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Monday, December 29, 2008

On Missionaries and Mindsets

This link was sent by a reading friend, to a Times article written by a self-professed atheist from the UK who grew up as a kid in Africa.  


Recommended reading.  His premise is that while hospitals and schools are good things, the most important contribution of missionaries to Africa is the liberation from the crushing weight of collective passivity.  I'm not sure I agree that individualistic thought leads to salvation . . . but I do sense underlying truth, that apprehension of one's place before God leads to valuing human life, to valuing creativity and health and beauty, and to risking sacrificial love.  This is the force I think he senses but can not define.  So let us plod on with our schools and hospitals, our nutrition and engineering projects. But let us hold them lightly in comparison to the kids we befriend, the staff we empower, the slow and subtle growth of the liberating sense of being loved.

3 comments:

JLC said...

Amen

Unknown said...

How ironic...I just read this article and was going to send a link to you! Thank you for the work you do and for allowing God to work through you.

Anonymous said...

You see it with a truly faithful eye, and you say it all so clearly. You are a refreshment for my spirit, and I thank God for you. Judy in HMB