Many times since 9/11, people have questioned me:
"Muslims are really hateful people aren’t they?" I am usually quick to disagree. Muslims are
not hateful, but many are angry. My experience reflects that Muslims are not
angry at me, or America or Jesus. Rather they are angry because they live in
some of the most repressive societies, with little chance of education or
advancement, few opportunities for women and youth, and among the highest
unemployment rates in the world. Bad contexts create an environment of
hopelessness and humiliation. People without hope are impatient. (Job 6:11) And
“hope deferred makes a heart sick.” (Proverbs 13:12) Thus, some Muslims are angry. And no matter
how fluent our language is, this anger plugs their ears from hearing the Good
News. No matter how contextualized our homes are, this anger shuts the door to
intimate friendships on a spiritual level. In short, it is impossible for us to
expect Muslims to come to hear the Good News without us first providing a
solution to the most basic things that give people dignity and hope; that
solution is not a hand-out, it’s giving them a “job.”
Workers are starting businesses which create jobs,
to build relationships that go beyond being friends, to being co-workers. Done right, business for transformation (B4T)
creates jobs and gives people both dignity and choices. B4T is no longer a
sideline for reaching the unreached; it is now a major option. Organizations
who are talking of “holistic” ministries need to move beyond the traditional
“feed”, “heal” and “preach” to the poor strategies which meet surface needs, to
providing dignity and offering choices which meet longer term needs. Rather
than creating systems which encourage dependence. We need to enable people to
provide for themselves through the providing of jobs, so that they will be
independent and enabled to make decisions for themselves. Missions need to work
toward empowering people to think beyond their day to day needs to consider
eternal opportunities. In a word, we
need to create jobs.
No comments:
Post a Comment