August, 1941
TH E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
298
Answering the Missionary's Critic By SAMUEL FISK* Los Angeles, California
D ARKNESS settled down u p o n the Java sea w i t h seeming abruptness. A murmur of dis tant thunder heralded one of those tropical storms which bring for a brief time a torrential rain and then disappear almost as quickly as they come. We lingered over our coffee cups after dinner that night longer than usual. Outside we could hear occa sionally a splash of spray from one of the wind-driven waves as it swept the lower deck. Theije was little attraction outside with all the ship darkened by the precautionary blackout. As though life were not already sufficiently cir cumscribed by being confined to a small freighter, our life was further limited by war-time regulation. Drapes hung heavily about the chandelier illuminat ing only the center of the table before us. The captain ordered drinks for the little group, and all but one partook. Tomorrow we would be passing the island of Borneo. The D y a k s, long considered the wild men of the fabled isle, were mentioned. 1 made the re mark that many of them were becoming Christians. “Yes, and what a pity!” exclaimed the globe-trotting retired school-teacher with almost startling assurance. “They are being forced to give up customs that they have retained for generations. It’s a shame to see their primitive arts dis appear. I once met an oil man who had been among them and had found them very interesting. They have a unique culture all their own, but the mission aries have to go and change everything.” Some one was heard trying, perhaps not too carefully, to hold back a muffled laugh. The wine-drinking crowd knew perfectly well that what was said was an indirect slap at the one missionary among them. The gruff old sea captain broke the * Missionary in the Philippines, serving under the Association of Baptists for World Evan gelism. Mr. Fisk is a former student of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles now home on furlough.
For the child of God, the one full and sufficient justification of foreign missions is the command of his risen Liord. That divine voice comes sounding down the years in clear and definite tones. The “Go ye” of the Great Com mission is as final as it is unmistakable. When our Lord stands with those nail- pierced hands beckoning us on to the regions beyond, we should need to give no further argument as vindication for obeying His command. To some we may at times be led to make a secondary ap peal endeavoring to dispel the false con cepts and distorted notions under which they and others may be laboring. From those who would disparage the world-wide preaching of Christ’s gospel, let us take up two or three representa tive objections and examine them. Are All Religions “ Good Enough” ? We frequently hear it said that since there is some good in all religions, why not allow every one to believe that which, so far, has proved good enough for him? In answer, we could give the testi mony of thousands from among those who have abandoned their native re ligions, and who, because of the in adequacy of those native religions, have embraced Christianity. These believers in the Lord Jesus Christ testify that while they were enslaved by their pagan beliefs they never knew the peace and hope which they now possess. But to make our testimony even more striking, let us note a few words of those who are still active adherents of their national cults, and let us see what they themselves a c k n o w l e d g e about those systems to which they still profess allegiance. We naturally would not expect to find individuals who would be so self-condemning as to admit that the systems which they follow give them no satisfaction. Yet their words prove the utter futility of any teaching that is substituted for the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
brief but tense silence. “Well,” he de clared, “I’ve seen many a tribe in my day, and they have about as many re ligions as there are tribes. And as far as I can see, their religions are good enough for them.” “ Sure,” put in a care-free y o u n g seeker,of foreign adventurk. “Why in terfere with their religions?” “But,” I protested, “those who have abandoned their old religions to become Christians seem to think they are better off now, and they themselves appear very grateful for Christianity.” A businessman whose chief interest was evidently the development of his foreign markets spoke next. “I’ve got nothing against the missionaries,” said he, “but isn’t there still a lot to do at home? We ought to do things for our- own people first. I can’t see why the missionaries haven’t found enough to keep them busy within our own shores.” “Sure,” once m o r e interjected the young adventure-seeker w h o s e com ments showed little originality. “I guess charity begins at home.” The rain had now ceased, and the group broke up as some one brought word that the lights of a distant fish ing fleet could be made out. For my own part, I retired to my cabin. I had been taken a bit by sur prise, not so much because of the an tagonistic spirit of what had been said, but more because of the startling frank ness with which it came. Furthermore, I had been momentarily unprepared for it through long association with those whose viewpoint was more my own. Only a little reflection made clear the vagaries of their reasoning and its basic misconceptions as I analyzed it. Clearly I had no need to shrink back before their attacks. And yet t h e i r views were but natural to their expe rience. These fellow passengers of mine were not to be so much denounced as they were to be pitied. Their prejudice and callousness were only representa tive of the indifference of multitudes.
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