Evangelism and Social Action

At the same conference that I mentioned in my previous post ONE, I attended a workshop that got into quite a heated discussion. The presenter was talking about street kids and the best ways that we can go about helping them. At one point, he was arguing that the best way to reach the lost world is to focus on kids, because most people become Christians between the ages of 4 and 14. In the midst of talking about social programs to help street kids, he advocated that we should not only be focusing our evangelistic efforts on the 10/40 window (modern missions strategy says we should seek to reach the lost in this geographic area centered in India and China because the most unreached people groups live in this area) but on the 4-14 window. Well, these comments produced a great deal of discomfort in some people in the audience. One lady voiced her concerns about seeking to reach out to help the poor for the purpose of evangelism. She basically was concerned that if we seek to help the poor based on how receptive we think they will be to the gospel, then we are not truly concerned for their needs. It is an interesting perspective, which I think I agree with, though I actually believe that it is much more important for people's spiritual needs to be met than their physical needs (even though I also believe that the physical and spiritual realms are interconnected much more closely than modern western thought since Plato would have us believe).
Anyhew, here are some quotes from two very insightful books that may shed some light on the issue:
By the way, I don't necessarily agree with these selections word-for-word, but I do think that their insights are helpful to ponder.

"By the very nature of the case, this new breed of missionaries must condemn the previous system of missionary work [that of a kind of ecclesiastical peace corps]--and one would have to agree with them in their condemnation. To bring freedom or knowledge or health or prosperity to a people in order that they become Christians is a perversion of missionary work. But what of a system that would bring them progress and developement for its own sake. How would a Christian missionary involved in such work be differentiated from agents of socio-economic systems such as communism or socialism, or even from workers for the United Nations? Or should no such differentiation be made, as some insist? Have we come to the end of the era of mission?"
The author, Vincent Donovan, wrote the following to his Bishop after seeing the failure of the mission in Africa and the lack of converts it produced:
The best way to describe realistically the state of this Christian mission is the number zero. As of this month, in the seventh year of this mission's existence, there are no adult Masai practicing Christians from Loliondo mission...
I suddenly feel the urgent need to cast aside all theories and discussions, all efforts at strategy--and simply to to these people and do the work among them for which I came to Africa. I would propose cutting myself off from the schools and the hospital (which the mission had set up) as far as these people are concerned--as well as the socializing with them--and just go to talk to them about God and the Christian message. I want to go to the Masai on daily safaris--unencumbered with the burden of selling them our school system, or begging for their children for our schools, or carrying their sick, or giving them medicine. Outside of this, I have no theory, no plan, no strategy, no gimmicks--no idea of what will come. I feel rather naked. I will begin as soon as possible.
After he arrived:
"I had to tell them that very first day, when they had all gathered, that I had come to talk about, and deal only with, God. From now on, I would not go in their kraals to sleep, nor would I drink their milk. I would no longer ask for their children for our schools. I wanted no land for mission buildings. I wanted nothing from them. Nor should they expect anything from me. I brought them no gifts, no sweets for their children, no tobacco for the elders, no beads for the women--no medicine for the sick. I had come only to talk about God. They must understand this at the beginning. If they had come for any other motive to listen to me, they must try to understand."
Incidentally, his strategy worked, and the following is a creed from the believers in Africa:

"We believe in the one High God, who out of love created the beautiful world and everything good in it. He created man and wanted man to be happy in the world. God loves the world and every nation and tribe on the earth. We have known this High God in the darkness, and now we know him in the light. God promised in the book of his word, the bible, that he would save the world and all the nations and tribes.
We believe that God, made good his promise by sending His son, Jesus Christ, a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God, teaching about God and man, showing that the meaning of religion is love. He was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in th grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave. He ascended to the skys. He is the Lord.
We believe that all our sins are forgiven through him. All who have faith in him must be sorry for their sins, be baptized in the Holy Spirit of God, live the rules of love and share the bread together in love, to announce the good news to others until Jesus comes again. We are waiting for him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen."

Selected from Christianity Rediscovered, by Vincent Donovan


And now, for a selection from Revolution in World Missions, by K.P. Yohannan:

"Throughout the Indian churches, the various mission hospitals and schools of north India are well-known. My coworkers and I eagerly looked forward to visiting some of these missionaries and seeing the local churches. To our amazement, we could not find a living congregation anywhere. The surrounding villages were as deep in spiritual darkness as they had been two hundred years before the missionaries came. As I have travelled throughout India and many other Asian nations, I have seen this same scenario repeated over and over.
[Meanwhile] I met poor, often minimally educated, native brothers involved in Gospel work in pioneer areas. They had nothing material to offer the people to whom they preached--no agricultural training and no medical relief or school program. But hundreds of souls were saved, and in a few years, a number of churches were established."
"Many times I have given my clothes, food, and money to poor people. But I never did so with the hope that it would make them come to Jesus Christ or give them the desire to repent. And neither did Jesus. He helped the poor because He loved them; but He spent most of his ministry teaching and making disciples."


Interesting, very interesting. I'd love it if people would put their thoughts in as comments. I hope I've opened up a whole can of worms :)