Righteous Anger?

I am reading Revolution in World Missions right now and with every page I turn I am getting more and more angry with this book. I thought it would be a book that would get me all fired up about missions, but instead it has just made me really annoyed with this author. The book is about the native missionary movement, which I am completely supportive of (that’s what my parents are doing afterall!), but the way the author (who is Indian) has gone about telling of the progression of his missions organization: Gospel for Asia is completely offensive. He spends every chapter ripping on Western churches and missionaries and while some of his arguments are indeed true- I feel that he has gone completely overboard in his accusations. He makes sweeping generalizations about Western missionaries and does not think they were effective in the past and he definitely thinks there’s no need for them in Asia today. True, the Western world does have many blessings that they should in turn share with the rest of the world and true, we should be focusing on people’s spiritual needs not just physical needs and native missionaries can do many things Western missions can’t...but to say that Western missionaries have messed up Christianity in Asia and are souring the Great Commission is just plain offensive to me.

I would summarize the author’s views like this (feel free to correct me if I have this all wrong): “Western missionaries are ineffective, hated by locals, stubborn, dogmatic, a waste of your financial support, and are not in the Lord’s will therefore you should instead support native missionaries because they are better and are always in God’s will.”

So, why is this book making me so angry? Because he is basically attacking everything I’ve known and supported my whole life. I’ve been surrounded by missions my whole life and while I’ve seen some negative aspects, I have also seen God work in amazing ways. I feel like he is attacking ABWE, Faith Academy, my parents, and what I feel God has called me to do- my very calling and future....that is why I am so offended. It’s a blow right to the heart.

I like to just toss the book aside, but I hate not finishing a book and I want to be fair and finish the book to see if he has anything positive to say about the West and hear all his arguments.