Persecuted Christians May Need Better Skills

"I have heard of many Christians in Romania getting persecuted for their faith .  

"Have you suffered any?"  

The tight relationships I have with my Orthodox brothers and sisters made me bristle at the implications of the question I received while on furlough.  

In Romania, as elsewhere, confrontations have arisen between nationals and expatriates.  However,  most of these problems are caused by a lack of interpersonal skills, not hostility to the Gospel.  

When a missionary flippantly claims to be among the persecuted, it denigrates the millions who are dismembered and killed for their faith.  Jesus said that the world hates those who reflect His purity.(John 3:20; 15:18; 17:14) However, Peter indicated that many would be mistreated for their poor interpersonal skills.(I Peter 2:20) 

Most problems of missionaries and laity are caused by the latter. After some time of collaboration, relationships fractured between a humanitarian in my town and numerous institutions, including a hospital and a farmer's association.  

He claimed that they were hostile to the Gospel, but the directors of these institutions were later amenable to another missionary.  They commented that the latter missionary had taken the time to listen and had established better relationships.  

Mistreatment of Christians can be classified in three categories; persecution of Christ in us, maltreatment unintentionally merited, and maltreatment intentionally provoked by the mistreated one.  How do the last two types of persecution arise and what can we do about them?  There are two causes of the problem:

The benefits of persecution.  Some people seek or claim persecution because they covet its benefits.  Suffering for Christ deepens our fellowship with the Lord  (Philippians 3:10) and with our spiritual siblings.  It may even stimulate the compassion of supporters.  However, we should not seek it. 

Persecution resulting from our association with Christ glorifies the Lord (2 Timothy 2:10) while that caused by our sin shames Him.  If we die to ourselves to build His Kingdom, we must strive to love and to not offend.(Romans 12:9,14,18)

 A higher authority.  Some people incur problems as a result of their belief that God's authority surpasses that of the local authorities.  Often this causes them to not render to Caesar what he rightly deserves.  

Once, the president of a foundation in Oregon decided that he and the board of directors should be exempt from the visa requirement of a small country.  He got in by pulling strings, but his obstinacy did not bring glory to the name of Christ.  

Assuredly, the Lord God establishes and tears down governments.  Even the Prince of Peace provoked the established, albeit misguided, Church leadership by deliberately healing on the Sabbath.(Luke 6:9-10)  However, we should note three points.  Three of four Gospels note Jesus' submission to Caesar,(Matt 22:21; Mark 12:17; Luke 20:25)  He did not deliberately seek problems with the Pharisees.  He never violated the laws of the government.  Even when Pilate had Jesus before him, the government declared Him innocent.

In 1996, the Rwandan government made many rules to prevent future refugee problems.  Many found the government sympathetic and competent when they attempted to understand the local culture.  Others defiantly pursued personal agendas and some wrote scathing letters to the Wall Street Journal.  

If we are Christ's followers, we will take His example and submit to rulers and authorities.(Titus 3:1)  When Jesus controls our lives, the indwelling Holy Spirit subdues our selfishness and bestows upon us the interpersonal intelligence necessary to form positive relationships.

A lot of us are blind to interpersonal problems in our own lives, so it often takes an outsider to identify our shortcomings.  We must examine how we relate with others before we claim to be among the valiant martyrs of history.  When we appear before the Lord, those who were persecuted for Christ will receive exceedingly more than those who unworthily received a martyr's honor on earth.(Matthew 6:1-4; Mark 10:29-30)


Excerpted:  Being out-of-synch with the culture
"Two cardinal sins that almost always lead to rejection are trying to take the lead too soon and being out of synch with the frame of reference."(Daniel Goleman.  Emotional Intelligence. New York:  Bantam Books, 1995. p. 123)  To avoid entering the proverbial china shop with mad cow disease, take time to understand and appreciate the culture before deciding what must be changed.  (See also Romans 12:16.)  If one must correct the practices of the local culture, always install Scriptural conduct, never simply swap one custom with another from your culture.

Maladjusted attitudes
What John Gottman (What Predicts Divorce:  The Relationship between Relational Processes and Marital Outcomes.  New York:  Bantam Books, 1993.) and Goleman write about marriage can surely be applied to relationships with our hosts.  "Thoughts of being an innocent victim or of righteous indignation ...continually [fuel] anger and hurt.  Once distressing thoughts such as righteous indignation become automatic, they are self-confirming:  The partner who feels victimized is constantly scanning everything his partner does that might confirm the view that she is victimizing him, ignoring or discounting any acts of kindness on her part that would question or disconfirm that view."    If one views local residents as less capable or less intelligent, every word and action will be stained with a patronizing attitude that yields scorn and disdain.

Relationship-challenged Missionaries.
The missionary's aptness in fund raising demonstrates ability to connect with fellow believers.  If he were to continue on his best behavior with colleagues and hosts, he would find more success in the field.  

Resolving cultural conflict
Good Communication
Misunderstandings arise from poor communication.  Reduce them by having more than one translator, by saying the same thing in two different ways and by asking for clarification.  Before reacting to emotions you perceive, confirm them with a statement like, "You sound angry."  Perhaps the higher volume was due to the common thought that a foreigner understands better when she is shouted at.

Don't Judge
To be synchronized with our frame of reference, we can apply Goleman's advice to missionary situations.  1. Observe the group or culture.  2. Seek to understand their point of view before entering the discussion.(Job 12:12)  3. As one who has been much influenced by your own culture, you must prove that you accept much of your host culture.  4.  Where cultural practice contradicts the Bible, demonstrate that you understand the motive behind it is to satisfy a need, and substitute the Biblical solution.  The apostle James alludes to these same principles (1:19-20).

Unity of Believers
We all have heard the "one body" discourse that Paul describes in I Corinthians 12, but he who does not own it will not be able to live it.

Use The Platinum Rule
Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you, but do unto others as they would have you do unto them.  This is even more valid cross-culturally.  Some people would appreciate a dinner with you more than they would $5.

Spend time with them, learn the language, go to their church 
In the military, I had a friend who was never closer to the Italian culture than when driving between the housing complex and base in his Chevy van.  It was not hard to understand why he disliked his assignment and had no local friends.  Some missionaries spend 4 years in a country without learning the language and greatly limit themselves relationally.  Many maladjusted missionaries to Romania have not gone to as many as three Orthodox services.  When you meet the local population on their turf, you show that your respect for them is more than words.

Don't just have one translator
Everyone has a filter through which communication flows.  Using one translator gives you only one view on people and what they are saying.  "For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors make victory sure."(Proverbs 11:14; 24:6)  Having more than one translator will give you many perspectives.

"Don't let the sun go down on your anger."  (Ephesians 4:26)
Research alleged offenses and try to understand and resolve them rather than letting them become bricks in a divisive wall.(vv. 31-32)

Many ministries attempt to help missionaries ease cultural adjustment and raise their sensitivity by merely teaching them the language, a bit of regional history, and general faux-pas.  When adapting to a culture, success is determined more by who one is than by what he knows.  Manifesting the love of Christ will make it more likely that we are accepted by the local residents, thereby sidestepping persecution.  

When conflict arises, I beseech 3 or 4 people, "Please tell me David (or Jill), what if anything did I do to incur this?" Interpersonal intelligence necessitates us surrounding ourselves with people who feel free to disagree with us.  Interpersonally handicapped people, on the other hand, will have an entourage of yes-men who never allow the person to mature professionally or spiritually.  (Proverbs 9:7-8; 19:25;  2 Timothy 4:2)