What Did You Go Out to See

In his article “What Did You Go Out to See?” in the January/February Books & Culture, pages 32-33, Andrew Jones evaluates modern American views of the church and missions. He shows how we have bought into the “bigger is better” mindset, causing us to overlook much of what God is doing around the world today.

“By focusing our attention on Western look-a-likes rather than the God-breathed expressions of ekklesia, we miss the joy of participating with the global church. We also miss the blessing these networks and ministries can offer us. But even more tragic is the reinforcement of our western stereotypes as superior models, each one another mega-brick in the colonial tower of Western Christian supremacy. Any attempts at finding a third space, where their world and ours could meet, are thwarted by our search for what appears successful in our own eyes. We need to learn to see the unexpected and unlearn our compulsion to see the expectable.”

“What did we go out to see? The influential missionary Roland Allen was once asked by his board to report some spectacular stories from the field. His response was unexpected: ‘I do not trust spectacular things. Give me the seed growing secretly every time.’”

When we look at Christianity around the world through our American glasses we miss most of what God is doing around the world. In fact, much of American Christianity is not healthy or biblical, so when we evaluate Christians from other cultures by our standards, we will measure incorrectly. Instead, we should learn from those who are different than us, and maybe we will be challenged to grow and change as well.


You can read the whole article at: http://www.christianvisionproject.com/2007/02/what_did_you_go_out_to_see.html