“Western Christians in Global Mission” by Paul Borthwick looks at the state of Christianity around the world, and provides a glimpse into how Americans and Western Christians can and should be involved in missions. The thesis of the book is that we need to get beyond ourselves to see what God is doing in the world, and be challenged to discover afresh where we fit and how we can be a part of God’s global missional plan for humanity. Throughout the book, Borthwick gives a great comprehensive look at where Christianity is currently at in the world. He begins by discussing how in the past, he understood missions from an American-centric viewpoint. He was convinced that North America was the leader in global Christianity, and the rest of the
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I was an ignorant, proud American when I went to Nigeria and by the end of the trip, I was ashamed at the way I acted and treated the local people. There are several ways that Americans can practice humility, when we are involved with working in the mission field. First, we must learn to tame our assertiveness. When we go into the world, we need to learn how to serve rather than lead. We need to take a backseat to the Christians who are already working in a given country, and get behind them and support their efforts. A second way in which we can practice humility is by listening and learning from the people we are serving. We can learn from Christians in the poorer world about what it means to find your identity in Christ, instead of in your possessions or accomplishments. We can learn about standing strong in our faith, even when there is persecution and hardships from our Christian brother and sisters in the Middle East and North Africa. European mission mobilizer Mark Oxbrow says it best when he states, “With the rise in short-term mission from America, we need to see a rise in “pre-visit” learning and appreciation of non-North American cultures.” Third, and finally, we need to learn how to be genuine servants in the mission field. When visiting another culture, you must learn how the locals express servanthood, and you need to make sure to do that. You can stay in a hut, eat the local food, follow their customs for a few weeks, but that isn’t true servanthood. Go beyond what they expect of you, and treat them as Jesus treated His disciples when He washed their
I was an ignorant, proud American when I went to Nigeria and by the end of the trip, I was ashamed at the way I acted and treated the local people. There are several ways that Americans can practice humility, when we are involved with working in the mission field. First, we must learn to tame our assertiveness. When we go into the world, we need to learn how to serve rather than lead. We need to take a backseat to the Christians who are already working in a given country, and get behind them and support their efforts. A second way in which we can practice humility is by listening and learning from the people we are serving. We can learn from Christians in the poorer world about what it means to find your identity in Christ, instead of in your possessions or accomplishments. We can learn about standing strong in our faith, even when there is persecution and hardships from our Christian brother and sisters in the Middle East and North Africa. European mission mobilizer Mark Oxbrow says it best when he states, “With the rise in short-term mission from America, we need to see a rise in “pre-visit” learning and appreciation of non-North American cultures.” Third, and finally, we need to learn how to be genuine servants in the mission field. When visiting another culture, you must learn how the locals express servanthood, and you need to make sure to do that. You can stay in a hut, eat the local food, follow their customs for a few weeks, but that isn’t true servanthood. Go beyond what they expect of you, and treat them as Jesus treated His disciples when He washed their