The heart of Missions is transformation

If we were to survey the contemporary scene today with no pretensions at being exhaustive, we would notice a renewed interest in traditional spiritual paths together with an almost bewildering variety of new developments. These developments can be roughly sorted into the following four groups: 1) centering prayer and the work of Thomas Merton, the charismatic movement, fresh approaches to Carmelite, Benedictine, and Ignatian spirituality, the revival of spiritual direction, etc.; 2) dream work, active imagination, focus on mid-life transitions, use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Enneagram, journaling, the Twelve Steps, etc.; 3) Zen-Christian dialogue, Moslem-Christian dialogue, Hindu-Christian dialogue, Kundalini, the works of Anthony de Mello, etc.; and 4) creation spirituality, Christian ecology movement, the new cosmologies, Native American spiritualities, the simple monastic movement, spiritualities derived from the peace and justice movements and liberation theology, etc.

For nearly two centuries after the Reformation Protestants engaged in very little missionary activity outside of Europe. But in the late sixteenth century several movements arose, the members of which sought to renew the Church and carry the Reformation further, from doctrine into life. These movements would form the launching pad of Protestant missions, and included Puritanism, Pietism, 

Moravianism, and the Wesleyan/Evangelical  revivals.

 

Many nineteenth century missionary movements labored intentionally for social transformation, most

without recognition, except at times in a false and negative light. For example, at Andover Seminary, Samuel Mills and his colleagues from the Haystack Prayer Meeting took the initiative in establishing the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1810. One of the early fields chosen was Hawaii (then known as the Sandwich Islands). Those early missionaries were maligned by James Michner; but the reality was much different from the picture he painted. Their major focus was the conversion of men and women to Christ and the gathering of converts into churches. But they also worked to protect the Hawaiian people from the sexual and economic exploitation of the sailors

and traders who came to the islands.  The missionaries worked to end infanticide and other

destructive practices. After a few decades the islands were dotted not only with churches, but with schools in which Hawaiian children were taught by Hawaiian teachers. Several years later others devised a system of writing the language using Roman characters, translating the Bible and various textbooks. By 1873 they had published 153 different works and 13 magazines, along with an almanac in the local language.

 

Many lesser known missionaries have demonstrated great concern for the totality of human need. One of them was Willis Banks, an obscure Presbyterian evangelist who worked in a backward area of southern Brazil. He built the areas first brickyard, brought children to live with his family, taught them to read, and then sent them back to teach others. Using a home medical guide, he treated infections, tuberculosis, malaria, worms, and malnutrition.

The Nestorians, who flourished from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries, moved across central Asia into India and China. Christians in the West know little about this remarkable movement because most of the fruit of its labor was lost. Yet as one scholar noted, “Nestorian missionaries introduced letters and learning among people who were previously illiterate, including Turks, Vigurs, Mongols, and Manchus, all of whom are said to derive their alphabets from Syriac, the language of the Nestorians.”

 

 Through it all, at the heart of our faith lies "the God of peace" (Rom 15:33), who desires peace for all people far and near (Ps 85; Is 57:19). That desire has been fulfilled in Christ in whom humanity has been redeemed and reconciled. In our day, the Holy Spirit continues to call us to seek peace with one another, so that in our peacemaking we may prepare for the coming of the reign of God, a kingdom of true justice, love and peace. God created the human family as one and calls it to unity. The renewed unity we experience in Christ is to be lived out in every possible way. We are to do all we can to live at peace with everyone (Rom 12:18). Given the effects of sin, our efforts to live in peace with one another depend on our openness to God's healing grace and the unifying power of Christ's redemption. Change of mind and heart, of word and action are essential to those who would work for peace (Rom 12:2). This conversion to the God of peace has two dimensions. On the one hand, in imitation of Christ we must be humble, gentle and patient. On the other, we are called to be strong and active in our peacemaking, loving our enemies and doing good generously as God does (Lk 6:35-36, 38), filled with eagerness to spread the gospel of peace (Eph 6:15). Likewise, discovering God's peace, which exceeds all understanding, in prayer is essential to peacemaking (Phil 4:7). The peace given in prayer draws us into God, quieting our anxieties, challenging our old values and deepening wells of new energy. It arouses in us a compassionate love for all humanity and gives us heart to persevere beyond frustration, suffering and defeat. We should never forget that peace is not merely something that we ourselves as creatures do and can accomplish, but it is, in the ultimate analysis, a gift and a grace from God. By its nature, the gift of peace is not restricted to moments of prayer. It seeks to penetrate the corners of everyday life and to transform the world. But, to do so, it needs to be complemented in other ways. It requires other peaceable virtues, a practical vision of a peaceful world and an ethics to guide peacemakers in times of conflict.