don’t ever recall being asked to send trousers (pants) to men whose naughty bits were only covered by mini-loin cloths. Anyone ever do that?
Whilst being very anti-missionary, I’ve just thought, I believe it was x-tian missionaries who got widow-burning banned in India and foot-binding of females outlawed in China, so a coupla very good anti-local cuture things there, amid a sea of just the opposite.
Yep. Certainly, missionaries can and do some social good. If that’s all they did, I would have few objections.
My late friend held up the Brunersburg store back in the 50s with a flintlock pistol. When he came home from the Ohio Pen he was heard saying don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. He knew what he was talkng about. He learned his lesson and conformed to society after that. This post made me think that heck is going to be a Hellishly crowded place with the billions of non-Christian evangelicals. I mean just how big is this lake of fire anyhow? If it gets overcroiwded will Jebus do early soul releases? (bazinga)
Americans in general cannot seem to understand this principle. Other countries have different cultures and laws than the USA. Some people can visit other countries and be respect the local culture, but Americans in large numbers do not understand this principle.
An example is a difference between American and French views of employment. Americans tend to place the greatest part of their self-worth on the job they do. Many French people think people work to live, not live to work, so there are very different attitudes about things retirement.
Thank you
First thing Americans, Ohioans in particular, ask is what one does for a living, and then what Christian church one belongs to. Too late I learned that’s considered extremely rude and intrusive in the Netherlands. It’s like asking how much money one has. I’ve stayed with Dutch family in NL and had Dutch family stay with me in the US never knowing to this day what they do for a living and never will unless I pick it up by accident. It’s almost taboo. Religion? That’s never discussed at all. Oh they are all baptized Catholics but only attend Mass for funerals, weddings, and baptisms. Some, like my Father, only attend Mass when they are dead. When in Rotterdam…do as they Rotterdam well do.