Anthropology and Missions

The work of a teacher does not begin and end at the doorsteps of the classroom. Even though I am back in the states I am grading final papers from my recent trip to India.

The subject I teach is cultural anthropology but a better title should be missionary anthropology as every aspect of my teaching is focused on reaching the most unreached in every community. There is a perception, unfortunately, that because my fieldwork was pioneer church planting between two semi-nomadic tribes in Kenya that the course subject can’t be much help to those involved in urban, social or ministry outside of tribal work. One only has to read the research papers of my students to know that is false perception. Here is a sampling of how students integrated anthropology and their ministry activities.

An Anthropological Exploration Of Bangalore’s Rock Music Youth Culture: Avenues of Engagement between Church and Culture. This student working with middle-class kids in Bangalore writes, “…the music of a sub-culture ought to be studied and understood within its own context,” and that the proliferation of rock bands is apart of young persons attempt for “achieved status.” He reminds us that music is both a medium and the message, and to reach this sub-culture their place of meeting should be in a neutral environment, not necessarily the church.

Another paper entitled, Anthropological Research Paper on the Garos of Meghalaya, was written by a young lady who from the south and belongs to a denomination not known for their missionary outreach stated, "When the daunting task of world evangelization dawned on me, the Holy Spirit inspired me to break down the shackles of tradition and reach the unreached. “ Going to this unreached people group in the north she states, “Being a woman I think I have a greater access to the women folk than men. Hence I would like to uplift their social condition, which is not satisfactory at present. As I am a Pharmacist by profession, I can bring awareness among the women about the medical facilities available to them and to follow a healthy lifestyle.”

One student, doing research on an unreached group called the Meiteis of the north, boldly suggests that missionaries working with this people should encourage Hindu Yeshu Bhakta’s (devotees of Jesus), which are Hindu followers of Jesus that stay in their Hindu community practicing their Hindustani culture and giving allegiance to Christ and Him alone.

Space does not allow me to share papers on how these students will use anthropology to reach people with HIV/AIDS, the Sha people deep inside Myanmar (Burma), Muslims in Pakistan and even pygmies in central Africa.

Almost every student has written me stating that this course changed the way they viewed ministry in the past. These MA students are not only future of the church in India, most of them are deeply involved in ministry today. As I tell my students, anthropology cannot and does not replace the work of the Holy Spirit. However, anthropology can and is an important tool in presenting the Good News of Christ and His salvation.

The Mind and Worship

For the past three weeks I have been teaching at the South Asia Institute for Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS) in Bangalore, India. This morning in chapel one of the professors reminded us of our Lord’s answer to the religious person who asked how one gains eternal life.

(Jesus) answered, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as you love yourself'" (Luke 10:27).

Though SAIACS is an academic institution where students are enrolled to enrich the heart as well as the intellect, when it comes to worship Christians generally enter devotion with the heart, not the mind. The speaker’s theme today was that learning, growing intellectually is also, or should be, a form of worship.

I grew up in a household that did not highly value education. Historically the denomination in which I have been a member for many years also had a dim view of scholarship, believing that mankind only needed the preaching of the Word so that Holy Spirit could convict the “heart” of man unto salvation. Scholarship, as I was conditioned to believe, was primarily the wasted energy of eggheads and people who spoke beyond their level of intelligence. God’s true work, as the argument goes, is measured in shoe leather, and blessed are the feet of those preach the gospel (Romans 10:15), not those who sit in the ivory towers of academia.

My thoughts wandered to those refrains of disdain as I sat in a weeklong consultation gathering of intellectuals who debated the topic - Indian and Christian: Changing Identities in Modern India. The participants were principally evangelical scholars, but there was also papers presented from Catholic and Hindu professors. For Christians in this country, not more than 4% of a population of 1.3 billion people, identity is an important issue to the minority. Are they Hindu, Christian, Christian/Hindu and however they define themselves, what should their role be in community and government? From morning to night papers were read, respondents challenged and some of us tried to keep up.

At the end of the week one wonders what was accomplished? Conversion was not of the lost without Christ, but rather to a point of view. A church was not established, but perhaps prestige was. And, though no shoe leather was lost in the process I was reminded of another saying from my youth, “A river will only rise as high as its source.” Or, as Forest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Though the eggheads do sometimes talk above and past others, I’m sure the venue of dumb and dumber is not the answer in reaching this country for Christ.

Obviously, the balance between poiesis and praxis is needed in missions and ministry. Let us not slight one for the other. It’s also good to remember that to love the Lord our God with all our mind is truly an exercise in worship.

October Update

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Criteria for Ministry Partnership

One judges a program or organization by its leadership. I get a ton of requests to teach in India, Africa and other parts of the world, but I obviously can’t respond to every request. I determine my initial acceptance by the references of those who know the program. What determines my on-going working partnership is the quality of leadership. If a school or mission organization is poorly run, see my contribution as a means of financial gain, then I usually back away from such venues. If, however, there is a spirit of reciprocity, a clear vision of what the program is trying to accomplish in terms of discipling cross-cultural workers or leaders and, who make every effort to facilitate my participation in their work, I am more than willing to not only teach but be involved in other aspects of their ministry.

Such is the case with TENT India. I have been teaching missionary anthropology there for the past five years. Dr. Vijayam is one of the most gracious men I have met in India. He is unpretentious, mild tempered and most gracious. His staff, John Samuel, Sunil Daniel and many more that I could name, are every bit as gracious and unassuming as Uncle Vijayam. In a country that is consumed by status and achievement, the highlight of my fall discipleship schedule is to work with this organization in Hyderabad.

This past month I taught the Joshua Vision India (JVI) class; national missionaries preparing to go cross-culturally. Two of the men (pictured above) came from the most northeastern part of the country on the border of Myanmar (Burma). They told me it takes nine days to travel to Hyderabad, five of those days by foot over the mountains, the other four days by bus and train.

I was privileged also to teach a group of young women called the IWILL program (Indian Women in Lord’s Labor). Many of these women will work in their own districts using and teaching the skills they learned at TENT; small acreage farming, candle making and micro-finance programs, enhancing church outreach and helping the poor.

There are bigger programs, more high-profile ministries in India, but there not any ministries I prefer working with over TENT India.