Last month I wrote a paper on Melinda
Rankin, who was the first protestant
missionary woman in Mexico. What I learned about her life is still relevant
when it comes to issues like mission,
imperialism, feminism and racism. Here are some ideas taken from my
paper, about her life, as well as more of my own thoughts:
"The relationship between missions and imperialism is hard to
disentangle. The context in which Melinda Rankin served, both in Texas and
Northern Mexico suffered great changes during the Mexican-American War that
ended in 1848. The United States expansion into the South was influenced by an
understanding of their superior being and its role to rule and influence other
nations; this set of ideas is referred to as Manifest Destiny"
Manifest Destiny is mostly an unconscious belief that
considers those who are not protestant, nor Anglo-Saxon as inferior. Many of us
who are in a context in which there are Protestant "missions"
conducted from North to South still experience this superior-inferior play,
sometimes masked by pious actions, but many times displayed by shows of power
and grandiosity. This is a major problem as it fails to acknowledge the dignity and value of every person, and
it profoundly affects the way people view themselves. The Gospel turns out not
be very good news for those considered less and it fails to recognize God's redemptive
work in every culture. The other problem is that the Message of the Gospel is
not presented in a Jesus-like manner, but actually follows a worldly pattern
that keeps itself away from the messiness of others, and wants to be unaffected
by those whom it is supposed to serve.
One of the sad effects of
imperialistic missions is that when we get the Gospel in this manner it
generates an inferiority complex on those on the receiving end, and it also
reproduces itself when we encounter others who are different from us and whom
we do not understand. We become unable to see God’s image and initiative; we
get a distorted Gospel and we may continue to share it with the same distortion
that (subtly) declares that a certain race, class, culture or nationality is
better. By doing this, the Gospel does not challenge our culture, but is accommodated
to it. As we see this in our midst, we
need to repent.
Melinda Rankin is an interesting figure as
she is a daughter of her time, but was able to challenge many of the assumptions of her peers. Rankin did not
support the Mexican-American War, she opposed the belief that Mexicans deserved
being eradicated or killed rather than evangelized, and risked her life and
reputation to personally preach among Mexicans. Even though her views mirrored the nationalism
and superior views of Americans, her first
allegiance is shown to be to God´s kingdom and not to her nation. This may
well be one of the most radical stands a genuine Christian in this century can
take as we live in a world in which nationalities play a key role in our
understanding of life and values.
The calling she received
from God as a woman, in a context of male predominance, may have allowed
her to identify with others considered inferior. She did not fight for power or
recognition as she understood how God had revealed himself in Jesus and how God
used weakness to show His glory. She led as a women, and was more able to make
personal connections with indigenous people in order to share the gospel, which
also led her to a more holistic ministry
than most men. Rankin firmly believed Mexicans could do a better job than foreigners
in sharing the gospel, and she identified valuable traits in her Mexican
friends and neighbors.
I am grateful for this
woman, and the example
she set even when she is not well-known. The study of people from our past and history
is always useful to help us think of the present-day circumstances, and it is
good to recognize that we write considering our own questions and concerns. I
have learned we need to study and write with humility and compassion. There is certainly room to denounce
injustices and be critical of the ways in which the Gospel is accommodated to a
certain culture or value, but we need plenty of humility to recognize our own prejudices
and wrong assumptions about people, cultures and the way in which God works
among us all.
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