Ethnic Realities and the Church: Lessons from Kurdistan - A history of mission work, 1668 - 1990

Finished reading: Some time during 2005

As Ralph Winter points out in the forward, beyond just the Kurds, this book has broader insights into reaching all sorts of minority peoples including not only Muslim peoples but also Hindu and Buddhist peoples as well. The story of the Kurds echoes the story of many peoples.

Insufficiency of Missionary Nationals

Time after time, there have been missionaries in Kurdistan but time after time down through their history the missionaries bypassed the Kurds. Instead they preferred searching far and wide for small groups of ethnically distinct Christian communities. How are the Kurds ever to be reached with the gospel in this way?

A People without a Home

The Kurds have no state of their own--no nation called Kurdistan--only an idea. Having no homeland, they live as a minority among other more dominant political powers. They live mostly in eastern Turkey, Northern Syria, Northern Iraq, and Iran. They are disenfranchised in Turkey. They have been betrayed by the Government in Iran. Saddam Hussein violently oppressed them in Iraq for many years before his demise (note: the book was written before Saddam's fall) and now in Syria, they are among the many people being violently killed by the Assad regime in Syria today. Undoubtedly these atrocities are what have led the Kurds to be very militarized.

Sacrificial, Indigenizing, Followers of Christ Needed

The crucial point that comes out so clearly from this book is that we need followers of Christ who are willing to adjust to living in the context of the Kurdish culture and society who can bring the Christ of the Bible to them. This requires people who aren't just going to take the easy way out of finding and working with local Christian communities that have lived in Kurdistan historically and hope that effort will somehow spread to the geographically close Kurds. Essentially, that method is just another way of evading the real thing Christ has called us to do--bring the gospel to those remaining peoples without access to it so that some from every people would follow Him.

A Hopeful Postscript

This book was written in the late '90s. Since then much has happened in Kurdistan. Believers have come and entered into Kurdish society to incarnate the gospel. There are genuinely Kurdish believers today. The Kurds remain a UPG (Unreached People Group) due to the very small number of believers but they can no longer be considered a UUPG (Unengaged Unreached People Group).

Conclusion

I had the opportunity to meet the author on a couple different occasions and I remember his joke about the book that once you put down you just can't pick it back up. Well, that's definitely a joke! This is a fascinatingly in-depth account of a people, their geographically close (but oh so distant) encounters with the gospel, and the ethnic realties that must be acknowledged in order for them to truly know and meet Jesus in a powerful way.

The Socialization Trap by Rick Boyer

Finished reading: Summer 2009

The modern homeschool movement is no longer a new phenomenon. It has been around for at least a good 30 years at this point. Still, it is not that uncommon for me to hear people say that their one reservation with homeschooling is the social aspect. (Apparently the "poor academics" argument has evaporated and is no longer seen as an issue.) The socialization argument does seem to keep coming up from time to time though. In The Socialization Trap Rick Boyer does a good job at explaining why the home, not school, is the best social environment for children.

Myth of Good Public/Private School Socialization

In chapter one Boyer points out the myth that a typical school environment is actually good for children socially. It is a myth because you are taking a young impressionable child and putting him or her into a situation where most of the time is spent with peers--Not exactly the best examples for learning adult maturity. I'm not sure I entirely see why many people see this as an advantage of public and private schools.

Assembly Line Education

Public and private schools also have the tendency toward mass production. Schools just can not practically have the staffing required for one-on-one attention from teachers. The result is a reliance on standardized testing. But since when is the measure of competence not having any educational gaps? Shouldn't the measure be based on identifying those with exceptional giftings in certain areas? The cause of this is, I think, social. It comes from the lack of time adults spend nurturing the giftings of that child.

The Best Socialization

This brings me to the final and what I think is the most important point the book brought out--That the home is the best social environment for young people. The primary reason for this is that the home is where the parents are. Nothing beats a one-on-one personal life trainer.

Conclusion

So, in summary, the idea that homeschoolers are missing out on socialization is, in effect, a trap. It ignores the harm done by peer groups. It ignores the individual nature of the student's needs by mechanically requiring standardized results. Most significantly, it disregards the significant role that parents should play in the life of a child.

I Will Do a New Thing by Roberta Winter

Finished reading: Some time during 2008

I Will Do a New Thing is a book written by Roberta Winter about the history of the U. S. Center for World Mission, an organization that has played a significant role in bringing the gospel to those peoples and societies that are beyond the edges of the kingdom of God. On a personal note, I read this book just before taking the INSIGHT course at the USCWM for my first year of college. So it was a lot of fun to have some extra background knowledge on the history of the organization right before coming there and having the opportunity to get to know some of the people who were very influential in the work of the U. S. Center.

Founding

The USCWM was founded by Ralph and Roberta winter in 1976 in Pasadena, CA. Interestingly, before the campus was purchased, it was being used by a New Age cult. The cult called themselves "The Church Universal and Triumphant" and was led by Elizabeth Clare Prophet.

Hidden Peoples

Ralph Winter pioneered the concept of hidden peoples (more commonly referred to as unreached peoples). Hidden peoples represent the idea that no matter how much evangelization we do in our own culture, there will remain pockets of people without any access to the gospel. These people require a specific and intentional effort to bridge into their lives with God's message of redemption.

Rivendale

The USCWM's role is to be a sort of headquarters for strategic thinking about mission. The book mentions a comparison that David Bryant made between the USCWM and Rivendale from the Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. They are both places for planning and vision. The U. S. Center is a place to envision the completion of God's purposes in the World.

Mobilization

Bringing this vision to the rest of the church is another big role that the U. S. Center plays. The USCWM has been the source of many important mission resources. Among these are the course Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (perspectives.org), the Global Prayer Digest booklet (globalprayerdigest.org), and the publisher William Carey Library (missionbooks.org). These resources have played a significant catalytic role in helping the church bring the gospel beyond its current borders.

Conclusion

The USCWM is a place where it is possible to bring together people who are committed to advancing the kingdom of God beyond the edges. It is a place to step back and take a big picture look at what God has been accomplishing down through history, what he is doing today, and how we can allow ourselves to be used by Him in the greatest way possible.

Making Housing Happen: Faith-based Affordable Housing Models - Jill Suzanne Shook Editor

A while back I had the opportunity to hear Jill Shook speak about affordable housing. I was intrigued to learn more. While I am not entirely sure whether I agree with some of the methods or even areas of focus, I greatly appreciate the work that has been done in these areas and am challenged to learn what my involvement in affordable housing could look like.

Mixed Income

Integrating affordable housing into middle-class neighborhoods seems to be an effective way of alleviating poverty. This is called mixed income housing. In chapter one Terry Carter and Jill Shook bring up a case where over 25,000 poor people were given Section 8 vouchers which are the standard housing assistance method used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This meant that they were able to move into areas where no more than 30 percent of the residents were black. The results were quite amazing. According to Terry Carter and Jill Shook "Poor, single-parent black families, when living in the midst of a middle-class neighborhood, were more likely to be employed. In addition, their children were four times less likely to drop out of school and more than twice as likely to attend college.... [Additionally,] in only one out of thirty-one studies was there a confirmed negative impact on home values."

Government Funding/Political Emphasis

One area of concern I had with this book is the level of reliance on the Government that most of these affordable housing models have. With a few exceptions, most of the housing projects included were primarily subsidized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In addition, there is a large amount of dependency on the Government for these projects to work effectively. I am neither saying that this is good or bad. I do not have the answers. I do however think that this is an area that should not be overlooked.

"Sweat Equity"

A model that I particularly liked was in chapter three: Habitat for Humanity and Peachtree Presbyterian Church. Here is how it works. Habitat for Humanity will provide an interest free loan and the future homeowners paired with volunteers will provide the labor or "sweat equity". A homeowner putting work into his home adds an extra sense of ownership.

Conclusion

One of the most beneficial aspects of this book is the challenge to rethink the way we look at housing. Maybe our idea of one isolated unit on a lot should not be the norm. Maybe we should pursue relatively new ideas like housing cooperatives or co-housing. Maybe we should look at mixed income neighborhoods in the new light of the lives that are being changed. It is at least worth a try.

Great Commision Companies by Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen

In their book Great Commission Companies, Steve Rundle and Tom Steffen do a good job in demonstrating that businessmen can be an effective catalyst for sharing Christ in Unreached People Groups. They also show the falsity of what they call the spiritual-vocational hierarchy where typically most Christians see foreign missionaries as the people with the most spiritual job and business men and others with the least spiritual jobs.

Globalization

The world is changing in big ways. For instance, businessmen no longer rely on local economies to the extent that they used to. Information, technology, transportation, and shipping have dramatically changed our markets from local to global. While this definitely could be a good thing some people don't like the way events have turned. Outsourcing is more and more common these days. This can be destructive if we don't become integrated into the global economy. In addition to the opportunities this has created for business, globalization has opened up new doors for bringing news about the gospel of Jesus to UPGs (Unreached People Groups). One of the most exciting aspects of globalization is that you don't have to be a professional missionary anymore to be involved in frontier missions. Now the average "Joe" can go anywhere in the world in a matter of hours. Ordinary people are going cross cultural at surprising levels. This has brought about a new phase in history where now business professionals can take a leading role in church planting movements. It is no longer the "elite" who are fulfilling the Great Commission.

Cover up Business?

Some traditional missionaries have caught on the Idea of using business and mission together but when used as merely an "access strategy" this can be not only deceptive but just plain less effective. It will become apparent to onlookers that real for profit business is not being done. People will start to wonder where you are getting money from and will be suspicious. This can completely undermine the work that is being accomplished. How much better to be up front with everyone and be pursuing legitimate business income. Furthermore, a legitimate business that is making a substantial amount of money is a significant asset to the community that a phony business cannot be.

No "Necessary Evil"

I am becoming more and more convinced that there is no reason that we have to see our job as a necessary evil. It should be and integral part of what we do not just a way to make money so that we can do what we really want. The time we spend during our work week is just as important as our off time if not more important. It is valuable time to build relationships. Even the fact that a job gives an opportunity to spend a lot of time with others on something together is very important.

Practical Business Helps

Sometimes when I am driving by a business I wonder how they started. Did they wake up one day and say to themselves "I want to start a restaurant"? What is it that makes for a good business plan? Chapter 5 (pp. 79) refers to what Harvard business professor Amar Bhide has found to be true. He says in his book ¹How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work that the most successful entrepreneurs are those who find solutions to problems they encountered in a previous job. This is one of many ways that this book Great Commission Companies has demystified my knowledge of how business works.

Conclusion

Great Commission Companies is a read that is well worth the time it takes. The Insights I gained by reading it are invaluable. Any follower of Jesus would do well to hear this information

¹Amar Bhide, "How Entrepreneurs Craft Strategies That Work" Harvard Business Review March/April 1994, pp. 150-61

Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton

Money money money! Why does so much revolve around it? As with anything else we need to see the biblical perspective on this important issue. That is why I appreciated reading the book Your Money Counts by Howard Dayton. This book demonstrates how everything that we own is already God's so let this book be a reminder to all of us that our money is, was, and will always be His whether we recognize it or not.

Debt

The bible is clear about debt: Don't have it. Romans 13:8 says "Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another". We should make an earnest effort not to ever go into debt. If we would do this, it shows that we are not self centered with our money. Too often we buy things for ourselves without any thought of the implications this has for our ability to serve others with our money.

Investment

If we would only invest our money up front we might not have to spend so much time making money. Why waste our time duplicating our efforts when we can earn it once and move on with our lives. The sooner we realize this, the better off we will be. So why not start now?

Financial Freedom

Even if we do everything right and don't waste our money on ourselves we can still not be making any real difference in the world if we don't actively use the money that we save for God's purposes. The Point I want to make is this: Don't just save your money to save it. Use it for God.

Let the Nations be Glad! by John Piper

I have recently been reading Let the Nations be Glad. It is one of the most definitive books on missions. Books like these can produce paradigm shifts in the way we view God's purposes. God is pursuing Glory from all peoples. Yet there are still people groups without a single church in their culture. That is why Missions is so important.

What drives us?

John Piper reminds us that missions is the "second greatest activity in the world" because it is the means to the greatest activity: worship from every nation tribe and tongue. "Missions is not a recruitment project for God's labor force. It is a liberation project from the heavy burdens and hard yokes of other gods". Because of this, our motivation is not oppressive but instead is joy filled. We do missions because we enjoy it. We want to bring others into the same enjoyment in Christ that we have.

Missions: a cause not a career

I love hearing stories about WWII. Not because war is good but because defeating evil is so important. When we collectively join together to send forth warriors to remove a tyrannical ruler it is a glorious thing. To pave the way for beauty and light is something we should long for with all our hearts. How much more glorious will it be when Satan is destroyed and the Kingdom of God comes.

Diversity

There is a widespread failure in the Church to recognize God's desire to see all nations gathering to worship him before the throne. Some how we think that all we need to do is to get a few more people saved. This is good but it is not what God has called us to do. Instead God desires that all the families of the earth be blessed to be a blessing (Gen 12:1-3). God is honored infinitely more in diversity!

Conclusion

The Main thing that this book left me with is that the task of the unreached people groups is something so close to God's purposes which we see in the Bible that it cannot be only a task for the people who choose missions as a career. This is a Cause for all of us.