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Topic: 10 babies born in Africa
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brebis noire
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 7136
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posted 22 June 2005 08:47 AM
The evangelical church I grew up in had a big focus on foreign missions. Missionaries to Africa, mainly, as well as a few other places around the world, would come and slow slides about the country they worked in, and talked about the people, the culture, the problems, etc.
I used to think that their work (many were nurses, mechanics, pilots, teachers, etc. - as well as supporting or building churches or mission projects) was helping Africa, but obviously it hasn't. The focus used to be on long-term, lifelong missions, but it eventually shifted to more short-term projects. I still don't know what to make of our intervention in Africa; I know that many individuals were able to do a lot of individual "good things", but in an overall sort of way, things just seem much worse today.
From: Quebec | Registered: Oct 2004
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skdadl
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 478
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posted 22 June 2005 09:09 AM
I remember "foreign missions" as a major part of Sunday school in the United Church in the 1950s. (In fact, I think the junior form of Explorers/CGIT is called Mission Band, isn't it?) And I wouldn't completely discount that tradition among some of the Protestant churches of a century ago. Their long history in some places -- China, notably -- produced some interesting politics among the missionaries, at least. I'm thinking, eg, of James Endicott and figures like him, who became formidable defenders of the Chinese Revolution, or otherwise strong critics of European imperialism in the East. Like brebis noire, though, I'm not sure how much good the missions ever did for the people being evangelized themselves, and especially in the case of Africa it is hard to see a positive legacy at all.
From: gone | Registered: May 2001
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