Ignorance

I'd just like to see the majority of my church members get passionately interested in anything remotely connected to religion!!!!! Even if it were totally false!! At least then we could have good argument!

They look at me now sometimes like I'm a creature from outer space because I love to study and read and bring to their attention things they've never heard of.

I'm finding it is a rare Baptist today who ever reads and studies his or her Bible or even picks up a "Christian" book.

We're trying to expand their horizons by Video Study Courses and Christian Movies.

 

From a missionary's viewpoint, this is a heart-breaing thread. Ignorance? You folk don't know ignorance. I'll tell you ignorance.

Ignorance is when I tell a Japanese about Jesus, and he says, "Who?" It is when a woman comes into my church, picks up a Bible and says, "I've never seen one of these." It is when a 92 year old woman from a liberal nationalistic "Christian" group, supposedly a Christian all her life, begins attending church and can't even find Matthew. It is when another woman from a liberal church (baptized 30 years before) has a puzzled look on her face as I talk about Heaven from the Bible, and then suddenly says, "Oh, you are talking about the Heaven of the Bible. I thought you meant the Buddhist Paradise." It is when a radical Buddhist tells me Christians are immoral because a "Christian" nation dropped the atomic bomb. It is when I get called "Father" because the average Japanese only knows Christianity by some TV program. It is when over and over I am the very first person ever to present the Gospel to someone or even name the name of Christ to them. It is when 1000 Japanese towns and even cities have no Christian church, not even a bad one. It is when I can find one Baptist church per 100 population in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but that county has more Baptist churches than the whole city of Tokyo with it's 12 million people.

From a Great Commission viewpoint, ignorance is when 2000 people groups lack even a portion of the New Testament in their language. It is when half of the world, 3 billion people, has no Gospel witness at all, but perhaps someone reading this is unwilling to leave the homeland and follow Jesus overseas.

What you folks are talking about being ignorant about? None of it concerns me in the slightest.

 

John, I fully respect your opinion and enjoyed looking at your site earlier.

I think it comes down to context. In the situation you face ignorance of Christian writers is of little consequence. The primary focus is on ignorance of the Gospel and God's Word. I would not think of talking about Spurgeon or Whitefield to someone in your field, it would be all about Christ and Him crucified.

However, I believe in established churches in "Christian" communities there needs to be a deeper understanding of the Word. In that situation ignorance of great men of God who have ably written and opened up difficult topics to others is a problem. When there is a wealth of God honouring, educational and inspirational music that is not used simply because the time is not taken to learn it then I beleive that is a problem. However, the focus and final authority should always be the Word of God.

Not trying to be contrary, but I feel context really does play a role.

I appreciate the burden you have, though, John.

MNW

MNW

 

Hi, MNW.

Thanks for looking in on my new website, and your kind words.

You've stated your point well, but I have to differ. To me it is not context but priority. The primary tasks of the church of Jesus Christ is not to gain in knowledge (which "puffs up" according to the Scripture) or even understanding (search out the Biblical trilogy of wisdom, knowledge and understanding) but (1) to glorify God and (2) to reach the world for Christ by obeying the Great Commission.

I mean no disrespect to the writer of the OP, but to portray a lack of knowledge of C. S. Lewis and a certain hymn as important is, to me, quite shallow. A knowlege of the Bible is only that--knowledge. Obeying the Bible--wisdom--is far more important.

I made my original point here in a dramatic (but heartfelt) way on purpose. Part of the task of us missionaries is to wake up the folk in the homeland to look at world evangelism, and this thread illustrates to me the need of that. Wake up, folk in the homeland!

 

Not sure I understand what one has to do with the other. Before this past December, I had never read anything by Lewis...still haven't. I did go entertain myself with Narnia, a clear metaphor of liffe in 1940's Europe in general, and Nazi Germany in particular.

Joseph Botwinick

 

Now you are getting through, TaterTot. I take back my "quite shallow" remark--forgive me if you were offended. I still stick to the principles that our purposes in church and pastoring are for the glory of God and fulfilling the Great Commission. But I suspect you couldn't get your folk interested in either one of those--just as I can't seem to.

My most senior church member (saved about 4 years) has his parents in an old folks home and won't even tell me where it is so I can go try to win them to the Lord.

 

I think it is culture and background. If some guys at our church were to start talking about NASCAR I would be the ignorant one.