Perhaps We Need Missionaries

Written By Jonathan Krogh

Dear Mission Minded:

Last Monday, I reflected on the unintended colonialism of the missionaries who influenced my youth. I drew a wandering line from their condescending cultural attitudes to today’s supporters of immigrant deportation. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized the comparison was wrong. The missionaries who came to speak about those “lost in the dark corners of the world” were, at least in part, motivated by concern for the people they hoped to reach. Yes, along with commending conversion to the Gospel, they often criticized customs and culture, but their motivation was rooted in genuine concern for the souls of the people to whom they preached. The missionaries worried about them; they wanted them to flourish as they understood flourishing. Not so for the champions of the deportation state.

I was reminded of a November 20, 2017, New Yorker article by Paul Bloom, “The Root of All Cruelty?” In it, Bloom posits that dehumanizing acts perpetrated against others happen precisely because the victims are human. Attempts to make the violence stop by mounting empathic appeals to the humanity of the victims is counterproductive; the desire to make real human beings suffer is the appeal. Were those being deported simply “animals who are the worst of the worst,” deportations would taper off; but there is something significantly more perverse happening here. Those addicted to power find domination to be a preferred drug of choice. Dominating mere beasts is nowhere near as satisfying as inflicting pain on real people, and the power to appall political enemies is its own pleasing side effect. If Paul Bloom is correct, the wincing of the witnesses makes the cruelty even more satisfying.

In the end, perhaps we need some old school missionaries who care more about the souls of the power addicts than their behavior. As long as they remain control junkies, they are lost in the darkness of their hearts; they cannot help themselves. Appeals to compassion, empathy or dignity fall on deaf ears when they are under the influence of their drug; they may even be feeding the cravings. It should be our mission not to focus on changed behavior but to seek the salvation of their souls. Then and only then will they be able to explore better choices.

Suggesting we should welcome some missionaries of the Gospel to our dark continent, I remain,

With Love,
Jonathan Krogh
Your Pastor  

Jonathan Krogh
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