So today Im sitting in my apartment having a late breakfast when I see some folks pass by the door, then I hear a knock 40 seconds later. The door is cracked and I hear “excuse us, sorry to disturb your lunch, I see your eating”. I walk to the door to speak to my visitors. “Hello, we are theology students from such-n-such theology school in South Korea, Do you know Jesus Christ is coming back with a new name? Can we talk to you about it?” Mouth full of food, breathing the usual “Here We Go” sentiment I reply “I too am a Theology “student” and I have heard all about it.” “Really?? Really?, you’ve heard this before?”. “Yes, I’ve heard all about this”… “Oh well I see your eating, we will come back some other time”… I reply, “OK”, and shut the door.
There are a litany of things I could say at this point, but Im gonna “go high” and ask a favor of the collective Evangelical Christian world. For the most part, your theologies all stem from the Protestant Reformation and successive movements and Protestant Theological developments up through the 20th century. Whats been happening here in Ethiopia has been happening for 2000 years. It seems that one of your main areas of evangelical activity is Africa, home to numerous spiritual systems and advanced societies that predate all major movements and advancements in Europe.
You seem to put Ethiopia directly in the cross hairs of your “evangelism” as if the 2000 year old Christianity delivered directly from the Apostles of Yeshua, is outdated and ineffective and YOU, whether you be from Europe, the U.S. or Asia know better (I am not including our Brothers and Sisters in the Indian Orthodox Church which was began by the Apostle Thomas in 54 A.D.) As someone who has grown up in the US, and has seen the “effects” of modern western Christianity I believe I can speak for a number of those in the Eastern Church when I say I find your “missionary work”.completely offensive and reeking of nothing but Imperialism, Colonialism and white supremacy, even if the missionaries are black, and even Ethiopian.
For those of you who are sincere and want to preach the TRUE Gospel of Yesus Christos, here’s some advice that I hope will help you have a true experience in Christ and will in fact put you on the road to true transformation.
1.). If you are truly interested in preaching the Gospel of Christ, make sure the power of your Gospel has transformed your own environment. I wont speak on South Korea, but other missionaries I have meant from there don’t know a lick of Koine Greek, Hebrew or Aramaic. They have limited understanding of Hermeneutics and embarrassingly tow the age old Protestant “Drop Kick me Jesus” theology. As for the states, Chicago is still Chicago, a place where my people are dying in unreal numbers, skid row is still skid row, heroes and veterans of our armed forces still sleep on Venice Beach at night because they are homeless. Basically The US has not been transformed by Biblical Christianity. Until the US becomes a becon of righteousness that cares for the poor, sick, elderly the orphan and the immigrant, you are not preaching Christ. So….please dont come here, acting like your going to teach us something when you haven’t made your own land a paradise, rather you avoid your own issues and avoid transforming your own environments. Pull the mote out of your own eyes….. Like Sizzla said …. “Dance ya Yard before you dance Abroad….”
2). Remember that dude in Acts 8: 27 – 40? The Ethiopian? His name was Bacchos. The Evangelist Phillip was sent directly to have this interaction with Bacchos in which In turn resulted in Bacchos being baptized into Christos. Bacchos was convicted and believed the truth about Christ. Bacchos was convicted and received the Spirit of God because he believed… he returned to Ethiopia and began to evangelize and spread the Gospel according to Ethiopian history. By the time Ethiopian King Ezana begins his rule in 330 A.D., Ethiopia is a Hebrew Christian/Jewish country with a smattering of others practicing other forms of spirituality similar to other African Societies. Ezana declared Christianity as the country’s official religion in the 4th century but the country was well on its way to becoming Christian long before his declaration.
The form of Hebrew Christianity practiced by the early christians in Ethiopia became the Orthodoxy we practice today. It is characterized by humility, love, compassion and a desire to see all human beings fairly treated as fellow children of God while maintaining love, reverence and deep respect for and obedience to God. God is the center of the Orthodox life and it is his example we strive to emulate. The kindness, love and selfless compassion of Yesus Christos are the ways we strive to perfect. Basically my neighbors well being comes before mine as I also live in obedience to Gods laws and governance. So please tell me my Evangelical Protestant Friends….whats wrongs with that? Why do you come to tell me I am wrong? And why do you think your ideas are an improvement on that? Isn’t it rather arrogant to assume you are doing better, and know better than the person your trying to “preach too and convert” simply because you live in the U.S. or South Korea and us Africans are backwards and primitive and don’t know the Bible? Even though we learned it from the very men picked by Yesus Christos to deliver it to the world?
I’ll stop for now, but maybe you get my drift. First off if you see me eating, let me eat. Secondly, if you value your faith, learn more about it, learn what it is to actually practice Christianity and what the true Gospel is exactly. You would preach Christ more effectively if your out in the world along side those of us who LIVE THE GOSPEL and are committed to unceasing acts of Social Justice and “right making”. Remember lights illuminate the world around them and reveal the path ahead of you. They help by showing, not making a sound and by the very nature of what they are, they reveal “The Way”. Live the Gospel, reveal it with every aspect of your personal life. You want to preach the Gospel?…. Live it, reveal it first in every step of your life. Thats the most effective teaching tool in your arsenal. Learn it, use it and live it humbly, meekly and sincerely.