Missions As An Instrument of Self-Righteousness and Racial Superiority
It is the sin of pride and arrogance that has tended to vitiate [corrupt] the missionary impulse and to make of it an instrument of self-righteousness on the one hand and racial superiority on the other. -Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited [brackets mine]
Thurman manages to point out a very very large speck in the eye of his brother church goers in just one sentence. Again, he writes to a pre-Civil Rights audience in the USA, but his words still ring so true. Let me breakdown the two critiques briefly.
If we are honest with ourselves, it is very likely that just under the surface of our facade of humble service, there lies a deeply embedded air of self-righteousness to much of our serving others. I know I am extremely guilt of this, often subconsciously considering my time serving others as somehow exempting me from the need for prayer and confession. I think this is an area that needs to be dealt with much more from the pulpit and throughout the service projects of the church. There needs to be a recognition that much of what we do is ‘justice’ work, not charity. Much of the service that is needed, from soup kitchens, to tutoring, to building homes and more, is needed because of injustices that exist, they are not mere undeserved acts of charity.
The second critique, regarding racial superiority was glaringly obvious then, and yet is subtly still an issue today. It hides beneath the surface for many who’ve grown up knowing the PC things to say and think. They are not vicious feelings or ill-intended, but they’re impact on relationships, social impact and the gospel can be overwhelming. Rather than trying to explain this, let me simply leave you with a series of questions to illustrate the point.
- Is the race and culture of the majority of your friends and church members similar to yours or different?
- Is the race and culture of the majority of those you have served on missions trips or service outreaches similar to yours or different?
- What affect do you think the realities of the questions above have on your outlook regarding people as it relates to their race and culture?
[...] Are you closer to God by serving others than you are sitting in a church pew being told you should be serving others? Does church attendance get your lunch ticket to heavan punched faster than skipping it to serve others, or does it serve to simply validate and strengthen your belief among peers? If we are honest with ourselves, it is very likely that just under the surface of our facade of humble service, there lies a deeply embedded air of self-righteousness to much of our serving others. I know I am extremely guilt of this, often subconsciously considering my time serving others as somehow exempting me from the need for prayer and confession. I think this is an area that needs to be dealt with much more from the pulpit and throughout the service projects of the church. There needs to be a recognition that much of what we do is ‘justice’ work, not charity. Much of the service that is needed, from soup kitchens, to tutoring, to building homes and more, is needed because of injustices that exist, they are not mere undeserved acts of charity. [Missions As An Instrument of Self-Righteousness and Racial Superiority - Trying To Follow - 02-13-08] [...]
Should doing good things make us feel bad?
Is there a difference between feeling self-important, and just feeling important?
I would think that doing good, and realizing that you have done good, will give you a sense of Joy, and oneness with God, that will “lift you up.”
Give credit were credit is due, even to yourself.
dude. not to get creepy, but you are the man. brilliant as always.
Kevin,
Good point. No, I don’t think we should feel bad about doing good things. I believe God created us to love our neighbor (i.e. doing good things) so I think we should probably feel most complete when we do good things.
I do think there is a big difference between that and the sense of self-righteousness that sometimes infiltrates are ‘doing good’