(e)mergent Voyageurs

More than 10 years ago I came across an unsettling article in a copy of Writer’s Digest magazine which has stuck with me ever since. The article, tucked on the last page of magazine, was written anonymously by a freelance author who specialized in developing promotional material for relief and foreign aid agencies. In the article he confessed a well-kept secret in the industry which he had (and continued) to be a part of. The organizations learned early on what best motivated people to give financially for the poor throughout the “third-world”, which included powerful images of impoverished and malnurished people, gratefully and humbly receiving our gifts and support.

The problem was that the poor in these places, be it Africa, Asia or South America, were not the saintly, stoic people who were the “absolute victims” of poverty. Rather, many were as riddled with the complications of poverty, both causal and consequential. The communities dealt with the oft present challenges of abuse, addiction, racism, and much more. Further, there was not guartuntee that the aid given would not be abused, taken for granted or even refused. It was (and is) a serious complex reality. Frankly, it was a fully human situation, with all the good and bad that inevitably entails. It was not, however, the pretty picture they needed to promote the cause.

Therefore, professional writers and marketer were hired to created a new image of the global poor, one that was more palatable to potential donors. As expected, the donations soon flooded in. Behind closed doors, the technique was considered acceptable for the greater good. Missions agencies are also often complicit in this approach. Now, in fairness, this is not a practice of every agency, and even those who have or do utilize this technique are slowly improving. However, a great deal of damage has already been done. We have shaped the worldview of millions in their understanding of world poverty.

The devastating impact of this approach could fill many pages. As someone working with and living amoung the poor in Canada, I have specifically been shocked to discover how the attitude toward the “local poor” is highly critical, receiving little attention or support from the church. All kinds of philosophical and political arguments can be made for why this is “fair”, but they all fail to recognize that by sanitizing the poor who are far away, we create a mythology of poverty and charity that requires the impossible of the local context to gain the needed resources here. This is why I am excited by move within many churches towards a highly missional and incarnational presence in their own communities. This is highly promising, a model that must be explored, improved and reproduced.

We must guard, however, against the opposite extremes. Many who are coming to terms with this myth we have created and embraced make the mistake of abandoning our global responsibilities for the sake of the local. First, this fails to acknowledge the calling Christ made of His disciples to go into all nations, a call upon the whole Church. Second, it fails to understand that our lives, choices, economies, governments, etc. do not function in a vacuum. So much the economic, political, environment and cultural devastation experienced around the world come as a result of our so called wealth and freedom. There is NO disconnect. We need to be both locally and globally aware and engaged.

Our compassionate response to the needs of people throughout the world must be motivated- yes, by emotions that reflect the heart of God, but also by obedience to God’s eternal vocation for all His people, by the acknowledgement that where much is given much is required, by a recognition that (in the words of Lilla Watson) our own salvation is caught up together, as God seeks to reconcile all of Creation into the perichoretic dance of Love.