The Unbiblical Way of Reaching Nations for Christ 

Throughout history, there have been some huge mistakes and unbiblical practices, especially in the past several hundred years, regarding the methodology and motivation of reaching nations for Christ. The nations of Western Europe, including Portugal, Spain, England, and France, went to the people groups of Latin America and Africa with the “3 C’s of Christianity,” which were “Christianity, Commerce, and Civilization.” 

The missionaries were often ambassadors for Jesus and emissaries of the nation they were representing. Hence, they had colonialist political and economic goals that were equal to or exceeded their goals for spreading the gospel. 

It was so bad in some nations that if a person did not convert, they had to agree to be servants (some can argue a form of slavery) under the guise that they had to be held in trust under a family until they were civilized and converted. Furthermore, the Catholic Church would allow secular colonizing nations to appoint their own bishops and priests because they saw it as a way of spreading the gospel under the banner of a sympathetic country.

Although many missionaries had good intentions, many nations used the missionaries as a veil to hide behind their goals of conquering peoples so they would be subservient to their countries with the intent of seizing and harnessing their vast natural resources. 

 Case in point: 

“The Catholic Church during the Age of Discovery inaugurated a major effort to spread Christianity in the New World and to convert the Native Americans and other indigenous people. The evangelical effort was a major part of, and a justification for the military conquests of European powers such as Spain, France and Portugal. Christian Missions to the indigenous peoples ran hand-in-hand with the colonial efforts of Catholic nations.”

Additionally:

“…In the 16th century, priests of different religious orders set out to evangelize the Americas, bringing Christianity to indigenous communities. The colonial governments and missionaries agreed on the strategy of gathering the often nomadic indigenous populations in larger communities called reductions in order to more effectively govern, tax, and Christianize them. Reductions generally were also construed as an instrument to make the Indians adopt European lifestyles and values…”

“John Philip of the (Protestant) London Missionary society once wrote this about mission stations, ‘Missionary stations are the most efficient agents which can be employed to promote the internal strength of our colonies and the cheapest and best military posts that a wise government can employ to defend its frontier against the predatory incursion of savage tribes’” (Transforming Mission by David Bosch; page 305).

Harvey Conn said, “Colonialism was often seen by these early missionaries as the handmaid of the process of civilizing. And it could easily be defined as the grand movement of Europe that promoted the cause of rational behavior in the face of barbarous superstition” (Eternal Word Changing Worlds by Harvie Conn; page 35).

Consequently, most often, the spread of the Gospel from Western Europe had a mixture of western culture and Christianity. Their goal was to export western culture and values to “civilize the indigenous peoples” instead of teaching indigenous people to think biblically, evangelize and multiply churches in the context of their own culture. Despite this, many were converted. A form of Christianity was established, as well as the fact that numerous hospitals and schools were built. However, as already noted, this was often done with a methodology that included Western values and cultural imposition upon people groups. 

In Retrospect 

When we think about reaching a nation, we need to discern the difference between the biblical gospel and the culture of the nation we represent. In every culture and nation, there are good and bad things. There are things that can be assimilated easily into the lifestyle of the indigenous church without compromising the message of Christ. (E.G. We do not want to import into the church the practice of Sati, which is a Hindu practice of burning widows to death on their husbands funeral pyre, or the practice of polygamy in which many African tribal men have had more than one wife resulting in mixed families.) 

When we minister in a nation, we need to sense what God has already been doing in that specific culture. That will be the bridge between them and the gospel and the key to opening their hearts to the gospel. We must be careful not to equate our nationalistic cultural values on an equal plane as the gospel of Jesus.  (Read The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society by Leslie Newbigin and “Eternity In Their Hearts by Don Richardson.) 

We must apply a biblical perspective regarding  politics, economics, families, values and ethical principles. We must allow biblical teachings to be applied in the context of every indigenous culture. When I teach in other nations, when I write books, when I write articles, when I read scripture, I always have to discern if I am reading, writing and preaching through an American or biblical lens. I need to discern if I am imposing my nationalistic values on Scripture or if I am allowing the God breathed Word to penetrate my American soul. I need to preach a gospel of the kingdom that is trans-cultural, trans-historical, multi-generational, and relevant to the challenges of today.

(Although I believe the USA is one of the greatest nations in the history of Western Civilization, there are cultural values, both subtle and overt, that are unbiblical.) 

Finally, the greatest thing I believe we can do to influence a nation for Christ, is to teach indigenous people groups how to think biblically, apply the gospel of the Kingdom to their own culture, so they can reach and disciple their own people. I don’t believe God is going to call me to reach a nation where the gospel is already well established. I want to honor those already serving God in every nation and culture. 

I greatly desire to help Christian leaders reach their own nations. I do not want to repeat the methodology of colonizing, rather, I  desire to partner with leaders in expanding the kingdom of God.

Please check out the latest book from Joseph Mattera here!