Explain Again Why There are Christian Missionaries


From time to time there are stories of "heroic" missionaries who died while trying to convert people in some other part of the world. Were they really heroes, or, were they fools? I read the just completed Southern Baptist Conventions renewed its commitment to missionary work. 

Recently I read again about the Waodani (other names are also used) Tribe in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. This group steadfastly remains separated from outside societies. For some reason white people from the U.S. have remained fixated on converting the Waldoni. On Wikipedia there is no mention there are Christians in the tribe today though it's possible there could be some. The entire tribe is only between 2,000 and 4,000 members.

Several missionaries have been killed trying to convert the Waodani. Apparently converting them has been an obsession over time. Still being written about is the widow of a young missionary killed by the Waodani. The widow took her baby and lived in the tribe for a year or so afterwards.  

Elisabeth Elliot was the young wife of Jim Elliot. Jim was consumed with converting the Waodani and was killed. The story of him going there and his widow doing the same afterwards makes a story some Christians consider heroism. A better term is fools. Or, better yet egotism or a sense of superiority. Their thinking, and that of every other missionary, was, "We have a religion superior to yours. It is our purpose in life to persuade you to abandon yours and grab onto to ours." Over time, many indigenous people have found both the new religion and those who promoted it frightening and, I suppose, thought it imperative to kill. The intellectual capacity of the missionaries was no higher than those in the areas of the world they tried to convert. 

The best thing for a religion to do is what was done in Rome. A dictator was converted to Christianity and soon the entire country converted. 

My Uncle and Great Uncle were missionaries. The Great Uncle started a church in China. The building remains but the church was wiped out during the cultural revolution. Even though millions of dollars of collection plate money and countless missionaries have been in China today there is government regulation of Christianity in China.    

Like with Elisabeth Elliot, those who analyze Christianity in China engage in "considerable romanticism" about the growth of the faith. After a hundred plus years and trainloads of money the Christian population remains at between 2-4%. The nature of the Christianity practiced is also questioned. 

The siren of converting "heathens" still quickens the hearts of Christians. Last week Southern Baptists reaffirmed their commitment to this fool's errand. 

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