One of the greatest challenges we have as servants to the nations is the ability to serve those who are of the Muslim faith. There are so many differing opinions on what is the right strategy and posture to take when approaching our spiritual cousins. Let me take a few moments to recommend three great books to read that will not only warm your heart towards our Muslim neighbors, but assist you in how to be a friend and servant to them.
- The third books I would recommend is: “A Deadly Misunderstanding – A Congressman’s Quest to Bridge the Muslim-Christian Divide” by Mark D. Siljander. Siljander shares his story of seeing Muslims as an enemy to a people who are seeking God and are open to learn from those who are also seeking to know God. His historic encounters with Muslim leaders around the world will encourage and enlighten you so that you can also be a friend of those who are Muslims in your neighborhood. You may find that many of them desire to follow Jesus and learn from Him. I had the opportunity to sit down with a few other friends and discuss his book and simple church several weeks ago. It was an honor to meet him. Be sure to check his website – A Deadly Misunderstanding.
These three books may be quite controversial to some, but I highly recommend them. They have certainly kept me from growing cold and disinterested in loving followers of Islam. In fact, they have helped me to be obedient by “loving my enemies” in a real tangible way as Christ has command us to do.
Categories: Contextualization · Field Strategies · Reaching Difficult Areas · Resources
One of the major concerns in missions is the historic tendency to influence cultures more towards who we are (Americans, Koreans, Westerners etc.) rather than the Kingdom of God. Jeff and Maria Gilbertson discuss this in an excellent post on this site under Training For Pioneer Missions. At Jeff’s suggestion, It would be good if we make this a topic of discussion rather than being buried in another thread. Let’s read it and then let’s talk about it!
Here is what Jeff wrote:
Dear All,
If we are to be fruitful sending house churches / apostolic teams from the western world into the last remaining unreached people groups, I believe that we must look at the “unknown/unseen” baggage that most westerners will carry with them. My wife and I call it: “the White Man’s Burden”. (WMB)
Simply put the WMB is: “the supposed or presumed responsibility of white people to govern and impart their culture to nonwhite people.”
In an excerpt from a speech by William Jennings Bryan, a gifted speaker, lawyer, and three-time US presidential candidate, basically sums up the position that there is such a thing as a the “white man’s burden”.
No one can travel among the dark-skinned races of the Orient without feeling that the white man occupies an especially favored position among the children of men, and the recognition of this fact is accompanied by the conviction that there is a duty inseparably connected with the advantages enjoyed. William Jennings Bryan — July 4, 1906
This speech, made on Independence Day 1906, was not that long ago. You see in his own words that he is not joking and that he really believes that the white man has an “especially favored position” vis-à-vis, the dark-skinned. YUCK!!
You can’t argue with success, Baby.
“Success is probably the highest value in American life. It relates to so many other characteristics of American life — individualism, freedom, goal-setting, progress, experimenting, social mobility, making money, pragmatism, and optimism.” Stan Nussbaum
We have seen the visible signs of this “burden” from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. As white missionaries enter poor nations they automatically, like “default mode” on your computer, enter in with ideas of how they can help, “What this country needs is . . .” etc. Most of the time they simply transpose what works in their country to the country they are in, with little thought to what is indigenous or reproducible at the local level.
One example from our experience is the effort made to bring into a poor nation in Central Asia “solar ovens” that would help poor villagers cook meals so that they would not further deplete their scarce wood supply. Well, as things actually worked out, the solar ovens – which can be produced with local materials although the concept is foreign – are not being used to cook meals at all but are used by some to boil water for tea.
I guess this is a “hybrid type” of success story but nevertheless the principle of “what worked for us is what will work for you”, carried on by the power of the WMB, still remains alive and well on planet earth!
I have read of poor African nations almost being forced by Western governments to purchase huge farm tractors to jump start their “deplorable” economy. Well, a few years later the tractors are converted into “city taxis” and farming goes on as it has for generations. But now the country suffers under more debt to rich nations for purchasing the tractors in the first place.
Your feedback would be much appreciated.
Jeff and Maria Gilbertson
Categories: 2008 H2H Preconference Discussion · Contextualization · Funding · Indigenious workers · Servant Perperation · Simple Church · Support
Tagged: colonialism, Contextualization, cross-cultural baggage, white man's burden
