May 8th, 2008 at 6:12 am
If familiarity breeds contempt, unfamiliarity breeds indifference.
Scott at DSvS has gotten into the habit of asking why LCMS people can raise a ruckus about the firing of a radio talk show host and producer but not raise a ruckus about other topics.
One answer arises from our own faults. We are too easily fatigued by hype. Is anyone not tired of the Messianic Coming of Barack Obama?
Another answer: People threw their support behind Issues, Etc., because they were listen to the show nearly daily. There was even some interaction, as some in the Lutheran blogosphere have been guests or callers. Who gets this kind of interaction from expatriate missionaries?
I realize missionaries by their very nature have a job to do. As part of their solicitation for donations, though, they have to publish news for their host congregations or organizations. It would not be too difficult to put these bulletins online. Maybe they have no Internet access. Someone stateside will.
When LCMS World Mission cancels a missionary (DOC), we don’t hear the silence the same way as three hours of silence in radio or downloads.
The May family (mentioned above) has a great web site with beautiful pictures. Because they weren’t actually bloggers, they never showed up in the blogging directories. Perhaps we should maintain a directory for these kind of web sites, and encourage them to add blogs with RSS feeds so we can track them better.
We cannot let ourselves get painted as a caricature that believes we care more about a radio show than real missions.
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May 8th, 2008 at 7:05 am
The cynical part of me says it doesn’t matter, as the future of missions in the LCMS looks bleak. Honestly, I also don’t know what to do about the various problems in the Synod. I can’t run for office (not that I object to that), and I’m certainly not important even in the Lutheran blogosphere. The best I can do is fulfill my vocation as mother to raise up the generation of Lutherans (which is not a bad calling.) In my vocation as wife, I can also alert my husband to any news I come across.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:16 am
Two good missionary blogs:
Esalas.org and christinariddle.blogspot.com
The Esalas are a family working with the Komba people so that they can hear the scriptures in their own heart language. Christina Riddle has joined them this year to help teach their oldest daughter Karissa. Christina Riddle is a great writer who shares the cultural shock of a westerner experiencing Ghana rural life.
May 8th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Evan, thank you!
I was just looking through those. Christina really brings the words!
May 8th, 2008 at 10:25 am
I mentioned that our missionaries are being pulled out all over the world in my blogpost yesterday. This came from a conversation I had with my husband who had sat down with a gentleman that he knew who started talking about how he got pulled out of Latin America with barely a thank you after years and years of work and he had seen many people come to Christ (after I wrote it, I searched the blogs and realized that a letter was circulating from a missionary). After he was done, my husband asked him “why aren’t we hearing about this from the missionaries? Why aren’t you letting your sponsoring congregations know? Why aren’t missionaries blogging about this?
Maybe it is that this gentleman is studying. Maybe it is that missionaries are conditioned to avoid talking about difficulty after years of diplomatic pleas and sabbatical trips to congregations for fundraising. Maybe it is hope to be restored at some point or another and not wanting to rock the boat. Maybe it is the sense of isolation that missionaries feel that they don’t believe others really care. Maybe it is fear of hurting their colleagues who are still out there. After all, if congregations don’t believe that their funds are going to missionaries, will they donate?
This is a much bigger issue than confessionals vs. moderates. Many moderate churches would be VERY upset to find that the money they are devoting themselves to supporting missions and those missions are not being supported. This is an issue that if it is talked about, if information is sent out regarding it, that can really light a fire under the whole Synod (talk about setting things Ablaze (TM)!) While I have no idea what the national level of LWML would do, I can only imagine what would happen if the average LWML group in any congregation USA would do if they found out about this!!