Mere Missions

116 • M ere M issions : M oving F orward to M ultiply

kits distributed; had 7,779 volunteers. The value of the food boxes alone was $11,960,200 in which 382 cities were served. If I didn’t inform you that these groups were either Buddhist or Islamic you could easily have mistaken them as a Christian organization or a local church serving the poor or those who encounter an unforeseen disaster. Yes, they are to be commended for their service, compassion, giving and care to those in need. This is what humanity, regardless of religion, does, knowing that crisis, pain, sorrow, hits us all whether we are saved or not, no matter what language we speak, where we live, what our faith is. To meet needs and address injustices is what God expects from all of humanity. But this isn’t Christian missions. It is a mischievous doctrine to think that missions must aim at the total reorganization of the whole social value. From the experience of the church, from the example of our Lord and His apostles they did not aim directly at such an end. They were content at implanting the life of Christ in the hearts of men and were willing to leave the consequences to the care of God. Christopher Little captured this sentiment in a 2008 article he wrote for the International Journal of Frontier Missions 25, no. 2: 68 (See also in the same issue, “Responses to Christopher Little’s ‘What Makes Mission Christian?’ ” 75-78). “There is nothing particularly Christian about humanitarian work in the first place. For example, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, the United Nations, USAID, Oxfam, the Red Cross and Red Crescent, etc., are all striving to alleviate the ailments of humanity for basically philanthropic reasons.” Demonstrations of mercy, justice and compassion are demonstrations of humanity’s mandate from God whether they recognize God or not. Those who are followers of ~ G. W. Peters