I Get To Be A Missionary
(Eat Your Heart Out!)

There are advantages to being a missionary. For one thing, you have the opportunity to broaden your perspective about the world and life in general. In our case, it has contributed to a gradual diminishing of our nationalistic spirit.

We are not among those who equate the United States with Mecca. Nor do we assume that there could be no better place on earth to live. We have consistently shied away from the tourist traffic in Cancun, partly because of the condescending attitude of so many. It's as if they were saying, "We all know, of course, that the US is best and that is where everybody would live if they only had the chance." A missionary with that sort of an attitude would never feel comfortable in the land of his calling. Furthermore, no people is going to warm up to a superiority complex.

Think about it a second. Since it has nothing to do with an act of volition, who has the right to be unduly proud or ashamed of his race or nationality? "Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?" Among us we agree, for example, that no one is morally obligated by promises made for him by sponsors when he was "baptized" as an infant. One can be responsible solely for decisions of his own making. How then am I obligated to sing the praises of my nationality to the point where it becomes exclusive and offensive to others? What I owe Caesar is cheerful submission to civil authority and taxes lawfully exacted. But my citizenship is in heaven! An exaggerated spirit of nationalism is the fruit of a narrow perspective. It is arrogant, disrespectful and divisive. I try to envision the Apostle Paul heading up a God and Country Rally at Antioch (or Rome, maybe?). The idea just does not mesh with the emphasis and direction of the ministry in those days.

Relating this to the missionary, I fear that many never finally escape from the comparison trap. Probably, we all fall into it now and then. Every confrontation with foreign ways, their bureaucracy, or even an unfruitful trip to the grocery store can feed the propensity to look homeward and compare (well, in the States we...). "And Jesus said unto him, No man,having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." The concept of "US is best" is so embedded in the mind that many a missionary has not been able to reconcile life as it is with life as it was in the States. With time, some succumb to the pressure and just go home to stay. Being too close to Mecca has made it harder to learn to be content and appreciative where they serve.

Confrontation with another culture and a new way of life can be a positive challenge and maturing experience. It is even possible to prefer certain aspects of the new culture over the one that has been left behind. Really now, wouldn't it be better for all concerned if the missionary actually enjoyed living in the land of his calling? At the least, it is necessary to learn to respect differences and avoid snap judgments about everything based on our own narrow and inexperienced perspective. That kind of an attitude creates a barrier not easily broken down at a time when gaining people's trust is crucial to the effective propagation of the Gospel.

Another broadening effect is an increased ability to objectively analyze convictions and traditions imposed by the status quo. Even Independent pastors tend to be denominational in attitude, almost clannish, and quite dogmatic about how things ought to be done. Many convictions which are perceived as absolutes turn out to be absolutes only in a particular region or among a select group of churches. However, more importantly, as related to the missionary's vision, he becomes increasingly aware that Christianity was not first an American phenomenon, set in a progressive, fast-paced, materialistic environment. Therefore, spreading the Gospel should not necessarily include the transference to another culture of Americanisms superimposed on Christianity.

In theory, mission work is not colonialism. But often, that is what it has turned out to be. Some mission work, so called, is little more than a projection of the US-style welfare state. The propagandists here constantly accuse foreign missionaries of destroying the indigenous culture and jeopardizing national sovereignty. Cutting through the rhetoric, what they usually mean is, "we don't want to see any more of our people getting converted." However, I, for one, hope that the charge could never honestly be laid against me. Christianity supersedes culture and nationalism. The Gospel's call to repentance relates to that which is sinful and against God in every human being, regardless of race or nationality. It does not represent the threat of one culture attempting to replace or dilute another.

I'm glad I get to be a missionary! And, Linda and I prefer serving the Lord here over having to live stateside. The US stopped being Mecca for us a long time ago. We do not want to be ensnared in the comparison trap and become another statistic. We are grateful for what we gain from each encounter with a different culture, both in knowledge and perspective. That is just one of the perks that we would not have with any old nine-to-five job in the States!

Greg Smith
Cancun, QR, MEXICO
September, 1989