By all means, I am a missionary embedded within the poverty culture of Abilene, TX (the fair mother city). But I refer to myself (and others in similar works) as an undercover field agent. It's a fun schtick and it keeps people from acting all religious around me. I like realness. But I take on a very 'fantasy-like' persona and fantasy is not real. The irony confuses me but I make due OK.
As a missionary, err...secret agent, I try avoiding the traps most missionaries fall into. Such as...preaching one's own CULTURE versus preaching JESUS. ("Preaching" can mean a number of things besides oratory speaking - which I suck at, btw).
I've been to some rural parts of southern Africa with a group of missionaries from my university - way back in the day. I think I was shocked when all of the local church members we visited seemed more...American...than I expected. Or at least "American" in their worshipping and/or Christianity. I mean hey...if it's perfectly normal for saggy-boobed women to let it all hang out then why should they wear a shirt when they're around church? I'm sure I could come up with better examples, but you know what I mean...right? They learned this 'shirt-wearing' thing from missionaries.
Well...I catch myself occasionally trying to promote 'middle class cultural values' amongst the 'least of these' in the poverty culture. And I now believe that's not what the CEO expects of me. Cultural education of middle-class values is not my mission. Service is. Realness is. And perhaps the great comission at the end of Mark...I think...
For example, our next door neighbor, 19 year old Jessie Sanford graduated high school last May. We're happy for her, even though the term "graduate" was more like "politely encouraged by her school to move on". She's kind of slow and has little if any ambition in life. I'm starting to see Jessie slowly turn into her mother, who didn't go past 8th grade and lives off a government check for being overweight, illiterate, and related health problems. I often catch myself thinking things like, "she needs to go get a job and start supporting herself" and other such tripe. Well...how damn wrong of me! *I* DON'T EVEN HAVE A FREAKIN' JOB!!! WHAT A HIPOCRITE. Yet I, like Jessie, somehow or another get our daily needs met. I credit the CEO. Maybe she does too or maybe she credits her mom. But what difference does it make? It's faith...for now.
Another example: Jessie's brother, the Tiger, hates school with more than a passion...it's, like, personal or something. He's 16 and repeating the 9th grade because of...get this...lack of attendance. He actually passed the classes. He's now old enough to legally drop school if he so chooses which he contemplates daily - while skipping school. My middle class mind and culture regurgitates, "Get your education. Stay in school". But really...WHY? I have no honest, Jesus inspired answer. The Tiger will do just fine in life without an education. He loves to work. Out in the sun. Sweating hard. He'll always have a way to support himself. But I once tried to explain to him that one day he might get in an accident and lose his legs or something. Then how will he do manual labor? Well, what the hell kind of faithless crap am I preaching? *I* DON'T EVEN HAVE HEALTH INSURANCE. AND THE CEO TOOK CARE OF US DURING MY WIFE'S PREGNANCY, ETC.
Jessie and The Tiger don't worry about the future. Their blind trust teaches ME more about faith than anything my middle class values can teach THEM.
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2 comments:
no doubt. reminds me of the simpsons episode (man, i have started way to many sentences that way) - the simpsons episode in which homer flees the public radio folks by jumping on a plain with some missionaries. when he arrives they say something to the effect of "we have already riddiculed away their beliefs and culture..."
that is my paraphrase - i a can't recall the quote - but at anyrate...
i have some friends downtown Santa Cruz who are "street people." i struggle with the same temptation to ask them why they don't just try to get a job. for some this is impossible as they are mentally ill or what have you. but for many the street life is a semi-conscious choice (at least for the folks i am friends with). lee for example has an art degree, went to berkely and so on. he just chooses the life.
when i am tempted to ask him why he doesn't just get "middle class" i have to remind myself that maybe he is there to minister to me and my faith community. who knows, maybe he is an agent from the "CEO" sent to us?
i wonder how often this is really at the heart of our "theological" and "worship" wars?
Yes Agent Fletch,
Admittedly, I haven't researched this at all. But it seems that there are few, if ANY, books on the subject of "culture preaching vs. Jesus preaching". Again, I still have yet to create a better term for this subject.
In every christian related group, the overriding relation between a Christian and a non is "be like me" ie: "be like my culture".
What gives?
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