This opinion piece by Wesley Granberg-Michaelson will rattle and unsettle any traditional thinker. What’s YOUR take on his conclusion: “If there is a theme in what lies ahead for the church as we enter a new year, it is that the white Western Christian bubble that has powerfully shaped Christianity for the past four centuries is now beginning to burst. Future expressions of Christian faith will be shaped by its interactions with non-Western and nonwhite cultures. This will present challenges to the established church in the U.S. but may hold the keys to its revitalization.” Please click “Comment” following the web version of this item. Thanks in advance for your view. Whether you choose to share it with your name or anonymously, it’s still important. And it doesn’t matter where you’re from or what color your skin is, your opinion is valuable at Brigada. (Thanks, Justin, for pointing us to this article this past week.)
Great encouragement!
For over a decade, we have been hearing that “Third world” missionaries were outnumbering those from the West. While I regard this as great news, I have been troubled by the reaction of some western churches. Some said, “Good. Now we can keep our workers and money at home!”
Others subtly redefined the role of missions, shifting focus from the proclamation of the Good News (a task that the newest third world Christian can do as well or better than any westerner) to development projects or Business as missions. With this new definition, the future of missions remained securely in the hands of westerners (or third world Christians with a western education) with their more advanced technical, agricultural, and educational skills.
I realize that valid development and business platforms are valuable tools for gaining opportunities to proclaim the message. However, the “means” can too easily become the “ends,” especially in a generation that is more concerned about the health of the body than the state of the soul.
Now, however, with the explosion of programs like Discovery Bible Studies, I believe that we are seeing a very significant shift that will put the heart of missions where it belongs.