Missionary: Decadent Western Lifestyles a Hurdle for Spreading Gospel in Middle East
by Chad Groening
December 5, 2003
(AgapePress) - A Christian missionary who works in the Middle East says he is often embarrassed by what he sees on Western television broadcasts over there. Many Muslims, he says, believe MTV is what American and Christianity are all about."Mike" is a missionary who cannot reveal his real name or the mission agency with which he is affiliated. He says the obstacles he encounters in spreading the gospel in the Muslim world are made even more difficult when he has to overcome the influence of a decadent Western culture.
"When the West and Western culture come into the Middle East, we get embarrassed sometimes," he says. "I can just tell you, from being at Burger King in Jordan and having American MTV on, I want to ask the guy [behind the counter not to] show that -- because what it is communicating to Jordanian Muslims is [that] this is America and this is Christian."
According to Mike, American musicians and performers -- be they Christian or not -- are perceived to be indicative of believers in the U.S. "When you see the rap guys and they've got big crosses around the necks, this is communicating to that part of the world that this is what it means to be an American, this is what it means to be a Christian," he explains. "It's a huge problem."
Mike, who lives in Amman, Jordan, says the only way to conquer those impressions is to meet with Muslims one-on-one and convince them that Christians have standards that are even higher than those of the good Muslims they know.
Even though winning Muslims to Christ is tough, the missionary says he knows the Middle East is where God has called him to serve.
