This needs a dedicated post...
See--there you go. You've encapsulated what I think is questionable (or at least a twinge dangerous) in evangelistic thinking. I don't know the answers, nor do I pretend to know. But some sirens just went off.
First off--because human thinking is flawed second to sin, all of our "reality" is subjective. To think differently is to put God in a box. That's been tried--and never with good result. Maybe it's the scientist in me, but Reality is a concept in which I will never be able to grasp. We just go through life making sense of things as best we can, and with varying degrees of success. What we think is reality is actually a worldview based on partial understanding, faith and ignorance. I'm fine and comfortable with that. But in any event, it's our ugly truth. Our Christian worldview is one based on faith. What reality is... cannot be quantified or comprehended. It sounds like we very much disagree on this point.
Now—do not confuse this with relativism. There is absolute right and wrong. We can pick up absolute facts along the way. But my belief is that it’s impossible for us (second to our limited cognition) to put all these little bits and pieces of truth together to create a reality. Adam tried that; it didn’t work out too well. It seems that we were wired for limited understanding of reality from the very beginning. The cardinal sin messed us up all the more...
So we’ve got this tribe of peoples. They’ve got their problems, as do we. And you’re suggesting that we send in our missionaries to save their souls, thereby increasing their quality of life? Sounds a little Roman Catholic Conquistador to me. That’s been tried; it’s never worked out too well. For all we know, we’ll obliterate ‘em with our alcohol and/or viruses.
The truth is—we don’t know how God deals with these guys. We haven’t got a clue. All we can do is have faith that God will be God in this case. And considering our track record at “saving” isolated cultures, I have more faith in God than in the tainted practice of Christianity.
See--there you go. You've encapsulated what I think is questionable (or at least a twinge dangerous) in evangelistic thinking. I don't know the answers, nor do I pretend to know. But some sirens just went off.
First off--because human thinking is flawed second to sin, all of our "reality" is subjective. To think differently is to put God in a box. That's been tried--and never with good result. Maybe it's the scientist in me, but Reality is a concept in which I will never be able to grasp. We just go through life making sense of things as best we can, and with varying degrees of success. What we think is reality is actually a worldview based on partial understanding, faith and ignorance. I'm fine and comfortable with that. But in any event, it's our ugly truth. Our Christian worldview is one based on faith. What reality is... cannot be quantified or comprehended. It sounds like we very much disagree on this point.
Now—do not confuse this with relativism. There is absolute right and wrong. We can pick up absolute facts along the way. But my belief is that it’s impossible for us (second to our limited cognition) to put all these little bits and pieces of truth together to create a reality. Adam tried that; it didn’t work out too well. It seems that we were wired for limited understanding of reality from the very beginning. The cardinal sin messed us up all the more...
So we’ve got this tribe of peoples. They’ve got their problems, as do we. And you’re suggesting that we send in our missionaries to save their souls, thereby increasing their quality of life? Sounds a little Roman Catholic Conquistador to me. That’s been tried; it’s never worked out too well. For all we know, we’ll obliterate ‘em with our alcohol and/or viruses.
The truth is—we don’t know how God deals with these guys. We haven’t got a clue. All we can do is have faith that God will be God in this case. And considering our track record at “saving” isolated cultures, I have more faith in God than in the tainted practice of Christianity.
posted by Greg | 4:11 PM
2 Comments:
I'm waiting to see if this is another attempt to mix things up in order to get a good dialog. In the meantime, I'll jump in. We're called to share the gospel - some hear and act on that calling better than others I grant you - but God uses *us* to bring about His will. It sounds like you're either saying nobody is capable of sharing the gospel with these people without ruining their lives or you're saying nobody should share the gospel because their lives are better without it.
I think you'd agree that we don't understand how God works. However, we do have the Bible and it's pretty clear on the choice between sharing and not sharing the gospel. I willing to entertain the idea that people with good intentions have screwed up spreading the word, but I really hope you're not suggesting that sharing the gospel with *anyone* is a bad idea.
Ugh. I'm hoping for dialog here. Maybe I should have made this another post....
Nah--this is fine. I'm not suggesting that we dump the concept of evangelism. I'm simply saying that I don't know how well it's going to work with a civilization that's some 3000 years behind. When the white man shows up, I can pretty much guarantee you that the Message won't be the first things on their mind.
My whole point was to suggest that this case is special. That our evangelical attempts with such cultures (that are millenniums behind relative to technology) have not worked well in the past. I can't see how this will play out any differently.
As such--it doesn't make all that much sense to me to ostensibly obliterate a people and a culture in the name of Jesus.
Now--I know that it's going to happen, and it's even biblically predicted. (Jesus will not return until all have heard the gospel, or something like that.)
Part of me just sees it as a damn shame--in a sense. I'm for spreading the gospel. I'm also for not killing people and cultures with the white-man's disease and firewater. And in this case, it seems that these two seeming realities conflict.
Their lives are likely in a homeostasis with their environment. Giving them technology will likely make everything wonky. Much like the situation in Africa, et al.
And don't even get me started on the western civilizations that were obliterated in the name of Jesus.
I don't know what's right here... but there sure as heck are some flashing red lights on this one.
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