Missionary Myths | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2008 > September

Christianity Today, September, 2008 |

FOOLISH THINGS

Missionary Myths

Why the Great Commission still applies.

Stan Guthrie | posted 9/23/2008 11:35AM

2 of 2

"Maybe there are other ways to God." The Pew Forum reports that seven in 10 Americans who follow a particular religion believe that many religions can lead to eternal life. This and other studies suggest that large numbers of evangelicals believe this. Further, while 74 percent of Americans believe in heaven, only 59 percent believe in hell. If the lost aren't really lost, why not focus on the this-worldly needs of neighbors closer to home, rather than on the spiritual state of faraway Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists who already lead mostly moral lives and probably don't want us to come anyway? Of course, to believe this means ignoring the words of Christ, who said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

"Missionaries have been poor witnesses of the gospel." Even if this distortion were true, so what? The same could be said of Christians in many endeavors, from Hollywood to Wall Street. This is not an argument for no missionaries, but for better ones.

And the best time to send them is right now.

Related Elsewhere:

Previous columns by Stan Guthrie are available on our site.

Previous articles on missions and ministry are available on our site.

first page |

2 of 2

share this page

September 2008, Vol. 52, No. 9

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment

Reader Reviews are below

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Displaying 1 - 3 of 11 comments.

See all comments

Ephrem Hagos

Posted: September 25, 2008 12:44 AM


The Great Commission is, indeed, a marching order strictly for fully trained disciples of the Lord Jesus but not for amateurs and enthusiasts who know next to nothing of its terms and substance. If you cannot do it right, therefore, please keep it to yourselves and spare us the wrath of God's righteous judgement!

IkeC	Posted: September 24, 2008 11:56 AM


Excellent piece. The Great Commission still applies, and long term missionaries are essential to fulfill it. Those of us who can't go MUST give so that others can.

RJR_fan

Posted: September 24, 2008 9:09 AM

You don't need to be a career missionary to love unreached people enough to learn their language and culture. Contact your local university, ask about their "language partner program," and go to work. You help folks from "closed" countries to refine their English. Let them see the inside of an American home, befriend an American family. They help you learn their language and culture. These "stranger in a strange land" enjoy being on familiar ground, discussing something they know and love very well, their mother tongue. Since many cultures, Muslim, for example, are very passionate about family life, these bright-eyes sojourners love interacting with entire, intact, families. My 12 and 10 year old girls are blessed to have a Turkish Muslim surrogate big sister, and they are making progress on mastering this important world language. They can also pray for the conversion of people they know and love because of this experience.

The allotted time for commenting has ended.