White Flight and the Modern Missions Movement
Lately I've been reading an excellent book by Brian McClaren (an amazing leader in the emmerging church movement" entitled A Generous Orthodoxy. McClaren wrote it as a modern response to G.K. Chesterton's work Orthodoxy (another wonderful read), in which he sums up his idea of what he views is a generous orthodoxy of the Christian faith. In the second portion of the book, every chapter outlines something that can be cherished from each of the different Christian faith traditions (everything form Catholicism to Evangelical Fundamentalism). In one particular chapter he made a minor comment about how missions can be motivated by fear, and its gotten me thinking.
White flight was a term usually associated with the movement of white Americans out of urban areas and into the suburbs, mostly during the 1940s, 50s and 60s. The primary reason whites made the move was in reaction to the influx of minorities (mostly African-Americans) into urban areas. Most of these minorities were moving from the South into Northern urban areas in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and their families. The idea of white flight is not new to most people.
The more I've thought about it, the more I've found a parallel between White Flight and the modern missions movement amoung American evangelicals. Walk into any church, christian bookstore, or any place of Christian congregation, and it won't take long for you to hear about how some group has surplanted Christianity from its place of authority in culture. The "culture war" metaphor is popular for many Christian leaders. We have the "liberal media", sex and violence prevail in entertainment, politics is corrupted by degenerate morality. Thus, Christianity becomes an almost militant counter-culture in America, a remnant constantly being bombared by armies of non-Christian groups. So where do we go?
Abroad. Now the last impression I would hope to give is that all missions groups and missionaries are motivated out of fear. However, I believe many are in fact motivated out of a desire to find "more fertile ground" (which is both an excellent reason and a cop-out). I'd like to call this movement within missions, the Faith Flight. As far as I can tell a few options are available to the Christian living in America (or perhaps any culture for that matter):
1. Assimilate. Be absorbed into the culture without making waves. (A popular move for many "liberal" Christian groups.
2. Fight. Take up arms in the culture war to make America a "Christian Nation" once more. (Perhaps the main strategy for some fundamentalist circles).
3. Hide. Remove yourself from the prevailing culture and set up a sub-culture that lives beneath the radar of the American society (popularized by many "remnant" groups).
4. Flight. Move to another location where the work isn't as hard and people are more receptive, setting up Christianity as a dominant culture in a new area (Sadly the motivation for some believers and mission agencies).
5. Engage. Maintain your Christian identity while learning to engage in the culture around you in a knowledgable and loving way (hopefully what we all strive for, and a cornerstone to McClaren's idea of a generous orthodoxy).
My goal is not to dissuade people from being involved in missions. Far from it! (Although perhaps a newer, broader definition of missions and evangelism is necessary, but thats another story). My hope is to encourage believers to engage in the culture in which they live. As I wrote in my article on Christianity and art, what the American church needs more than anything is people willing to live within the culture in a meaningful way that shares the love of Christ and meets people where they are. In some circles, missionaries are seen as the elite of Christianity; the brave souls that are willing to give up a materialistic lifestyle in order to share the gospel with unreached nations. But, I believe some of the bravest men and women in American christendom are the ones that choose to stay here and engage the world in the many gaps that have been left by modern Christianity. Individuals like Don Miller, Jim Wallis, Anne Lamott, Rob Bell, Derek Webb and others are leading the way in providing a loving, Christian voice in the dialogue of American culture.
If you feel called to go abroad, go! But please, leave to share the kingdom of God, not to run from your fears in America. The centers we have fled from are feeling the effects. Its not that we need Christian media, Christian politics, Christian entertainment, and so forth. We need Christians willing to be a part of these industries side by side with non-Christians making an impact on how they work. Its time to engage America.
Note: Its been a long time since a post was left. The original hope of starting this blog was so that a community of Christians could discuss the "gaps" that may exist in Christian culture today. If you are intersted in being a part of the dialogue on this website, please let me know. Faith is communal. None of us have all the answers. We want to hear your voice.
Lately I've been reading an excellent book by Brian McClaren (an amazing leader in the emmerging church movement" entitled A Generous Orthodoxy. McClaren wrote it as a modern response to G.K. Chesterton's work Orthodoxy (another wonderful read), in which he sums up his idea of what he views is a generous orthodoxy of the Christian faith. In the second portion of the book, every chapter outlines something that can be cherished from each of the different Christian faith traditions (everything form Catholicism to Evangelical Fundamentalism). In one particular chapter he made a minor comment about how missions can be motivated by fear, and its gotten me thinking.
White flight was a term usually associated with the movement of white Americans out of urban areas and into the suburbs, mostly during the 1940s, 50s and 60s. The primary reason whites made the move was in reaction to the influx of minorities (mostly African-Americans) into urban areas. Most of these minorities were moving from the South into Northern urban areas in hopes of finding a better life for themselves and their families. The idea of white flight is not new to most people.
The more I've thought about it, the more I've found a parallel between White Flight and the modern missions movement amoung American evangelicals. Walk into any church, christian bookstore, or any place of Christian congregation, and it won't take long for you to hear about how some group has surplanted Christianity from its place of authority in culture. The "culture war" metaphor is popular for many Christian leaders. We have the "liberal media", sex and violence prevail in entertainment, politics is corrupted by degenerate morality. Thus, Christianity becomes an almost militant counter-culture in America, a remnant constantly being bombared by armies of non-Christian groups. So where do we go?
Abroad. Now the last impression I would hope to give is that all missions groups and missionaries are motivated out of fear. However, I believe many are in fact motivated out of a desire to find "more fertile ground" (which is both an excellent reason and a cop-out). I'd like to call this movement within missions, the Faith Flight. As far as I can tell a few options are available to the Christian living in America (or perhaps any culture for that matter):
1. Assimilate. Be absorbed into the culture without making waves. (A popular move for many "liberal" Christian groups.
2. Fight. Take up arms in the culture war to make America a "Christian Nation" once more. (Perhaps the main strategy for some fundamentalist circles).
3. Hide. Remove yourself from the prevailing culture and set up a sub-culture that lives beneath the radar of the American society (popularized by many "remnant" groups).
4. Flight. Move to another location where the work isn't as hard and people are more receptive, setting up Christianity as a dominant culture in a new area (Sadly the motivation for some believers and mission agencies).
5. Engage. Maintain your Christian identity while learning to engage in the culture around you in a knowledgable and loving way (hopefully what we all strive for, and a cornerstone to McClaren's idea of a generous orthodoxy).
My goal is not to dissuade people from being involved in missions. Far from it! (Although perhaps a newer, broader definition of missions and evangelism is necessary, but thats another story). My hope is to encourage believers to engage in the culture in which they live. As I wrote in my article on Christianity and art, what the American church needs more than anything is people willing to live within the culture in a meaningful way that shares the love of Christ and meets people where they are. In some circles, missionaries are seen as the elite of Christianity; the brave souls that are willing to give up a materialistic lifestyle in order to share the gospel with unreached nations. But, I believe some of the bravest men and women in American christendom are the ones that choose to stay here and engage the world in the many gaps that have been left by modern Christianity. Individuals like Don Miller, Jim Wallis, Anne Lamott, Rob Bell, Derek Webb and others are leading the way in providing a loving, Christian voice in the dialogue of American culture.
If you feel called to go abroad, go! But please, leave to share the kingdom of God, not to run from your fears in America. The centers we have fled from are feeling the effects. Its not that we need Christian media, Christian politics, Christian entertainment, and so forth. We need Christians willing to be a part of these industries side by side with non-Christians making an impact on how they work. Its time to engage America.
Note: Its been a long time since a post was left. The original hope of starting this blog was so that a community of Christians could discuss the "gaps" that may exist in Christian culture today. If you are intersted in being a part of the dialogue on this website, please let me know. Faith is communal. None of us have all the answers. We want to hear your voice.
posted by Gapminder at 4:10 PM
0 comments
