Analyzing the Data

If you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, 

You sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, 

You stand over there, or, Sit down at my feet, 

have you not then made distinctions among yourselves 

and become judges with evil thoughts?

(Jas 2:3-4)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

The North—South distinction in missions highlights the problem in the church with social and economic distance.

Social Distance Challenge

The problem of social distance in ministry and missions is no secret. The Pentecostal revival dates back to the Azuza Street (Los Angles, California) revival:

“On the evening of April 9, 1906, Seymour and seven other men were waiting before the Lord when suddenly, as though hit by a bolt of lightning, they were knocked from their chairs to the floor. The seven men with Seymour began to speak in diverse kinds of tongues magnifying God. The shouts were so fervent and loud that news spread quickly of the unusual events on Bonnie Brae Street. A few days later Seymour finally received the Holy Spirit.” (PCG 2020, 87)

William Joseph Seymour (1870-1922) was African-American.

From the beginning, the Pentecostal movement was multicultural, focused on the working classes, admitted anyone with a call to minister, preach, and evangelize. By contrast, Presbyterians are majority white, focus on professionals, and limit ministry primarily to those seminary trained.

Pentecostals and Social Distance

The Pentecostal movement spread quickly in the Global South, in part, because Pentecostals shared the same social position as those they evangelized. This is an important point  in Africa because Muslim missionaries depicted Christianity was a “white man’s religion.” This slander is actually ironic because many of the early Christian theologians, such as Augustine, were African until Islam swept through North Africa in the seventh century. Nevertheless, husband-wife African American and Hispanic Pentecostal missionary teams could easily dismiss such arguments while missionaries from mainline protestant denominations found such criticism more challenging.

Social Distance and Fervor

The challenge of social distance is a problem primarily when combined with a decline in religious fervor. Ministry across economic and social classes is not just a problem in overseas missions. It is a factor in virtually all ministry outreach efforts where such differences exist.

The Biblical answer to the problem of social and economic distance is to treat the church as an extended family (Hellerman 2001, 2). The Apostle Paul writes:

“In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith . . .There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Gal 3:26-29)

As sons and daughters of God through Jesus Christ, the New Testament refers to fellow Christians as brothers and sisters in Christ who are recipients of the promises that God made to Abraham.

Social distance becomes an issue of fervor because we are obligated to support family members in need. Whose needs will we meet and to what extent? It is easier to ignore poverty when it is hidden from view, which is hard to do when a poor brother or sister is a member of your church or a mission partner.

An Illustration of Social Distance

When I was in seminary several years ago, my parents, who attended a Presbyterian Church (USA) church, hosted two pastors from Kenya who were mission partners of their church. Over dinner several awkward moments arose. When asked about their journey of faith, one said that when he came to Christ he stopped beating his wife. When asked where they attended seminary, a deathly silence followed. When the subject of homosexuality came up, we learned that their Presbytery had broken communion with ours that week in spite of being financially supported.

Obviously, many factors come to play in exacerbating social distance.

Factors Influencing Social Distance

Social and economic distance is more than a hypothetical issue for Christians. Declining religious fervor in the Global North, the flip side of secularization of the church, has recently been compounded by the declines in standards of living, fertility, and life expectancy among the majority of Americans. Increasing Christianization of the Global South has been accompanied by rapid urbanization and the consequent loss of community suffered by many people, a situation analogous to the situation of many first century Christians.

The contrast between the Global North and Global South provides an interesting mirror for self-reflection. Because urbanization has run its course in the Global North, part of the problem with secularization may be simply being too settled and not feeling a need to reach out to others. This might seem to be an ironic observation as standards of living fall in the Global North (an unsettling development), but spiritual lethargy is also evident in greater drug use, inattention to educational opportunities, and political polarization.

If we are one in Christ, what are we when we ignore Christ?

References

Hellerman, Joseph H. 2001. The Ancient Church as Family. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Pentecostal Church of God (PCG). 2020. General Bylaws 2020. International Missions Center. Bedford, Texas. Online: https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/.

Analyzing the Data
Also see:
The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com




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