History of Missions

Nancy  just finished  teaching the History of Missions class  in the BBI  Bac in Theology program.  She had these reflections to share —

Although I am not a  biologist, my understanding is that if you introduce  a foreign element into  a habitat there will be changes.  That element will provoke a reaction that creates a chain of events as the habitat adapts to the new arrival.  This   sums up for me what happens when a missionary arrives in a new context.   The missionary is always  a foreign element and so there will be a chain reaction  as the receiving culture adapts to the new arrival.  This was especially true in the  past when travel was rarer and communities more homogeneous.  No matter how much a missionary wants to adapt or fit in, there will always be change simply  due to the presence of a foreigner.

 Some of those changes are good

William Carey (considered by some the father of modern missions)  was horrified to see a yearly ritual of infant sacrifice.    Mothers threw  their infants into the Ganges River to appease the river spirit.  He researched the local religious writings and discovered that this ritual was a local  superstition and could not be supported by the Hindu  religion.  So he presented his findings to  the authorities and the practice was banned. 

Numerous languages have been recorded and preserved because missionaries wanted to translate the Bible into the local language.   The missionaries learned the language, devised an alphabet and then translated the Bible into that language.   Due to the work of John Elliot in the 18th century, the Mohawk language was preserve, for example.  Tragically, the Mohawk people were decimated  and so no one actually uses the language anymore.

On one island in the south pacific, women  were forbidden certain foods during pregnancy.  Unfortunately, the foods they were denied were rich in protein.  So many of  these women  were very weak and anemic during their pregnancies.  The people lived in houses on stilts and sometimes the women were unable to climb up into their houses without help.  Christian missionaries convinced some recent converts that eating these foods would not lead to their death.  Those who began eating the taboo foods were so much stronger and healthier than the others that the other women followed suit.  This led to healthier pregnancies and healthier births. 

At the same time,  change messes things up

Conversion  to Christianity beings many changes to a community.  Most communities in the past were mono-faith communities: everyone worshiped the same gods.  When some people convert and the rest do not, it creates division within the community.  Sometimes that division brings out underlying tensions and conflicts that already existed.  The first converts are often  outcasts and marginalized members of their society.  When those same people gain certain advantages due to their connection with the foreign missionaries, it can lead to an upheaval in the social organization.  There is a need for social reorganization and until that reorganization occurs, the society appears to be in chaos. 

Many times, along with the message of the gospel, missionaries bring unintended messages from their culture.  One funny example of this in Benin is the fact that is some churches the preacher has to wear a suit and tie.  I’ve heard several people share how they were told that they could not preach simply because they showed up in church in very fine, but unfortunately very traditional Beninese attire.  Since the first missionaries came to church in a suit and tie, it is assumed that that is the appropriate attire for every church leader to wear. 

Conclusion

As I look at the history of missions which begins in the first century of the Common Era  and ends (at least when I teach it) with the 20th century, I have to conclude that missionaries accomplished many good and noble things.  At the same time, their arrival messed up societies that were operating according to a particular order and structure.  As Bruce and I plan to leave Benin, we hope that we have made a contribution that will make a lasting improvement.   At the same time, we hope the mess we leave behind is constructive and not too difficult to clean up!