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You've said elsewhere that September 11 may greatly reduce what you call "Christian tourism," or the high number of short-term missions trips offered through North American churches and missions agencies. Do you still think so?

The point for Christians is that it's now not just a simple matter of "Oh, I'll go to that country for a visit." You've got to seriously consider whether to go, because there is an element of danger. This is going to lead to a much more serious contemplation about traveling overseas, especially in countries where there's a significant Islamic presence. Therefore, my suspicion is that the season of easy Christian "tourist" visits may have largely passed.

Well, that's going to have some significant repercussions, considering the tremendous growth of this kind of ministry in the last two decades.

Yes, and I think it's going to cause a lot of rethinking. I would hope that it does lead to much more serious long-term strategizing.

Do you think mission agencies are going to focus a bit more on long-term ministries? Or will this development spell the end of some agencies?

I think that those who are involved in solely short-term ministries might have to really look very carefully at their programs to make them relevant. I would hope that it does lead to a longer-term commitment. As a result of September 11, I see a much greater seriousness about our faith and our actions. I trust that leads to more effective outreach.

You have also said that the hand of tyrannical regimes has been greatly strengthened by September 11 and the desire to build an international coalition against terror. Please explain.

I'm glad to see that there are discussions going on between the Russian leaders and the Chechens. But basically the Russians have felt less pressure from the West on their human-rights record and military actions in Chechnya. The Chinese have felt freer to put pressure on restive minorities. The Sudanese have now come back into favor, to an extent, with the U.S.A., and the oil companies are free to carry on. That oil money is pouring into Sudan, and it's being used [by the Islamist government] to buy weapons to suppress the south, and nobody says anything. The fact of September 11 has helped those systems with repressive tendencies for [their brutality] to be accentuated without so much fear of publicity. Robert Mugabe is actually destroying his own country [Zimbabwe] for the sake of political gain. He has had much more freedom to take actions since September 11, because the world's press is not noticing. This particular war has lessened human rights pressures on many countries with repressive tendencies.

You've also said that we need to study martyrdom more intensely. What do you mean?

Many Christians are now being persecuted at a level few would have expected 10 years ago with the collapse of [Soviet] communism. And now the levels of persecution are quite intense in many countries. So it's a very serious thing to contemplate ministry in countries where that is happening. And more than that, I think we are going to face increasing pressures in Western countries, too—maybe a more subtle form of persecution—ostracism, marginalization, and so on. And we have to take seriously the fact that to follow Jesus is not a picnic. It's serious. And therefore, we need to get back to the ideas that suffering and persecution are perfectly normal for Christians, and that supernatural deliverance from all evil is not a normal expectation for Christians. Praise God for deliverances, but these are often exceptions. The whole concept of walking with Jesus and bearing our cross and following him is going to mean rejection and hatred by the world.

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August (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46