The changing faces of missions: Pentecostal diaspora perspective from South Africa

Abstract

Traditionally Christian mission has been associated with the Western missionary traversing formidable geographical and cultural barriers in the 19th and early 20th centuries to evangelise, as it were "the heathen". No matter how well intentioned this mission was, it was mixed up with a baggage of European imperialism, slave trade and commercial interest, which to some extent discredited an otherwise noble venture.   In an extreme response, some scholars are suggesting that the word 'mission' should be dropped from Christian vocabulary, because 'mission' carries a lot of negative connotations such as collaborating colonialism, and taking an aggressive stance against other faiths, which prevent constructive dialogue.  These criticisms notwithstanding, the legacy of the 19th century European missionaries needs to be appreciated, as the global expansion of the Christian faith today can only be ascribed to the foundational work of these missionaries, who transcribed our local languages, translated the Bible, brought the benefits of Western education, which today enables us to participate in the global community, and the blessing of orthodox medicine, among others.