A RISKY OCCUPATION: CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY
by Stan Griffin
Elsewhere on this website are articles about violence directed at Christians this year in six different countries. Some of those Christians are missionaries from the U. S. while others are local people who have been converted.
Most of these attacks are taking place in countries where the population is predominately Muslim; Indonesia, the Sudan, Saudi-Arabia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Yemen. There have been instances of murders, execution, destruction of churches, and threats of deportation aimed at Americans as well as native Christians.
Today’s missionaries are facing death but rarely talk about it. Dangers of the work come from the Bible and are described in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul and most of Jesus’ original disciples died as they tried to spread the Gospel. Others endured hardships and physical violence during journeys throughout their world.
Over the next 2,000 years, missionaries faced similar environments. They were resented if they seemed to be promoting foreign interests or cultures–and/or trying to change the country’s lifestyle, especially in the area of religion.
Following World War II, new nations grew with feelings of extreme "nationalism" (my country, right or wrong).Governments grabbed church properties, sent missionaries out of the country, and even sanctioned murder against them.
In the past Christian missionaries often took a superior attitude toward the host country and their work in it: The people were uncivilized. Only Christians had the truth. The newcomers were most interested in building more churches and increasing the number of new Christians than learning about native customs and life.
Perils aside, Christians today are still volunteering for mission work abroad. The Southern Baptist’s International Mission Board sends out evangelists. Currently they have some 7,000 college and high school students signed up for short-term missionary work overseas. A spokesman for the Board says " ... they willingly trade away safety and comfort ... (the) possibility of death won’t deter them ..."
Street-corner preaching has become "out of style" in the missionary’s book of procedures. It’s simply too risky. Instead they try to keep a low profile by doing no "aggressive evangelizing." Many missionaries come identified as lawyers, engineers, agriculturalists, teachers, medical personnel, etc. However, their primary objective is to share the Christian faith–but quietly–while showing proper respect for local customs.
Medical personnel–doctors, nurses, orderlies, pharmacists-- work in local hospitals helping the sick. In the process they do subtle things to bring God into the country such as leaving reading material around and conducting chapel services. The murders in Yemen took place in a Southern Baptist hospital.
Muslim countries have special perils: Mail is opened and read. Guards accompany Americans as they conduct their business. The trick is not to be overbearing and obvious.