Opinion: Perspectives from readers
An interesting dichotomy has been argued in Christian mission. Should the Christian’s mission in the world focus on verbal witness, or should acts of care and compassion be our priority? Word or deed, evangelism or service, gospel or peace?
I answer the questions with a resounding, “Yes. Both.” Jesus illustrated a seamless concern for people’s hearts, bodies and relationships, and the early church understood Jesus’ intentions to embrace all human need and humanity in its entirety. No longer could any credible argument be made for separating either Jew from Greek or separating word from deed. We are a seamless whole, and God cares for all humanity. That is God’s mission. We participate in many ways.
Why then does the debate continue? I suspect two reasons. First, Christian mission and evangelism have at times been patronizing and condescending. The mission thrust of the church has not always been carried out with sensitivity and has sometimes been linked to cultural pride and violent power.
Sadly this is true, although it is not immediately apparent why this is often cited as an argument against verbal witness but seldom against compassionate service. Well meaning deeds can be as patronizing as ill-spoken words and one’s actions can be as dangerous as one’s speech—maybe more so.
Still the fact of the Crusades looms as a horrible example of “Christian” motives gone awry. We continue to live in their wake. Frank admission of failures is a proper chastening of the mission endeavor.
I think there is a second reason, too. I suspect that Christians not only question the method of Christian mission but sometimes even wonder whether it is necessary at all. The message, not simply the method, is thought to be a condescending carryover from an imperialistic and colonizing past.
In an increasingly interconnected world, it is more difficult to talk about convictions from one perspective without appearing blind or insensitive to the contributions of others. Hence we feel called to give priority to actions and efforts that receive praise from a variety of faith perspectives. Giving voice to conviction expresses mere personal opinion and polarizes people. Even worse, inviting others to share one’s faith experience appears not as humble generosity but as downright arrogance.
I often hear a presumed quote of Saint Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel and when necessary use words.” Apart from the question of whether Saint Francis actually said it, I really do like that statement. And I also like Saint Francis’ example.
On the heels of the Crusades and the debris of human conflict, Francis articulated and practiced simplicity, joy and love as the motives that would form his life and the character that would define his witness, even to the Muslim world. His compassion led him in the year 1219 into the very presence of the Sultan of Egypt, where he attempted to share the gospel, using words. His mission held together deed and word.
Some years ago the words “integrated witness” came into my vocabulary. They replaced the earlier language of “holism,” itself introduced as an antidote to a perceived bias of words over deeds. In the current climate, the danger of prioritizing words over deeds is now matched with the danger of prioritizing deeds over words. And further, holism, introduced to bring balance to the witness of deeds and words, has sometimes become a euphemism for deeds without words.
I believe in an integrated witness that values deed and word, peace and witness, justice and evangelism. The hues of truly Christian and godly engagement in the world are reflected through the various facets of an integrated witness.
Loren Horst is president of Virginia Mennonite Missions.
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