01 October 2014

The Church in Chiapas and The China Death Cult


I found this short video to be depressing on many fronts. I realize most of my audience will not agree with all of my concerns but for me there are so many things being revealed by this story.
First, Voice of the Martyrs on the one hand is getting information out for which I am thankful. But at the same time, they have an established track record of misrepresenting the politics in other countries. That was true in this video.
While I'm certainly no friend to the Zapatista movement, you can't understand where they're coming from apart from NAFTA, US foreign policy and capitalism. To focus on their Marxism is to miss the point. People did the same thing for many years when looking at groups like the Viet Cong and the PKK in Turkey. Sometimes Marxism represents a rallying point, a narrative to attach to Nationalism which in and of itself is anti-Marxist. Marxism is not of the essence, it's not what makes the Zapatistas tick.
Again, not for a second do I wish to defend or condone people who harm others in any context, but the shadow of the United States often hangs over these issues. Evangelicalism is specifically viewed as a vehicle of US cultural Imperialism. Sadly, there's a long track record which gives some credence to this perception. Missionaries have all too often worked hand in hand with both US intelligence and the Corporatocracy. Organizations like USAID and the Peace Corps also have pretty dubious records. Hostility to these groups is not always rooted in a pure Marxist ideology. Again, there's more going on. There's more to the story and groups like VOM consistently refuse to tell the full tale. It's not in their interest to do so and this is especially true as they often encourage their supporters to petition the US government for intervention... which to me is anathema. We don't go to Egypt for help.
Second, Voice of the Martyrs defines 'Christian' in the broadest sense imaginable.
Don't get me wrong. I feel bad for Catholics and Pentecostals who are persecuted just as feel bad for Yezidis who are persecuted. I think the media should indeed tell these stories.
But, I don't consider the Catholics to be our 'brethren'.
Now does the issue of Catholic persecution overlap with Protestant persecution? Are the cultural issues the same?
Sometimes. In this story there is an overlap, however it's Catholics persecuting Pentecostals. VOM is a little uncomfortable with that so they call them Traditionalists.
Yes, they're syncretists. That's how Catholicism functions in most of the world. European Catholics would say it's true in the USA as well. And European Catholicism is even to this day riddled with pagan remnants.
I would say it's also true among Pentecostals the world over and certainly among most American Evangelicals.
I realize VOM couldn't get into all of this as they report each story but it's more than that. They've basically embraced Ecumenicalism.
Third, I guess if you're a Pentecostal then the Church is in a sort of Golden Age. Since its advent about a century ago it has spread and become the dominant form of Christianity on the Earth. I realize there are wide variations in how it manifests itself and there are some Pentecostals who would be very critical of others who take the same label. No doubt many are indeed believers even if they are misled with regard to Authority and prophecy. That said, overall I believe it to be a very harmful and often a pernicious movement.
I am not encouraged by the explosion of Pentecostalism in the Latin America, Africa and Asia. Christianity is growing in those parts of the world but it is overwhelmingly the Pentecostal/Charismatic variety. I think it's sowing seeds which will reap a horrific harvest in coming generations. Theologically it meshes well with both local tradition and cultures rooted in more emotional expression.
Sure, we're too cold in the West. I don't dispute that. But emotionalism is dangerous and an untrustworthy guide. Who cannot feel for these poor downtrodden people? I certainly do.
I don't look down on people who lack learning but I do look down on people who lack a desire to learn.
Certainly knowledge puffs up but at the same time that must be understood in its right context. Knowledge for knowledge's sake is a creature of hubris and to be rejected.
But at the same time God has spoken to us in the form of words. He has given us a collection of books that together make a pretty substantial tome that averages around 1000 pages. Philippians 1.9 tells us that our love grows through an advance in knowledge and discernment.
Of course all of our love is rightly directed toward God. The love that we show toward fellow man flows from our communion with Him. Learning his word and being renewed in our minds brings us into fellowship with Him and by knowing Him we may indeed approve the things that are excellent.
Pentecostalism is almost inherently anti-intellectual and thus has proven quite successful among the poor of the developing world. I do not mean to insult these people. I'm certain their faith in many ways puts mine to shame.
But, as I said to rest in that, to remain static in a place that relies on emotional fervour... is a dangerous thing.
And the results show. We see time and again groups of people who on the one hand demonstrate their faith by clinging to Christ amidst cultural difficulties.
On the other hand we see the embrace of error and in some cases heresy. Can there be Christians in congregations with women as pastors? Sure.
But I can say with confidence they are disobeying God and either ignoring or rejecting parts of his Word.
It will bear fruit and already does in many cases. From false miracles to prosperity gospels to falling prey to cult recruitment, the Pentecostal communities from Central America to China are very susceptible.
It is both interesting and troubling to see how some of these tendencies percolate in other cultural contexts. Even though the pastor near the end of this news clip is obviously part of the Three Self Churches, his comments are sobering and prescient.
In conclusion I was moved by this VOM story but inwardly groaning at the state of VOM and the general theological confusion within Evangelicalism, the ubiquity of Pentecostalism and once again how Geo-politics and economics play a large and largely untold part of these stories. These factors combined with the larger issue that the term 'Christian' increasingly becomes meaningless leave me very frustrated when I'm interacting with these types of stories.
It has burdened me for several days. I feel like I'm wasting my time doing the type of work that I do. But unfortunately when I looked into missions many years ago I was so disturbed by what I found that I abandoned any attempt at entering into that field. And I had barely scratched the surface. Since then I've learned a lot more and that has not improved my overall assessment.
I still long more than anything to reach out to people in places like Chiapas or more preferably someplace cold!... but at this point in time, my lack of credentials and denominational affiliation mean those doors are effectively closed.
I have no words of wisdom to offer. I only wished to share some of my thoughts as I watched this video. I've watched many like it. For me it's more than a sad story. It's a multi-faceted and multi-layered sadness as so many issues rest beneath the surface.
Let us pray for the folks in Chiapas.