Category Archives: Godly character

Six ways the Bible undermines racism: (#6) God calls us to listen

Listening, racism, Training

This is my sixth and final post in this series. I am addressing how the Bible and the gospel offer a cure to the pathologies of racism and tribalism. My first five posts in this series were:

For most of us, I believe that the subject of racism is difficult, painful, complicated. It is just plain hard to talk about it. To reduce racism in our own lives and communities, we need fewer ready-made answers, less defensiveness, a lot more humility, way more listening. But we have a problem.

An anti-listening culture

Is it getting harder to simply listen? I think so. Here’s one reason why: Social media. As much as we may benefit from platforms like Facebook and YouTube/Google, it must be recognized that they have business models that reward outrage. The more outrage, the more conflict and division, the more clicks and engagement, the greater the profit. The result? We can unwittingly adopt a default form of communication that is dehumanizing, based on conflict and winning—rather than mutuality, understanding, nuance, compromise. Respectful listening falls by the wayside.

Business school professor Scott Galloway (interviewed here) is asked, “The Internet promised the democratization of business and culture. The reverse seems to have been the case. What’s gone wrong?” Here’s how Prof. Galloway responded:

“[I]f you were to try and reverse-engineer the one thing that’s done a ton of damage is that their underlying business models tap into a very tribal instinct and that we’re very drawn to conflict and rage and the underlying business model of Google and Facebook is to sell as much advertising as possible, so as a result the algorithm has a vested interest in creating conflict and rage. They talk about engagement as a key metric, and what they really refer to is an enragement.”

–Scott Galloway

So within this world of “enragement,” how should followers of Jesus respond? We go against the flow: We slow down. We lean in. We cross a boundary. We are open to the awkward. We live the gospel. We listen.

Racism and listening—three ways you can listen better

1: Develop your listening skills.

God’s will is that we listen better concerning the difficult, painful, complicated social sin of racism.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Mat 11:15). “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger” (James 1:19).

Listening deeply is a spiritual practice. What if, in Galatians 5:22–23, we equated love with listening? Like this: But the fruit of the Spirit is listening well—through joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Listening is vital when discussing the sin of racism.

In my own life, I have identified five levels of listening.1

  1. I only appear to be listening. I’m thinking about something else. My mind and heart are elsewhere; and usually, the person I’m talking to knows it.
  2. I listen in order to be heard. I’m thinking about what I will say next. I want to make a good impression by what I say. I may gain something valuable as a result.
  3. I listen for information. I need the knowledge to be effective in my work, family, relationships, ministry.
  4. I listen to understand. I repeat using many of the same words I have heard—so that the person knows I understand him or her. I want to reflect what the person is thinking.
  5. I listen empathically. I interpret what I have heard using my own words, and I try to use the appropriate emotion. I want to reflect what the person both thinks and feels.

Listening at levels 4 and 5 is powerful for building trust, working through thorny problems, handling trauma, understanding deeply. To observe the difference between level 2 listening and level 5 listening in a marriage relationship, check out this helpful video (14 minutes).

Plan to listen well. I have found that a powerful trigger for level 5 listening is this: plan to respond in your conversation with the words, “What I hear you saying is …” (Then, in your own words, you complete the statement with what you just heard.) I recommend that, when discussing any hard issue, including the sin of racism, we intentionally use listening skills at level 4 or 5.

2: Listen individually to a brother or sister of color.

Be intentional and reach out. Hear about racism from someone who has been victimized by it. There is nothing like sitting down and listening to another person’s story. Then, don’t try to fix it. Rather, make it your goal to understand as deeply as you can. Be okay with awkwardness. Vulnerability is often healthy as it draws out our humility.

I have had the opportunity through my home church to become friends with an African American brother who teaches on racial unity and the church. He is a wise man. My wife and I took his class. I have learned much from him. It is always good to grab a meal together or just have a conversation. He has helped me better understand the dynamics of racism in my world and in my “tribe”—the mostly white evangelical church.

3: Listen by reading widely.

Over the past couple of years, I have been reading books on the intersection of Christianity and racism. Below are five examples. All of these books I found nourishing and helpful.

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight. Winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for History, this biography is a masterful work of storytelling and scholarship by David Blight, Sterling Professor of American History at Yale University. As I was reading this book, I came to have great affection for Frederick Douglass. Reading of his rise from being born into slavery—to America’s most widely-heard and eloquent abolitionist in the 1800s—makes for a profound learning journey. That Douglass becomes a Christian and is self-schooled in the language of the King James Version of the Bible is a major part of his identity.

The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism, by Jemar Tisby. From the Amazon page: This book is “both enlightening and compelling, telling a history we either ignore or just don’t know. Equal parts painful and inspirational, it details how the American church has helped create and maintain racist ideas and practices. … The Color of Compromise is not a call to shame or a platform to blame white evangelical Christians. It is a call from a place of love and desire to fight for a more racially unified church that no longer compromises what the Bible teaches about human dignity and equality.”

Jesus and the Disinherited, by Howard Thurman. This is a short book—102 pages—first published in 1949. It helped to inspire the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. The book remains a classic. From the Amazon page: “In this classic theological treatise, the acclaimed theologian and religious leader Howard Thurman (1900–1981) demonstrates how the gospel may be read as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. Jesus is a partner in the pain of the oppressed and the example of His life offers a solution to ending the descent into moral nihilism. Hatred does not empower—it decays. Only through self-love and love of one another can God’s justice prevail.”

The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race, by Willie James Jennings. This book tells the story of the conquest by European nations of Africa and the Americas, and how racial categories and hierarchies were couched in Christian theology to support that conquest. I was thrilled to discover that Jennings ends with hope as he expounds on Ephesians 2:13–16. “This new biracial humanity, Jew and Gentile (metaphorically speaking), would be the basis for peace. Jesus marked an alternative path away from violence and toward peace through his own body, in which he constituted a new space of reconciliation. In a powerful inversion of the power of death, Paul claims that Jesus, through his death, put to death hostility.”2 (See my post, “The atonement kills hostility between peoples.”)

The Third Option: Hope for a Racially Divided Nation, by Miles McPherson. Written by the senior pastor of a racially diverse church in San Diego, The Third Option is a book for leaders who want to move toward unity and a more racially diverse congregation. From the Amazon page: “Christians, who are called to love and honor their neighbors, have fallen into culture’s trap by siding with one group against another: us vs. them. Cops vs. protestors. Blacks vs. whites. Racists vs. the ‘woke.’ The lure of choosing one option over another threatens God’s plan for unity among His people. Instead of going along with the culture, Pastor Miles directs us to choose the Third Option: honoring the priceless value of God’s image in every person we meet.”

NOTES

  1. See my article, “Giving Honor: A Key to Fruitful Cross-Cultural Partnerships” in Evangelical Missions Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 4.
  2. Jennings, Willie James: The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Yale University Press. Kindle Edition, location 6006.

Free presentation on solving honor competition in cross-cultural collaboration

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Honor and shame, Listening

The presentation I gave last month with visionSynergy is now available for free at my SlideShare site. The presentation is called “Giving Honor: A Key to Fruitful Cross-Cultural Partnerships”. View here.

The presentation is divided into two sections—Problem and Solution.

  1. PROBLEM
    • Rivalry in the New Testament world: Honor competition and rivalry was a major part of the culture of the New Testament world.
    • Rivalry today. What does rivalry and honor competition look like in networks or cross-cultural partnerships today?
  2. SOLUTION
    • Being like Jesus—giving honor: 
Jesus and Paul teach that serving and giving honor undermine rivalry and 
honor competition.
    • Giving honor—today: What does “giving honor” look like in networks or cross-cultural partnerships today? It looks like empathic listening.

Available as PDF/PowerPoint — or video of entire webinar

Stories and applications

There is also a set of written online conversations concerning this topic of “Honor-Shame Principles in Cross-Cultural Networks and Partnerships” at the SynergyCommons website. Several mission practitioners from around the world participated in this dialog. They share stories and various ways of applying the principles.

Many thanks to visionSynergy, and particularly Daniel Dow, for facilitating this webinar and conversation. –wm

 

1 Peter 2:1–12 … Immense honor and hope for Christians in shame-based societies

Bible commentary, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Gospel of Jesus, Honor and shame

1 Peter was written to persecuted believers “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (modern day Turkey). This map taken from the online version of ESV Study Bible.
1 Peter was written to persecuted believers in “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (modern day Turkey). This map taken from the online version of ESV Study Bible.

To understand the setting for 1 Peter, here’s a quote from the introduction to 1 Peter from the online version of the ESV Study Bible:

Peter encourages his readers to endure suffering and persecution (1:6–7; 2:18–20; 3:9, 13–17; 4:1–4, 12–19; 5:9) by giving themselves entirely to God (4:19). They are to remain faithful in times of distress, knowing that God will vindicate them and that they will certainly enjoy the salvation that the Lord has promised. The death and resurrection of Christ stand as the paradigm for the lives of believers. Just as Christ suffered and then entered into glory, so too his followers will suffer before being exalted.

The letter is addressed to Christians dispersed in “Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1:1), an area north of the Taurus Mountains in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey); see map above. …

Although the entire book of 1 Peter offers insights about living honorably as persecuted believers in an honor/shame-based society, I will look only at 1 Peter 2:1–12. My comments about this passage are made by seeing these verses through the pivotal cultural value of honor and shame.

1 Peter 2:1 — Characteristic of honor-shame societies are highly competitive social games and attitudes. Jerome Neyrey calls it the “ubiquitous game of  challenge and riposte or push-and-shove”.[1] Malice, envy, deceit, hypocrisy, slander are attitudes and behaviors that were present in ancient Middle Eastern societies. They are to be “put away” by all believers! Followers of Jesus are to “vacate the playing field” of this competitive, conflict-generating social game that characterizes honor-shame societies.

1 Peter 2:2–3 —  In contrast, believers are to pursue the achieved honor of developing the righteousness that characterizes followers of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:4 — Rejection is normative for believers; however, the “shaming techniques” of the community are to be resisted. The shame of rejection is contrasted with the great honor of being God’s chosen, which constitutes ascribed honor. “Precious” in the sight of God implies affection from God the Father to amplify the ascribed honor.

1 Peter 2:5 —  Believers are transformed to a higher honor status via becoming part of “a holy priesthood”. The phrase “acceptable to God” indicates the polar opposite of being rejected in shame by Almighty God. The phrase “through Jesus Christ” refers to Christ’s high priestly office as Messiah and mediator between God and and all humanity—a role and office of staggering honor.

1 Peter 2:6 — Here we see the fulfillment of the prophetic words in Isaiah 28:16. It is the ancient covenantal story of God with his people Israel—from which came the Cornerstone, Jesus Christ—the most honorable of all the “stones”. He is the very summation and crux of the story. The prophesy is now fulfilled! And the result? …“whoever believes in him will not be put to shame”. It an astounding promise, the ultimate good news—for people whose pivotal cultural value is honor and shame.

1 Peter 2:7 — Peter writes, “So the honor is for you who believe”. Amazing—this is a most unusual way to gain honor. This honor is gained neither by ascribed honor (family name and official title) nor by achieved honor (through competition and conquest). But simply by BELIEF in the Cornerstone, Jesus Christ (Psalm 118:22). It is contrasted with those “who do not believe”.

1 Peter 2:8 —  For those “who do not believe”, Peter quotes Isaiah 8:14 . The Cornerstone will be “a stone of stumbling, a rock of offense”—He will be an “offense”. This is an understated way of saying a means of ultimate shame for those who fail to honor God. Unbelievers justly receive this punishment of shame because they “disobey the word”—“as they were destined to do”—which amplifies the depth of their shame in contrast to being “chosen by God” (1 Peter 2:4).

1 Peter 2:9 — We see here the multifaceted honor of the community of believers. They are 1) “a chosen race”—the ascribed honor of being the elect … plus 2) “royal priesthood”—denoting regal honor … plus 3) “holy nation” (holy = being set apart, and virtuous behavior—a blend of ascribed and achieved honor) … plus 4) “a people for his own possession”—achieved honor based on covenantal love … plus 5) “to proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light”—here we also see a people with a royal, highly esteemed ambassadorship with the responsibility for mission which accrues to great reward; an example of achieved honor.

1 Peter 2:10 — Faith in Jesus Christ results in a dramatic change in honor status—from zero people-honor, entitled to zero mercy—to being God’s chosen people entitled to infinite mercy; such a dramatic shift in honor status was most rare in the days of ancient Rome. This dramatic transformation of honor status happens by belief in Christ and results in becoming part of a new kinship group—the family of God, the CHURCH local and universal under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:11 — It is normative for Christians to be “sojourners and exiles”. Peter is urging believers to live in a way commensurate with the immense honor of being the people of God. The honor challenge is to resist the temptations and shaming techniques of your culture—for this is warfare against your soul, your true identity.

1 Peter 2:12 — Christians must live honorably among the Gentiles; they must resist their shaming techniques and their evil words. In turn, those who are not believers will acknowledge the believers’ honor as a people, and ultimately give honor and glory to God. Paradoxically, this creates hope and vision for more honor out of the very experience of being shamed.

What are some suggestions for cross-cultural ministry?

1) Consider 1 Peter a “shame-resilience guide-book”. Cross-cultural workers serving in honor-shame societies among first generation believers should consider how the book of 1 Peter might serve as a guide for building shame-resilience in new Christ-followers. Going through 1 Peter in a small group study—while alert to the dynamics of honor and shame—would be a very instructive practice. See this quick-reference guide for assistance in reading the Bible through the lens of honor and shame.

2) Cultivate a culture of honor in the church family. Intensify the practice of honor in the church. The church must be a place of Christ-centered acceptance, love and affection. Believers from societies whose pivotal cultural value is honor and shame should feel the honor of being part of their church family. Consider how you and your team can create a culture of honor.

3) Actively discourage rivalry. Shame-based cultures produce intense rivalry. Leaders should take note of it in the greater church, in their own local group, as well as in their own individual lives (Philippians 2:3). Once taking note of it, leaders must repent of it in their own lives and humbly challenge the behavior when they see it in others. Rivalry will prevent or destroy a culture of honor in the church.

4) Keep focusing on King Jesus. Our Lord Jesus Christ is ever the source of the believer’s and church’s honor. Hebrews 12:1–4 is particularly instructive in this regard, and especially verse 2: “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

FOOTNOTES

1. Jerome H. Neyrey: 
Honor and Shame in the Gospel of Matthew (Louisville: Westminster Press, 1998) p. 20. Neyrey contends that Jesus is calling His followers, particularly males, to “vacate the playing field”, so that rather than gaining honor in the traditional way through public game-playing, they are gaining honor by living in the kingdom of God in joyful obedience to its King.

Is listening THE catalyst for blessing the nations?

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Listening, Powerboat vs Sailboat

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7 ESV)

The Bible teaches that when it comes to spiritual fruit, “God gives the growth.” But with our modern management orientation in Christian ministry, we often think we can control outcomes. This is understandable because of the high-control mindset—so common in the secular environment of the Western world; but is it biblical?

I once attended a small gathering of mission leaders for a “Sailboat Retreat” during which we compared the powerboat mindset with the sailboat mindset—and what it could mean for Christian mission ministry. (Note: If you want to understand the difference between the powerboat and sailboat mindsets, click here for a brief article.)  One of the things we discussed is that money is very often a controlling force in ministry. As a result, fundraising is what often shapes ministry. This can be quite unhealthy, an example of “the tail wagging the dog.”

In keeping with the sailboat theme of “catching the wind of God”—one of the ideas we considered in our sailboat retreat is this:

Instead of having money as the single greatest catalyst for ministry, what if that catalyst was simply listening—listening to God and His Word, and listening to people?

To make this contrast clear, take a look at two “formulas” for ministry. With the “powerboat” formula for Christian mission, the catalyst is money:

Money drives ministry for results
Money drives ministry for results
  • Money drives the process; no funding = no ministry = no results.
  • Money comes first; listening is almost optional and comes last.
  • Primary emphasis on fundraising and methods to raise money.
  • Western nations have more funds, therefore wealthy nations tend to control ministry.
  • Implies reliance on expensive structures, technology, “missions machinery.”
  • Money makes “mission” go fast.
  • Tremendous pressure on people for results—measurement of outcomes—in order to maintain funding. This shapes ministry strategy and reporting protocol.

With the “sailboat” formula for Christian mission, things are very different. The variables are the same, but the priorities are different. The catalyst is listening—to God and people.

Listening shapes ministry for faithfulness
Listening shapes ministry for faithfulness
  • Listening replaces money as the catalyst for global missions.
  • Listening comes first; money is almost optional and comes last.
  • Primary emphasis on—listening to God—catching the wind of the Holy Spirit.
  • Implies a quantum leap by Christian mission leaders in the West relative to listening to Christian mission leaders in the Majority World—while at the same time adopting more of a servant role rather than a leadership role in missions.
  • Ministry can go forward without excessive reliance on funding.
  • Sometimes fast, sometimes slow; it depends on the wind of God.
  • Results are up to God, and can greatly exceed the plans of people, or not. Either one is okay, because God is in control. What is required is that God’s people be found faithful.

Obviously, there are generalizations involved in making formulas and it would be easy to critique specific pieces of the formulas above. Nevertheless, the point of this is to imagine: What would be different in your cross-cultural partnership, if you put listening ahead of funding? What if listening to God and to people was by far the most important, the most catalytic practice, in your cross-cultural partnership ministry—or any ministry, for that matter?

Visit this blog for more resources on the sailing mindset in Christian ministry: http://sailingfriends.wordpress.com/

What is “knowledge paternalism?”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Godly character, Helping the poor, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership

Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert are the authors of this excellent book

From When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert …

All of us need to remember that the materially poor really are created in God’s image and have the ability to think and to understand the world around them. They actually know something about their situation, and we need to listen to them! This does not need to degenerate into some sort of new-age ,“the-truth-is-within-you” quagmire. Like all of us, the materially poor are often wrong about how the world works and can benefit fro the knowledge of others. In fact, a key trigger point for change in a community is often being exposed to a new way of doing something. But it is reflective of a god-complex to assume that we have all the knowledge and that we always know best.

Knowledge paternalism may be a particular temptation for Christian businesspeople from North America, many of whom are showing considerable passion for using their God-given abilities to train low-income entrepreneurs in the Majority World. This passion is a wonderful development and has enormous potential to advance Christ’s kingdom around the world. But the fact that a person successfully operates a software company in Boston does not ensure that this person has the best business advice for a highly vulnerable farmer living on one dollar per day in the semi-feudal institutional setting of rural Guatemala. Humility, caution, and an open ear are in order.

I appreciate the respect the authors show to the materially poor for the knowledge they do possess. This need for this is amplified when Christian leaders from North America enter into cross-cultural partnerships with Christian leaders in the Majority World, who as indigenous followers of Christ, usually have a clearer understanding—better knowledge—of how to share the love of Jesus and build God’s kingdom in their community.

The ideal in a cross-cultural partnership is to learn from one another and to learn together. This has the effect of deepening the relationship reservoir from which to pursue your ministry goals, and to work through inevitable misunderstandings.

For more on paternalism: What is “resource paternalism?” /  What is “spiritual paternalism?”

What is “spiritual paternalism?”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Godly character

Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert are the authors of this excellent book

From When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert …

Many of us assume that we have a lot to teach the materially poor about God and that we should be the ones preaching from the pulpit, teaching Sunday School class, or leading the vacation Bible school. We do have much to share out of our knowledge and experiences, but oftentimes the materially poor have an even deeper walk with God and have spiritual insights and experiences that they can share with us, if we would just stop talking and listen. (location 1700)

The authors argue that a common unhealthy practice of North American Christians toward the poor is paternalism. Note: Since I am reading this book with an Amazon Kindle, I am referencing the book using the Kindle reference system which is by “location” rather than by page number.

Here are some suggestions for avoiding “spiritual paternalism.”

  1. Create an inter-cultural conversation—conducting an exchange program between churches or ministries, by which leaders teach on both sides of the partnership.
  2. When preaching or teaching in the host culture, invite dialog from your respective partners; simply expect that you will learn much more than you teach. Avoid the necessity of having the last word.
  3. Learn the vital practice of empathic listening. For more on this, click here.
  4. Avoid the attitude of superiority by constantly praying the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”

What is “resource paternalism?”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Helping the poor, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership

Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert are the authors of this excellent book

I have been reading When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The authors argue that a common unhealthy practice of North American Christians toward the poor is paternalism. Note: Since I am reading this book with an Amazon Kindle, I am referencing the book using the Kindle reference system which is by “location” rather than by page number.

Avoid paternalism. Do not do things for people that they can do for themselves. Memorize this, recite it under your breath all day long, and wear it like a garland around your neck. (location 1690)

The authors have outlined five types of paternalism.

  1. Resource paternalism
  2. Spiritual paternalism
  3. Knowledge paternalism
  4. Labor paternalism
  5. Managerial paternalism

I am grateful for the work of Corbett and Fikkert in making these distinctions about the various kinds of paternalism. With this post, I am beginning to write my take on each of these “paternalisms.”

I define resource paternalism as the practice of providing money, materials or other assets to people or organizations who could otherwise provide it themselves.

Resource paternalism hurts the poor because it tells them indirectly that they do not have the ability to provide for themselves, thus harming their dignity as responsible, capable, creative persons made in God’s image. It hinders the development of the poor because it reinforces the idea that they lack the capability to address their own problems. Resource paternalism advances a worldview that contributes to the cycle of poverty.

Resource paternalism hurts the non-poor because it releases resources that could have been invested more wisely and effectively for God’s kingdom in other ways. Moreover, it contributes to a “poverty of spirit” on the part of the non-poor—pride and arrogance—failing to recognize that, in the words of Corbett and Fikkert,

… until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good.

Can middle- and upper-class Christians from North America avoid paternalism, and rather, take an attitude of servanthood toward people in poverty—an attitude which recognizes “our mutual brokenness” and rejects a spirit of pride and superiority?

What do you think?

“One of the biggest mistakes that North American churches make—by far—”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Godly character, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership

Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert have written a great book about serving the poor: EXCELLENT for advocates of cross-cultural partnerships

Here is additional material from When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. Note: Since I am reading this book with a Kindle, I am referencing the book using the Amazon Kindle reference system which is by “location” rather than by page number.

A helpful first step in thinking about working with the poor in any context is to discern whether the situation calls for relief, rehabilitation, or development. (location 1507). One of the biggest mistakes that North American churches make—by far—is in applying relief in situations in which rehabilitation or development is the appropriate intervention. (location 1527).

Our perspective should be less about how we are going to fix the materially poor and more about how we can walk together, asking God to fix both of us. (location 1168)

… poverty is rooted in the brokenness of human beings’ four foundational relationships … [relationship with God, self, others, and the rest of creation].

Unfortunately, as recent research has demonstrated, Caucasian evangelicals in the United States, for whom the systems has worked well, are particularly blind to the systemic causes of poverty and are quick to blame the poor for their plight. Evangelicals tend to believe that systemic arguments for poverty amount to shifting blame for personal sin and excusing moral failure. (location 1390)

Development is not to people or for people but with people. (location 1522)

Avoid paternalism. Do not do things for people that they can do for themselves. Memorize this, recite it under your breath all day long, and wear it like a garland around your neck. (location 1690)

[There are five kinds of paternalism: Resource paternalism, spiritual paternalism, knowledge paternalism, labor paternalism, managerial paternalism.] (location 1739)

There are situations in which a lack of local leadership and managerial ability may require the outsiders to perform these functions, but we should be very, very cognizant of our tendencies as middle- to upper-class North Americans to take charge and run things. (location 1755)

… many Christian community development experts have discovered the benefits of using “asset-based community development” (ABCD) as they seek to foster reconciliation of people’s relationship with God, self, others, and creation. ABCD is consistent with the perspective that God has blessed every individual and community with a host of gifts, including such diverse things as land, social networks, knowledge, animals, savings, intelligence, schools, creativity, production equipment, etc. (location 1822)

If you are involved in cross-cultural partnerships which serve the poor, I cannot recommend this book highly enough: When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Godly character, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership

This image from the 15th Century goes with the ancient Jesus Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Public domain) It is an icon of the Transfiguration of Jesus by Theophanes the Greek (15th century, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow). Talking with Christ: Elijah (left) and Moses (right). Kneeling: Peter, James, and John.

In yesterday’s post, I quoted Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert from their book, When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself.

One of the major premises of this book is that until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good.

The authors say that there is a deep brokenness that exists among both the poor and the rich.

In the case of the poor, they have a “poverty of being” often reflected in their loss of dignity; they may be marred by both their personal sin as well as the sin of the world system that contributes to their poverty.

In the case of the rich, they have a “poverty of being” often reflected in their arrogance and pride; they may be marred by both their personal sin as well as the sin of the world system that contributes to the gap between the rich and the poor; their “poverty of being” may be contained in the false belief that they are superior and know innately how to alleviate the problems of the poor. Corbett and Fikkert refer to this as a “god-complex.”

One of the great seductions for western Christians in serving the poor is the belief that money and technology will solve the problems of the poor. Of course, this is partly true. But what westerners often fail to recognize is that without relational healing—without the transforming gospel and kingdom of Christ—money and technology will often only make matters worse. Corbett and Fikkert argue this point very persuasively.

I have been thinking about this idea of “embracing our mutual brokenness” and have made a connection with an ancient practice and prayer of the Christian church. It is called the “Jesus Prayer.” At the risk of sounding simplistic, I offer this as an antidote to the problem of rich Christians serving the poor:

There is a prayer from the Eastern Orthodox tradition that is widely prayed by people of faith all over the world. It is short—and it is meant to be said over and over again—almost like a mantra. It is a prayer that is meant to cover all the bases as it were—and goes like this.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner …
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.[1]

“The Jesus Prayer is composed of two statements. The first one is a statement of faith, acknowledging the divine nature of Christ. The second one is the acknowledgment of one’s own sinfulness. Out of them the petition itself emerges: ‘have mercy.’” [2] Of course, the Jesus Prayer is not all there is to serving well in a cross-cultural partnership. We are advocates for developing godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence (for more on these three arenas of competence, see page on The Beauty of Partnership). But I believe that the godly character trait of humility—the inverse of superiority—is perhaps the one thing that will carry your partnership further than any other.

What if the Jesus Prayer characterized the attitude and behavior of both western and majority-world Christians—as they partnered together in serving our Lord’s Great Commission? I imagine that in living this prayer … “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner” … we would:

  • be more aware of the presence of Jesus Christ in our cross-cultural relationships and in our work together,
  • be willing to confess our mutual brokenness to one another, sharing our life stories, praying for one another, touching each others’ lives, hearing each others’ hearts,
  • be in less of a rush to get things done, more patient with one another,
  • not hesitate to repent of attitudes of superiority or inferiority, realizing our dignity is solely in Christ,
  • be connecting to the ancient grand narrative—the history of God’s people, the church—who have for centuries, been giving witness to the redeeming presence of Christ in a broken world,
  • more readily and more deeply experience our unity in Christ,
  • be able to work through conflict or confusing situations with less effort,
  • be less dependent on money and technology while more dependent on God,
  • have deeper, longer-lasting friendships that glorify God.

What do you think? How can we more readily “embrace our mutual brokenness” in our cross-cultural partnerships? Please comment below.

1. From a sermon by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild: http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/b-or30su.php

2. From Wikipedia: “Jesus Prayer”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_prayer

“Embracing our mutual brokenness”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Godly character, Quotes, articles & books related to cross-cultural partnership, Short-term missions

Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert have contributed greatly to the literature of cross-cultural partnership

I just got an Amazon Kindle for Christmas and one of the first books I bought for my new e-reader is: When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert.

This book is EXCELLENT! An excerpt:

One of the major premises of this book is that until we embrace our mutual brokenness, our work with low-income people is likely to do far more harm than good. As discussed earlier, research from around the world has found that shame—a “poverty of being”—is a major part of the brokenness that low-income people experience in their relationship with themselves. Instead of seeing themselves as being created in the image of God, low-income people often feel they are inferior to others. This can paralyze the poor from taking initiative and from seizing opportunities to improve their situation, thereby locking them into material poverty.

At the same time, the economically rich—including the readers of this book—also suffer from a poverty of being. In particular, development practitioner Jayakumar Christian argues that the economically rich often have “god-complexes,” a subtle sense of superiority in which they believe that they have achieved their wealth through their own efforts and that they have been anointed to decide what is best for low-income people, whom they view as inferior to themselves.[1]

In serving a cross-cultural partnership, having the attitude of Christlike servanthood is crucial. “Embracing our mutual brokenness” is one of the attitudes that makes this possible.

1. Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert: When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor … and Yourself (Chicago: Moody Press, 2009) Chapter 2, subsection 5, “When Helping Hurts,” paragraphs 1 and 2. The authors reference Jayakumar Christian: Powerlessness of the Poor: Toward an Alternative Kingdom of God Based Paradigm of Response (Pasadena, CA: Fuller Theological Seminary Ph.D. Thesis, 1994)