Preacher's Sermon On Nudity Question?

Yes, your mind tends to wonder! But I'll give an answer anyway, being a missionary.

First of all, a systematic study of nudity in the Bible will reveal that the word always used in connection with it is "shame," not sin. If nudity per se were a sin, than we could be made by an outside force to sin, and that is not consistent with Biblical teaching. Remember the ambassadors King David sent out who were shorn and their clothes cut, so that they went back to Israel in shame--not sin. Other examples from Scripture could be given.

As was discussed on the BB some months ago in several threads, beginning with how idolatry is a sin, sin originates from within, not from any outside condition. Therefore, it is a sin, for example, for a prostitute to use nakedness to tempt, because her heart has a wicked motive.

Secondly, after 25 years on the field, I no longer agree completely with Hudson Taylor, who believed in becoming completely like the nationals to reach them. What happens when you reach someone with the Gospel is that they change, so that they are no longer compatible with their culture. And they should not be! The Japanese culture, for example, has a custom of mixed bathing--and I don't mean swimming--even within the family. This is clearly an extremely dangerous practice, and as a missionary I teach against it when the issue comes up.

Concerning various tribal cultures where nudity is commonplace, the nationals always start to dress right after they are saved and find out from their own conscience how shameful nudity is! I even read of one case where the missionary wanted the natives to wear their old, immodest clothing (or lack of it) so he could take a movie of them as they were before salvation. They objected, saying, "Bwana, we can't do that. We quit that when we trusted Christ!!"

When Christianity enters a culture, it always changes it for the better. I recently read one of the best books ever on missions: The Legacy of William Carey, by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi, which explains how Carey's work transformed Indian culture. I highly recommend it!

I hope this helps!

 

I knew I should have hit the quote button first. I didn't quite answer this part satisfactorily.

It is entirely possible for a missionary to become desensitized to a culture and fall into sin. Japan, being a heathen culture, has tons of temptations that a missionary must beware of and help his family to be careful of. It is very easy to become immoral in Japan. If we are not careful, we will end up like a missionary I knew who ended up running off to Hawaii with a young Japanese lady, and leaving his wife and three lovely kids in the lurch. Or there was another missionary I knew where the wife ran off with the language teacher, leaving the husband and several little kids in the lurch.

If a missionary knows that his righteousness comes from Christ, and is internal rather than external, he will receive strength to resist the immorality of the culture. We must live in Japan not in our own strength, but in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

Concerning standards, we do have standards in our family to help us avoid temptation (not to become righteous). We are thus Fundamentalists but not legalists (as some of the anti-Fundamentalist crowd would accuse us of being). For example, we are careful how we go in bookstores, since almost all Japanese bookstores have pornography.

 

The webmaster has made it BB policy that threads discussing sexuality, sexual acts, etc. must be discussed only in either the Private Men's Forum or the Private Women's Forum.

As long as the posts in this thread remain modest and follow the example of John of Japan in being informative without being graphic, I'll allow it to remain open. However, the first post that crosses the line and begins to discuss in a graphic manner this thread will be closed and moved into either the Private Men's or Women's Fora. As such I highly recommend that no one attempts to here address the question regarding "missionary style" in the OP. If you want to discuss that particular issue you need to go and start a thread on that topic in the Private Men's or Women's Fora.

Likewise, I need to address Frenchy as the original poster. Frenchy, according the the BB posting rules you are not to start the same thread in multiple fora. Therefore, I deleted this same thread from the Baptist Theology and Bible Study Forum.

 

Anyone else thought of this, or does my mind tend to wonder?
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Frenchy......I think either this preacher has got to you or you are under conviction.

 

I like your reason for having standards... That is mine also. It is so easy to be tempted... even as a Godly missionary. I pray for you and your family...We all live in a corrupt world, don't we.

 

I grew up around porno. Thank the Lord for His saving deliverance and power to change!

I am now a missionary in Mexico. My first trip down here, I preached in a Huasteca Indian village. The women there think nothing of breast-feeding their babies in public without covering up. After I was done preaching, the veteran missionary who was interpreting for me asked me if I noticed the women breast-feeding, and I truthfully could say I had not.

God gives us grace to deal with these things.

And Frenchy... you might need a hobby- other than listening to Sanderson's tapes!

 

I like your reason for having standards... That is mine also. It is so easy to be tempted... even as a Godly missionary. I pray for you and your family...We all live in a corrupt world, don't we. </font>[/QUOTE]Thanks much for the prayers.

Japan is certainly corrupt. Thank God for His grace and strength!

 

I took my son to Books-A-Million to look for some books on 9-11 for a paper he has to write. I strolled around the store and came across their Arts section.

There were several books, placed on the shelf where you could see the cover, of nekked folks posing. I quickly turned around. I'm sure my face was red.

These books are not in an adult section only. It's open to all.

We have a strip joint a mile or so from our church, off the interstate. They boast themselves as a trucker's paradise. The county churches are trying to push them out through various petitions. My pastor mentioned it on a Wednesday night. Most agreed. 2 did not. They are avid nudist.

Later they made it known they do not agree what the establishment promotes, but don't have a problem with nudity.

 

After I was done preaching, the veteran missionary who was interpreting for me asked me if I noticed the women breast-feeding, and I truthfully could say I had not.

God gives us grace to deal with these things.

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I'm sorry Ma'am, I'v got a problem with women preaching.

 

Shiloh? Now Im confused......

Mexdeaf is a man......

 

Then we have another problem! Any MAN that stands in a pulpit and preaches a whole sermon and doesn't take notice to THAT is either a liar or a ........?
That's my point!
NO man of God could preach effectively in that situation.

 

Shiloh, sir, I hesitate to argue with you in any way,

but I don't think we can make that blanket of a statement. I do believe that God can and will protect a preacher man from such sights if He indeed chooses to. Especially on the mission field, there are only so many things at a time that the preacher can "change" in the culture he has gone to.

Not to mention the fact that Ive interacted enough and seen Mexdeaf post enough that I cannot imagine he'd lie about this. I also respect him enough to actually say something on his behalf in this regard.

Let me add as well, that I can say that my own husband gets so caught up in his preaching that he most likely would not have noticed something like this either.

 

Let me add as well, that I can say that my own husband gets so caught up in his preaching that he most likely would not have noticed something like this either.
-------------------------------------------------I all due respect to you and your husband, that statement is just baloney. I'v been preaching for a good many years. I'v seen a lot of things while I was engrossed in my message also but a man is a man is a man! I don't care what country he is in. God made men in a way that certain things are attractive to them. I am out of character even writing about this to mixed company. I am not trying to cast a bad reflection on any preacher on here I am just saying some times we write things off the top of our heads that don't make sense. I stand on my statement that a preacher can not keep his thoughts together while preaching with that sort of thing going on.

 

How sad...then I guess that means that those people can't be effectively preached to. What a pity that they will all go to hell because their culture is different from ours.
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How do you spell..[personal attack removed. Dabate the issues folks and do not attack the person holding the opposing view.]

[ April 06, 2006, 09:29 PM: Message edited by: Bible-boy ]

 

Shiloh,

Maybe a few years of foreign mission work would help you understand that there are "black and white" sin issues, and other issues that simply pertain to culture.

And I personally think you owe an apology here to Mexdeaf. Your statement was insulting and uncalled for.