The missionary and primitive cultures

[Pergamum]

The Intrigue of Primitive Cultures | Biblical Missiology

Thoughts?


Here's some snippets:

Ironically, the same missionaries who are intrigued with old-fashioned cultures abroad frown on traditions in their own Western countries. In the USA, for instance, each generation distances itself from the hair styles and fashion trends of the previous decade, and would only wear their parent’s clothes for Halloween. Yet when I have taken some Americans shopping in markets in Arab countries, they are fascinated by people wearing long robes in the streets. They often rush to buy these traditional clothes to show them to their families and friends. In missionary conventions you will see many missionaries dressed with traditional costumes of other cultures. They would not appear in outdated clothing from their own country.

Missionary journals, newsletters, and magazines almost always have a cover page featuring primitive people dressed in traditional clothes, even though they maybe the minority in their countries.

A look at the covers of books on Islam, missionary newsletters, and magazines reveals much of what Westerners find attractive. They typically depict Islamic art with intrigue and extremely positive tones. I have yet to see a book on Islam with pictures of BMW’s, men in suits, career women behind desks, women in short dresses or jeans, or men and women in revealing swimwear on the beaches of Turkey. Rarely do you see photos of young Muslims using computers or carrying cellphones.

Until Christian workers are willing to give up their admiration of primitive culture and are willing to see themselves as change agents, they remain ineffective for the kingdom.

 

[Jack K]

So very true! Even if the missionaries quickly lose their fascination with the old traditions of the people they work with, the supporters nearly always want that image. My dad, who ministered among Native Americans, would refuse to put more than one or two pictures of people in traditional dress in his slide show presentations to supporting churches. That kind of dressing up was rare, and he wanted his slides to be more realistic. The churches, however, always seemed most intrigued by those few pictures.

 

[Leslie]

It is only the (relatively) wealthy who care at all about clothing style. Clothing is meant to cover the body, for modesty and warmth. In this culture, in southern Ethiopia, everything is Salvation ARmy discards. Style means nothing. 17 year old males, just feeling their hormones, will wear lacy maternity tops. Women walk around the market in nightgowns, and they are not prostitutes. Anything that covers the body is fine. Except for the uniforms of health workers and police, how clothing looks has absolutely no significance whatsoever. Visitors will ask what the traditional native dress was like. The answer: reportedly it was animal skins, but I've never seen anyone dressed that way.

 

[Pergamum]

Sadly, I believe many of my well-meaning supporters are quicker to give to my cause than, say, to workers in France due to the pictures that I can send back of everyday life in the tribe versus picture of lost frenchmen in Paris.

How should a missionary respond to an article such as this?

 

[JoannaV]

The end of the article, ie the meat of the article, seemed very good. A reminder to the missionary of his core purpose. That last snippet you posted I didn't like when it stood-alone, but within its paragraph it was okay. Alone it gave me the impression that all primitive culture was bad and missionaries should be focused on changing it :B

I didn't personally like the first half of the article. It made too many sweeping generalisations. Which would be fine except my only experience of a Muslim country involved donkeys and wells and families around fires and everyone wearing long robes (And it's just the style/outline he chose for the article, nothing wrong with that, I just kept wanting to say that context was important. Not all of the the things he mentioned are always wrong or always true. Which I'm sure he knows. I guess I must just have a problem with things that are half-blog half-article.)

Haha I'm sure missionaries in France can be deceitful with photos just as easily. Girls in berets smoking in front of cafes...

 

[Pergamum]

Do you think missionaries overly stress the "otherness" or the depravity of target cultures in order to gain mission dollars or support?