The mere fact of one's citizenship affects the reception of one's message. A Western Christian worker in the twenty-first century cannot assume that he or she is bringing the message of the Gospel as Paul did, for Paul was a Roman citizen, traversing the provinces of an empire is which his language, his ethnicity, and even his views were given a fair and legal hearing (e.g., as in Acts 22). He was free to travel and speak as he saw fit. The situation is different today for Western missionaries.
from David Grafton's article in IBMR 31:3, 'The Legacy of Ion Keith-Falconer'
2 comments:
I think this reality isn't restricted to the Muslim world. One of the reason Pentecostal churches have been so successful in their growth is their ability (driven by economic factors as much as anything) to bring indigenous pastors and evangelists "up to speed" in a hurry. And many of these groups have become mission sending, even with what we would consider in the West inadequate resources.
In the Anglican world, we need only look to sub-Saharan Africa to see a church not only propagating itself rapidly with its own evangelists and pastors but now reversing the mission direction vis a vis the West.
I agree. Good point.
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