Ministry to Alternative Spiritualities in Religiously Plural America: Moving Beyond Confronting "Cults"
by John W. Morehead
First published in the Fall 2003 edition of Occasional Bulletin, published by Evangelical Missiological Society
(direct link to full text as reprinted at the Primum-Mobile. Net website):
In obedience to the Great Commission, missionaries and missiologists have devised effective evangelistic strategies in order to reach thousands of people groups within the world religions of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and folk and tribal religionists in their home countries. This is as it should be. Our Lord commanded the church to make disciples of the nations (Mat. 28:19), referring not to individuals defined by geopolitical boundaries so much as distinct people groups defined more by a social structure that incorporates not only the obvious elements such as language and cuisine, but also worldview and religious considerations as well.
But while the missions community has recognized the people groups of the world religions, it has not always recognized the importance of reaching the millions of unreached peoples involved in new religious movements, new age, and neo-Pagan groups and other religious traditions that have taken root in Western society. Estimates vary as to the number of new religions in North America, with a conservative estimate at somewhere between 700 and 1,000.2 Examples of growing new religions include not only the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses), but also the Brotherhood of the Cross and the Star, Iglesia ni Cristo, Mahikari, Rastafarianism, Santeria, Siddha Yoga, Umbanda, Western esotericism, the New Spirituality (or new age), as well as emerging Do-It-Yourself Spiritualities, Western Hinduism, Islam, and revitalized forms of missionary Judaism. The continuing forces of modernization, secularization, and globalization may provide the social context for the continued growth and spread of religious groups and movements such as these and others around the globe. The new religions and world religions in the West are no longer fringe cultural phenomena, but represent serious cultural and religious movements worthy of attention by missionary strategists, career missionaries, and evangelical academics.
In the article Morehead makes five specific proposals for future missionary work along the lines he is suggesting. The fifth of these five proposals is to develop new and innovative ways to train missionaries in how to effectively target Pagans, etc:
5. Provide seminary students with field experience. To raise awareness among a future generation of missionaries and missiologists, we might explore ways in which students pursuing missions studies can be given practical field experience in sharing the gospel with adherents of new religions. Such programs would include practical assignments such as an interview with a Mormon or a Wiccan high priestess, for example. This interview would then result in an essay prepared by the student where they would explore the theological, missiological, and apologetic issues that arise from such encounters.
Here is revealed, in all its glory, the true, unvarnished thinking of an unreconstructed Evangelical Christian, who views Mormons and Wiccans as equally "lost" and in need of having the gospel of jebus "shared" with them.
And here is how Morehead finishes up his article:
The challenge and opportunity posed by the new religions is monumental. If we do not respond in obedience to our evangelistic mandate, surely we must respond in order to perpetuate the Christian faith in our postmodern climate of religious diversity, where evangelicalism hovers on the cultural fringe. As David Hesselgrave has stated, "During the era of modern missions, evangelical missionaries have focused on adherents of the major religions and, especially, on folk religionists. As we enter a new century and new millennium it is becoming increasingly apparent that we must also focus on millions who are being caught up in new religious movements emanating from both East and West. They constitute not only a new 'mission field,' but also one of our most aggressive competitors for the allegiance of multiplied millions who are turning away from the faiths of their fathers." As international mission leaders prepare for Lausanne 2004 in Thailand, it is my hope that the often-neglected mission fields of the new religions and world religions receive the attention of the missions community in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
Sadly, John Morehead has met with more than a little success in his efforts at evangelizing Pagans and others who have turned "away from the faiths of their fathers". And what makes it truly sad is the eager assistance he has received from some prominent Pagans who now, wittingly or wittingly, are actively participating in Morehead's ongoing project to retool and rebrand the Great Commission.
Don't you know his type? Likes to get close to the fire, play with the fire, dance around the fire--but ever so careful not to get burned. . . until he is.
ReplyDeleteChas: I think of him more as a "Mod Squad" type. The type of person who wants to have it both ways. But you can't be a narc and be a cool kid, too. Just as you can't be a missionary and also be "pagan-friendly".
ReplyDeleteThat works too, for anyone who has heard of "The Mod Squad." :)
ReplyDeleteAs I checked another post of yours about me I followed the link here to see what was written. As with the other post where I left a comment, having spent years previously in the Christian countercult where evangelicals warn fellow believers about "cultists" sent to turn them astray, your website posts on me represent the pagan polar opposite of this approach.
ReplyDeleteAs to alleged stealth evangelism, this is a misunderstanding and misrepresentation. There is no stealth involved. Christianity is a missionary religion, like most religions, and sharing the pathway of Jesus is a part of what it means to be a disciple. So when there is an welcomed opportunity I will do that. If there is not, and many times there is no interest, so no evangelism takes place, stealth or otherwise. My relationships with pagan friends and my dialogue work are all authentic, and not merely a ruse to fool the unwary pagan. For a further exploration of my views on this and my work see the recent interview I gave at the Alternative Religions Educational Network.
Finally, these comments by Chas in your exchange are an unfortunate punctuation to this post. References to "this type" don't move the much-needed understanding, relationships, and dialogue between Christians and pagans forward. I'm hoping for a fairer assessment in the future, and that representatives of our religious communities can move beyond this fear and boundary maintenance form of interaction.
I stand by the characterization of "stealth evangelism".
ReplyDeleteIn fact, that is the whole point of choosing "In obedience to the Great Commission" as the title to this post. This is not how you are seen by Jason Pitzl-Waters, Gus diZerega, and the other Pagans whose trust and confidence you have managed to gain. They do not think of you as someone acting in "obedience to the Great Commission", and they certainly do not portray you to others in that way.
And that is precisely what you have hoped to accomplish by your stealth evangelism - to evangelize without people realizing that is what you are up to.
This is also why the phrase "religious diplomacy" is so apt for this kind of stealth missionary work. I think it was Will Rogers who said that "diplomacy is the art of saying 'nice doggie' while you look for a rock to throw at the dog."