The Mission Field

The Mission Field 22x28, 2002, oil on canvas
Available for Purchase

An outgrowth of the Christian faith is missionary activity, this eastern religion has sent missionaries to villages near and far as evangelists, humanitarians, and educators. Postmodern critics suggest that they are colonialists that eradicate local culture. The Village Voice reported that one bitter American living in Asia sported a "Missionaries Suck" bumper sticker on his four-by-four. One missionary's response was: "Culture is not static. Life is fluid. Culture is fluid. Things are not all good in an animist society. They live in fear." Culture is like fast-food when it is part of one's daily diet, but it is exotic when tasted as a foreigner. Today's missionary teaches theology with great sensitivity to local culture and customs. It takes great deliberation to separate biblical teaching from cultural preferences. Most American Christians have set up their own "safe" subculture and show more interest in political protection than in biblical discipleship. The Apostle Paul indicated that the spiritual journey is more relational than political, allowing much freedom in acting out one's own humanity (i.e., the issue of eating meat from pagan temples). Mennonites are diligent in sponsoring foreign missions. The advantage that Mennonite evangelism has in North America is that it does not regard forfeiting mainstream American culture as a substantial loss. After Calvary, the second work of grace in this painting is a cultural rebirth. Mennonite agrarianism cultivates the rolling fields. In a similar color harmony, the clouds disperse, making way for the very ordered and "quilted" worldview. Mennonites traditionally held to a plain and simple lifestyle, primarily by working in agriculture. They believed that living directly from the earth gives more time for spiritual focus and less chance for sin--less chance that a farmer will have an affair with a co-worker, use his political power for corruption, or embezzle funds.