ACADEMY OF INTEGRATED CHRISTIAN STUDIES
PAPER PRESENTATION ON
Topic: “Christian Mission and Globalization: Market, profit, privatization and self made
God/Goddess.”
(Contemporary Issues and Trends in Christian Mission and Evangelism)
Presenters:
David Lalnunthara Darlong & Dipwang
Submitted to: Asst. Prof. Rampaukube Hekwet.
Introduction:
Mission is the core purpose of an organization or company, it is a summary of the aims
and core values. Christian Mission is not to promote one culture or democracy or capitalism, our
Mission is to extend the global Kingdom of God, one soul at the time. Globalization is here and
Christians can use its advantages for the glory of God, while exposing its detriments and serving
those disoriented or enthralled in its energy field. In this paper we will discuss mainly on the
Christian mission in the context of globalization.
Definition:
The word ‘mission’ comes from Latin word ‘missio’, which means ‘task assigned’ or ‘act of
sending’. Some define mission as an enterprise of Christianizing ‘pagan’ people; some other say
it as an attempt to civilize backward peoples and tribes. Still others emphasis the mandate to
proclaim the Gospel and establishing Christian Churches for the believers; for some it is a way of
life, practicing Christian solidarity by identifying with the poor so that they may come to
understand the caring love of Jesus Christ and so on... while in common parlance, ‘mission’ is
defined as an important duty or task assigned, allotted or self-imposed for a supreme goal.1
Globalization is a transplanetary process, a process by which people, objects and information
flow in multiple directions across the planet as well as the structures they encounter, which can
be barriers or catalysts to the flows. 2 The process of globalization is more often considered as
inevitable and therefore, it is a neutral process of an on-going worldwide modernization to which
there are simply no alternatives. 3 Market, Profit, Privatization and self-made god/goddess are
part of the facets of this globalization.
1
Joseph Mar Dionysius, “Handbook on Christian Mission Studies”. Published by ISPCK, Delhi, 2021. P.3-5
2
George Ritzer, Globalization: A Basic Text (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), p.2.
3
Longchar, A. Wati. “Global in the market place: Theological Perspective on Globalization” ( Jorhat: South Asia
Regional Solidarity Committee), 47-48.
CHRISTIAN MISSION IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION: MARKET,
PROFIT, PRIVATIZATION AND SELF MADE GOD:
Market
Markets are means by which the exchange of goods and service takes place as a result of
buyers and sellers being in contact with one another, either directly or through mediating agents
or institutions. It is a coordination mechanism for the exchange of goods and services on the
basis of relative prices. Ideally, it is a self-regulating mechanism that brings together buyers and
sellers on a competitive basis.4
One of the important world views of globalization is their portrayal of market as the criterion to
help solving the fate of economic problems. Market occupied the central core in the sphere of
development activities. So, all human resources and natural resources are directed toward the
market. To promote the growth of market, the corporate giants invested millions of capital
through advertisement for marketing their manufactured products. Globalization which is market
process survives because of its ability to convert all realities into commodifiable things.
Therefore, on the market society, people, land, knowledge, faith, religion and political are
measured on monetary values. This means that those realities which refuse to assume or submit
themselves to be valued in monetary terms as commodities have no place in society. Markets in
the most literal and immediate sense are places in which things are bought and sold. In the
modern industrial system, however, the market is not a place; it has expanded to include the
whole geographical area in which sellers compete with each others for customers.5
Beginning with the 19th century, the story of evangelical mission abroad is a story of corporate
planning, relying on American voluntarism to provide the means. This strategy experienced by
the American became the leading model for the churches throughout the globe, using the funds
as a channel or a market for spreading Christianity.
Mission was, for the longest time of Christian history result, by-product, or legitimation of other
historical occurrences: conquest, change of state religion, migration and trade as Christianity
gained influence and power over the centuries.6
Profit
Profit in business usage, is the excess of total revenue over total cost during a specific
period of time. In economics, profit is the excess over or there turns to capital, land and labor
(interest, rent and wages). Profit is the revenue remaining after all costs are paid. These costs
include labor, materials, interest on debt, and taxes. Profit is usually used when describing
business activity. But everyone with an income has profit. It’s what’s left over after paying the
4
Baldev Raj Nayar, “ Globalization and Nationalism: The changing balance in India’s Economic Policy, 1950-
2000” (New Delhi: Sage Publication, 2001), 21.
5
K.C.Abraham, “Transforming Vision: Theological Methodological Paradigm Shifts” ( Tiruvalla: Christava Sahitya
Samithy, 2006), 106.
6
Jan An Haack, “Market and Affect in Evangelical Mission” (PhD dissertation, Universitat Potsdam, 2017), 59-63.
bills. Profit is the reward to business owners for investing. In small companies, it’s paid directly
as income. In corporations, it’s often paid in the form of dividends to shareholders.7
With its extreme focus on profit, a market economy fosters competitiveness that leads to greater
gaps between rich and poor. The numbers of socially excluded people – like immigrants,
refugees, the imprisoned, asylum seekers, the homeless, street children and the detained continue
to increase. Trafficking of women, prostitution and the spread of HIV/AIDS are among the
symptoms of market economy trends. Environmental destruction and ecological imbalance result
from the use of natural resources for immediate profit without consideration for the future. As
globalization moves the world toward a mega-culture, ethno-consciousness – the desire for a
sense of cultural identity and belonging – often causes unstable political and economic situations,
corruption, oppression, ethnic and tribal conflicts, violation of human rights, racism, religious
fanaticism, poverty, and terrorism. With globalization comes Secularization which has led us to
lack of respect for persons and their values.
Its most obvious symptoms are erosion of moral values on the personal, familial, and societal
levels. Individualism, loss of faith, loss of meaning in life, changing concept of the family and its
disintegration, and the degradation of women are also consequences of it.8
However, with the spread of Christianity, positive impact could be seen that tackled the issues of
the societies, leading to a social reformation, in which the profit of being a Christian is
appreciated. One of the best examples could be William Carey and his colleagues famously
known as The Serampore Trio, which brought development in education and medical settings
along with the Christianity in India.
Privatization
In an economic sense, privatization refers to the transfer of economic assets or operations
from State to 'private' control. In this context, privatization means the limitation of the Christian
Gospel to the private, spiritual concerns of the individual. Although the term 'privatization' is not
often used within the sociology of religion, the basic understanding of religion as something
which operates on a purely private and personal level frequently finds expression.
Secularization is the root of privatization, as it has to do with the decline of the social relevance
and power of the church, by which religious institutions, actions and consciousness, lose their
social significance.
In this process of disengagement or privatization, religious authority is first opposed by the
growing secular powers, then becomes more and more alienated from social affairs and is,
finally, limited to the existential realm of individual persons. Amongst other things, this
withdrawal results in a truncated faith and a false dichotomy between personal and social ethics.
As the influence of religion becomes diminished, the social authority and power of religion is
reduced, and religion is restricted to the private sphere. In short, religion becomes privatized.
7
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-profit-and-how-does-it-work.
8
“Future Mission of Society of the Divine Word (SVD),” SCRIBD ebook, 29 November 2007.
Privatization, then, is both an aspect and a result of secularization. This is because privatization
involves the 'disengagement' from the secular world and is a result of the withdrawal of religious
thought and involvement from 'the world'.
Privatization, argues David Cook, 'is a process by which there is a cleavage between the private
and public spheres of life. In this sense, privatization is virtually synonymous with quietism
(sometimes termed pietism) which refers to a type of theological praxis which fails to encompass
the socio-political and economic implications of the Christian faith. The term privatization is also
used to mean the removal of the 'critical and creative functions' of theology 'from public scrutiny
and their confinement to a narrow few in the church'. A privatized religion is a form of faith in
which individuals turn to religion precisely to either escape or to withdraw from the pressures
and problems of social reality.
A privatized Gospel is inherently dualistic, individualistic, and vulnerable to manipulation by
group interests. It dilutes the meaning of the Gospel, and it restricts the application of the very
concepts it claims to enshrine, namely, salvation, spirituality, and the mission of the Church.
Thus, a privatized Gospel both fails to bring about holistic spiritual renewal in the lives of
individual believers, and it is unable to promote either ecclesiastical or social transformation.
A further important element of privatization is the spiritualization of the Gospel. For example,
much of the Old Testament, as well as the Luke 4.18-20 passage (Nazareth Manifesto), are
spiritualized, whilst passages such as Matthew 25.31-46 (Son of Man comes in his glory, and all
the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne…) are generally neglected. Poverty,
blindness, hunger, and thirst are understood in terms of spiritual needs. Sin in primarily
conceived of as alienation from God; salvation therefore only means 'getting right with God'.
Consequently, sin and salvation are treated as having exclusively vertical (God-human)
implications.
A further aspect of privatization is a lack of contextual analysis. Theological doctrines (such as
justification by faith) are isolated from their original socio-historical context and uncritically
imposed on the present context. This lack of contextual awareness can be seen also in popular
theology such as pulpit preaching. All of this reinforces the individualism that is so characteristic
of privatization.
If the Christians wish to develop and proclaim a faith that is biblical, credible, and effective, we
may need to re-think what the Christian faith is all about. If we desire to pursue 'justice, mercy
and faithfulness' (Matthew 23.23), we may need seriously to investigate our attitudes,
convictions, and actions, lest we discover that we are following in the footsteps of the Pharisees
instead of those of Jesus Christ.9
Self-made God/Goddess
9
Louise Kretzschmar, ‘The Privatization of Christian Faith: A South African Perspective’, (Legon: Asemba Publishers,
1998), 128-133.
By ‘self-made God/Goddess’, it connotes that we are our own god, and no other gods are
superior to us. It is an attitude that deviate the human into believing that one can live without
God and does not need God (example could be agnostics or atheist).
The promoters of globalization are trying to compete with the religious forces to provide counter
values to the people. An important challenge they made is that a sphere of religious symbols is
being challenge directed by the symbols of this world of globalization. It is an urgent task of
theologians today to oppose individualistic moralistic abuse of the Bible as a source book for a
repressive morality. The new life in Christ is not a vague moral or spiritual ideal, but a concrete
new social reality, tried out in the messianic congregations of the saints. The radicalness of the
Biblical outlook becomes clear when we perceive how the concern for social justice is part of the
critique of idolatry. Idolatry is not what others do but it is everywhere. Idolatry ascribes to
things, products of human activities ultimate importance, as that which gives meaning to their
existence and they spend their lives in service of those idols. Many people refer to themselves as
‘self-made’, by this they attempt to establish and emphasize the fact that their achievements in
life are largely attributable to their own efforts, strength, struggle, wisdom and skill. These
people obviously have failed to realize that it is only the Almighty God that can make a man to
become what He has created to him to be.10
Even though this is what they have in mind we do not find people who considered or turn
globalization into god or goddess literally, but since globalization wave strongly swept all over
the place everyone is trying to cope with that strong waves, they want to develop themselves
along with the development brought by globalization, so because of which they invested their
times, their life is full of technology, market and so on, and their minds are occupied by all these
things, they often give it first priority to these things and this can lead them into a kind of
idolatry. Our goal is not to defeat these groups of self-made god/goddess in a debate, but to show
them the glory and beauty of Christ. Our goal or as a Christian mission is not to defeat atheists or
self-made god/goddess in a debate, but to show them the glory and beauty of Christ in the hopes
that some may be saved. We argue with atheists not to win the argument, but to have Christ win
them.11
Conclusion
Christians should understand that globalization care and concern for the global
community has been central to the biblical vision for God’s people from the very beginning. The
mandate given to human beings by our creator in Genesis 1:28 is a mandate to multiply and fill
the earth and subdue it. Globalization touches all aspect of life. It touches on life and God’s
creation and so it becomes an ethical. Therefore, we have to constantly engage in transforming
our relationship between life and technology, economic and political to meet a new future with
hope. We must widen our perspective and knowledge to be able to meet the better response for
these issues. While the world may debate globalization in terms of its economic and sociological
effects, the church must see globalization as an unprecedented opportunity. Globalization may be
10
https://www.mannaexpressonline.com/are-you-self-made.
11
David Robertson, ‘Four Ways to Witness to Atheists’, (https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-ways-to-
witness-to-atheist) Accessed on 16th January, 2022.
a surprise to sociologists, politicians, and businessmen, but it comes as great promise to
followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. The current generation of Christians has unprecedented
opportunities to proclaim the name of Jesus in the entire world and to see people of all tribes,
tongues, and nations bow the knee to the King.
Bibliography
Abraham K.C.“Transforming Vision: Theological Methodological Paradigm Shifts”.
Tiruvalla: Christava Sahitya Samithy, 2006.
An Haack. Jan. “Market and Affect in Evangelism Mission” (PhD dissertation,
Universitat Potsdam, 2017.)
Kretzschmar, Louise. “The Privatization of Christian Faith: A South African
Perspective”. Legon: Asemba Publishers, 1998.
Longchar, A. Wati. “Global in the market place: Theological Perspective on
Globalization”. Jorhat: South Asia Regional Solidarity Committee.
Mar Dionysius. Joseph. “Handbook on Christian Mission Studies”. Delhi: ISPCK, 2021.
Raj Baldev Nayar. “Globalization and Nationalism: The changing balance in India’s
Economic Policy, 1950-2000”. New Delhi: Sage Publication, 2001.
Ritzer. George. “Globalization: A Basic Text.” Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Webliography
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-profit-and-how-does-it-work.
https://www.googlesir.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-privatization.
https://www.mannaexpressonline.com/are-you-self-made.
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-ways-to-witness-to-atheist
