Research On Religion » missionizing

Darren Slade on Missionizing North Korea

tonygill — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 08:00:20 +0000

Missionizing North Korea? Is that even possible? Darren Slade, a Ph.D. student of Christian theology and apologetics at Liberty University, covers some of the strategies that have been used and might be used when evangelizing one of the world’s most repressive and atheistic regimes.

After letting Darren plug a few of his other projects, we ask him how he ever became interested in the topic of missionizing North Korea. He shares a rather personal story about hearing of religious persecution in that country and how that led him to connect with the Voice of the Martyrs’ Safe Houses Project. We then cover some historical ground, reviewing the religious landscape of North Korea, how Christianity came to the Korean peninsula in the 18th and 19th centuries, and then how the Japanese occupation, communist revolution, and Korean War played a role in shaping the region. We also review the rise of the personality cult surrounding Kim Il-Sung and, to a lesser extent, Kim Jong-Il. This cult of personality plays a large role in determining missionary strategy, a topic we cover later.

Tony then asks Darren why any Christian would want to put North Korea on the evangelization map. Given the closed and tightly-closed nature of the society, not to mention the high level of persecution for Christians, one would imagine that this would be one place to avoid. Darren notes that Christians are not called to avoid difficult populations and also recognizes that even small gains in such a desolate nation represent major achievements.

Our conversation then turns to different missionary strategies. Darren divides up the efforts into two categories: humanitarian effort and covert evangelization. The former includes Christian foreign aid groups (e.g., World Vision) that enter the country to provide food, medicine, and clothing, as well as building and operating things such as soy milk and noodle factories. Building trust of foreigners is a significant part of this type of missionizing, given that years of propaganda has made the population leery of outsiders, most notably Americans and Japanese. Tony asks how overt proselytism is in these factories. We also discuss the bleak socio-economic situation of the vast majority of the population, which presents an interesting tension within the governing regime — while the juche philosophy of self-reliance would tend to downplay the role of foreign aid missions, the government fully realizes that it needs such aid to prevent a catastrophic collapse of their population.

Darren also talks about covert missionizing and here we have a number of creative methods of getting Christian missions in. Darren’s favorite tactic is “balloon drops,” wherein hydrogen-filled “mini blimps” are floated across the border from South Korea with Gospel tracts, Bibles, radios, and food/medicine. Low-frequency radio broadcasts are also used. Later, Darren suggests that writing Bible tracts on pictures of the Great Leaders, or hiding Bibles inside of books that have images of Kim Il-Sung on them might also be a useful strategy. Darren also offers up some cautionary notes on evangelization, warning that these efforts need to proceed with great patience and that it is important to respect the extant culture of the population. Building trust is of primary concern, and any efforts to attack the regime or otherwise engage in politics may be counterproductive.

We finish with Darren’s thoughts about the future of North Korea. While it is a bleak situation, he remains cautiously optimistic about changes that may be occurring. Recorded: August 25, 2014.

RELATED LINKS

Daren M. Slade on Academia.edu (where you can find links to his writings).

Voice of the Martyrs.

RELATED PODCASTS

Karrie Koesel on House Churches in China.

Karrie Koesel on Religion & Politics in China.

Kevin Cooney on Religion and the Rule of Law in China.

Kevin Cooney on Christianity in Japan.

Lan Chu on Catholicism in Vietnam.

Roger Finke on Religious Persecution.

Joel Fetzer on Confucianism and Democracy.

Religious Freedom and Political Flourishing: A Panel Discussion.

Religious Freedom and Economic Prosperity: A Panel Discussion.

Ani Sarkissian on Religious Liberty in the Post-Soviet World.

Catherine Wanner on Religion in Russia.

Michael McClymond on Jonathan Edwards

tonygill — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 08:00:07 +0000

Greetings to Real Clear Religion visitors. Please check out our archives for over 100 other free podcasts and “like” our Facebook Fan Page for weekly updates about guests and topics. And feel free to leave suggestions for topics and guests at our Facebook fan page.

Jonathan Edwards is often considered one of the greatest theologians in US history. Prof. Michael McClymond — professor of theological studies at St. Louis University — reviews the fascinating life and times of Rev. Edwards. But first, Michael explains how he himself moved from earning a degree in chemistry at Northwestern University to becoming a scholar of 18th century religious thought. His answer not only gives insight into his interesting career path, but also sheds light on Jonathan Edwards who was also interested in both the natural and supernatural worlds. Prof. McClymond then corrects Tony’s (rather redneck) pronunciation of “contemplative” and explains how this factors into Edwards’ life and general temperament. After this, we move back to the beginning of Jonathan Edwards’ life and talk about his upbringing, early education at Yale, and his conversion experience that set him down the path of preaching. Our conversation then follows various periods and turning points in Edwards’ life and how his theological thinking changed or evolved throughout each period. We start with his stint at the Northampton Church where his famous grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, preached. The role of religious revivals — both how Edwards inspired one and how he thought about its progression — factors importantly in this era. Not only was Edwards encouraged by how faith can motivate people to change their lives, but he was also profoundly affected by how quickly such movements can dissipate. Michael then guides us through the “ethical-rogorist,” “ecclesial-sacramental” and “Calvinistic-controversial” turns in Rev. Edwards’ life, devoting attention to how such a renown preacher and thinker was exiled from his ministry after 23 years. This exile then issues in yet another important phase for Edwards, the “cultural-historical” turn wherein his contact with Native Americans prompts his interest in non-Christian religious traditions. Our podcast ends with the death of Edwards shortly after accepting the presidency of Princeton (or The College of New Jersey as it was called then). Prof. McClymond then reflects on the historical importance of Edwards and how he is being rediscovered today as we gain access to his voluminous private writings that remained out of public sight during his life. Recorded: July 10, 2012.

RELATED LINKS

Prof. Michael McClymond’s biography at St. Louis University.

The Theology of Jonathan Edwards, by Michael J. McClymond and Gerald R. McDermott.

Encounters with God: An Approach to the Theology of Jonathan Edwards, by Michael J. McClymond.

Embodying the Spirit: New Perspectives on North American Revivalism, by Michael J. McClymond.

Encyclopedia of Religious Revivals in America, edited by Michael J. MyClymond.

Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth, by Michael J. McClymond.

Institute for World Christianity.

RELATED PODCASTS

Thomas Kidd on the Great Awakening.

Mark David Hall on Religion & the Founding Fathers.

John Fea on Religion & the American Founding.

Mark David Hall on Roger Sherman, Puritan Patriot.

Should Christians Have Fought in the US War of Independence?

Douglass Baker on Dominionism, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry.

Doug Johnston on Missionizing Romania

tonygill — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 08:00:20 +0000

How can an inflatable, remote-controlled shark help to missionize the citizens of Romania? We pose this deeply philosophical question, and other queries, to Pastor Doug Johnston of the First Baptist Church of Redmond (Washington). Pastor Johnston has made six, short trips of roughly 10 days each to preach and teach at the Timisoara Bible Baptist Instiute. He recounts how he became involved in this ongoing project even though he didn’t consider himself a world traveler. We discuss the multi-faceted purpose of this trip, not only to help train Protestant clergy and laity in Romania, but to bring assistance to the orphanage attached to the Emmanuel Baptist Church located in Timisoara. Doug further tells us how he prepared for the trip including fundraising and then details his first harrowing experience at the airport shortly after landing in Romania for the first time back in 2002. We use this incident as a means of looking into Romanian culture and to reflect upon how things have changed there in the past decade, as well as thinking about how Protestant Christianity may have had an impact on the culture there. We further discuss the nature of Protestanism in the country as well as how Protestants have interacted with the historically dominant Romanian Orthodox Church. And what would an interview on Romania be without a brief digression on Vlad the Impaler (a.k.a. Count Dracula)? We finish the interview with the story of the Air Shark and Pastor Johnston’s reflections upon what he has learned from his experience with the good people of Romania. Recorded: March 20 and 23, 2012. (Re-recording due to technical difficulties.)

Frontline Fellowships.

RELATED PODCASTS

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching.

Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary.

Catherine Wanner on Religion in Russia.

Allison Pond on Being a Mormon Missionary

tonygill — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:11 +0000

What is it like to be a young missionary in a foreign country that is undergoing major religious and legal changes? Allison Pond, an editorial writer at the Deseret News (Utah) and formerly with the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, recounts her days as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Russia from 1997 to 1998. Mormons are well-known for their missionizing activity around the world, so we explore the preparation, training, experience, and results of such missionizing work. Allison begins by describing her spiritual upbringing in the LDS Church and reveals that she never thought of mission work until volunteering for a youth program while at BYU. She then discusses the process for being selected as an LDS missionary, which includes an interview with a local bishop. We inquire as to whether her work teaching English in Moscow played a role in her being selected for her to missionize in Russia. Following this, we look at how Mormons, who are mostly young adults at the time, are trained in the Missionary Training Center and what goes on during the first few weeks in the field. We discuss language training as well as preparation for hostile situations. Allison then tells us what it was actually like to be in the field, especially the anxiety she felt on the first day and how this dissipated over time. The typical routine of a missionary is discussed and we also focus on what is like to be a female missionary, considering that roughly 80% of all Mormon missionaries are young men. We then discuss the changing religious scene in Russia and what complications that may have played in the mission trip. Russia, which experienced the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, initially allowed a great degree of religous freedom leading to a rapid influx of foreign religions. By 1997, the Russian Orthodox Church was pushing back with intensified rhetoric against foreign missionaries and with legal changes that made it difficult for such folks to operate. Allison closes with some reflections about what she learned while on her sojourn and provides a bit of “looking back” advice for people considering missionary work, be it for the LDS Church or any other faith. Recorded: January 6, 2012

RELATED LINKS

Allison Pond’s biography at the Deseret News.

Allison Pond’s “Houses of Worship” column for Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and reprinted in the Deseret News.

Mormons in America at The Deseret News.

Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

RELATED PODCASTS

Patrick Mason on anti-Mormonism and Mitt Romney.

Michael McBride on Religious Free-Riding and the Mormon Church.

Jeff Rose on Street Preaching.