It Sounds Good But...

I just got back from Nicaragua. It was a great trip... once we got there. Discount fare airlines suck.

We helped build a wall at a church there. It was hard, fun, inspiring, tiring, and uplifting all at the same time. I used to worry about not being able to speak Spanish but the truth is there is some good that comes out of that. I kind of like trying to communicate without knowing the language. I imagine it is very similar to what most people feel when trying to communicate to a Christian.

Anyway, the one thing that I am always mindful of is the issue of dependency. Having grown up in a developing country I have seen first hand how much damage it can cause. I have also read a lot about how bad it is and how missionaries have been guilty of it for far too long, especially in Africa.

But here is the kicker. If you ask a missiologist where missionaries have done the most dependency creating they will probably tell you Africa followed by South America. But then if you ask the same person where the center of Christianity is today and they will almost jump out of their shoes to tell you that it isn't the western world but the global south. In other words, Africa and South America. Some how Christianity has grown like mad in spite of our flawed tactics.

I still think that creating dependency is a bad thing. But sometimes I think we have worried so much about it we have developed a paralysis. We're afraid to do anything at all because it might create dependency. So I think we need to chill a bit. Yes, we need to be concerned about dependency but we also need to remember that God can get around our messes.