Dear Class Member,
Recently, a mission team from two Idaho churches was detained while trying to take "orphans" out of Haiti. Their arrest and the subsequent developments have caused many people to consider what operational philosophy should guide mission work in our time. So that will be the topic of our next class.
There's a lot of room, starting with that story, to talk about how we serve others.
If you wish to start thinking about our topic in advance, below is some introductory material.
Idaho Missionaries Held on Child-Napping Charges in Haiti
The Wired Word for February 14, 2010
In the News
On January 30, 10 Americans, most of them members of two Idaho Baptist churches, were detained at the Dominican Republic border with a busload of Haitian children. The Americans didn't have documents giving them permission to remove the children from earthquake-ravaged Haiti, and a subsequent investigation revealed that at least 20 of the 33 children weren't even orphans. Eventually, a Haitian magistrate charged the group's members with child kidnapping and criminal association.
The Americans characterized their work as a humanitarian mission to rescue children following Haiti's catastrophic January 12 earthquake. Some parents of children on the bus later told reporters that they gave their kids to the group because the missionaries promised to educate them at a Dominican Republic orphanage where parents could visit.
As of this writing (on Thursday), the 10 remain jailed in Haiti, though efforts are ongoing to sort out the matter. It appears to many observers that the intentions of at least nine of the team members were good, though not carried out in the proper way. Several of the Americans have since told NBC News that the group's leader, Laura Silsby, deceived the others by telling them she had the proper documents to remove the children from Haiti. They have since indicated that Silsby "wants control" and is "lying."
The Sunday Times of London reports that former President Clinton is brokering a deal for the release of all the group members but Silsby.
The children from the bus are now back in Port-au-Prince where they're being cared for at the Austrian-run SOS Children's Village.
A full report and timeline of this story's developments can be found in The Idaho Statesman at
Although the incident itself may soon be resolved, it has opened a discussion of what format mission work ought to take today and what values should guide it. For example:
In the New Haven Register, syndicated columnist Eugene Robinson wrote, "Even in the midst of a terrible natural disaster, spiriting away a busload of kids -- with vague plans to worry about the 'paperwork' later -- is no act of charity. The missionaries' misadventure can only make more difficult the work of those truly interested in the welfare of neglected or abandoned children."
Paul Proctor, a regular columnist with NewWithViews.com, wrote, "Now I don't for a minute believe those missionaries wanted to do anything but help the 33 children they were found trying to cross the border with into the Dominican Republic; but according to reports, they did not have the proper documentation nor the permission of Haitian authorities to do so. It does, however, serve as a painful reminder that, in spite of what many churches teach, preach and practice these days, the end does not justify the means."
In direct correspondence with The Wired Word, Dr. James Berger, a former mission pastor in Alaska and then in the Bahamas, said, "This reflects a colonialist attitude toward missions -- i.e., they are simple savages, we are the omniscient paternal caregivers, so they need us to rescue them from themselves. ... [as in] 'Everyone knows those children will be better off in America.'"
"Yes, this is a tragic situation," Berger added. "But human rights, international law, national sovereignty and due process are givens, even in the midst of the chaos. The U.S. Air Force may not commandeer the airport tower because it is inefficient; [it] must negotiate with the Haitian authorities to offer assistance. American citizens have no right or authority to transgress national or international law, whether in the name of Jesus or the U.S. government. This is the height of hubris and self-aggrandizement."
More broadly, the incident has focused international attention on Haiti's child-welfare system, which was inadequate before the earthquake and has been in shambles since. Although the 10 Americans probably were well-intentioned, the ease with which they moved through Haiti's capital and gathered a busload of children without documents exposed how vulnerable the children of Haiti are.
Frantz Thermilus, chief of Haiti's National Judicial Police, said that although there are responsible, well-run orphanages in Haiti, some others are "fronts for criminal organizations that take advantage of people who are homeless and hungry And with the earthquake, they see an opportunity to strike in a big way." Authorities fear that some less-scrupulous orphanages are taking advantage of the chaos to scoop up children and offer them for sale as servants and sex slaves.
Patricia Vargas, regional coordinator for SOS Children's Villages, which provides services to abandoned children around the world, said of the incident involving the Idaho 10, "This has called the world's attention because it is the first clear piece of evidence that our fears have come true. Our concern as an organization is how many other cases are out there that we are not aware of."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Haiti parents testify they gave kids to Americans. Yahoo! News
Even if intentions good, missionaries are at fault. New Haven Register
Even if intentions good, missionaries are at fault. New Haven Register
The Big Questions
Here are some of the questions we will discuss in class:
1. What operational philosophy ought to guide Christian mission efforts to meet the material needs of people today? What view of others should guide us in these endeavors?2. What operational philosophy ought to guide Christian mission efforts to spread the gospel today? What view of others should guide us in these endeavors?3. In situations of immediate and desperate human need, do good ends ever justify questionable means? At what point does our help do as much harm as good?4. Under what circumstances, if any, do Christian groups have the right to override other people's freedom to make decisions about their well-being?5. How can we move toward partnering with people in need, rather than looking at them as the recipients of our largess? How does this even begin to happen in a situation as desperate as Haiti's? How can we do that with the people in our own area who come to our churches seeking assistance?
Confronting the News with Scripture
We will look at selected verses from these Scripture texts. You may wish to read these in advance for background:
Isaiah 58:1-14Matthew 28:16-20Matthew 10:1-15Mark 9:33-37Acts 11:1-18
In class, we will talk about these passages and look for some insight on the big questions, as well as talk about other questions you may have about this topic. Please join us.
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