Christian Leaders for Africa Newsletter

Christian Leaders for Africa Update
June, 2008

visit the NEGST blogvisit us online at www.clafrica.com

Getting Beyond the Shame of Being Rich
By Paul Heidebrecht

A common reaction of North American Christians who visit Africa is to feel embarrassed by their wealth when they compare it to the poverty they see everywhere. Their shame is even more intense when they are shown generous hospitality by African believers who obviously have very little to share. I have concluded that our feelings of shame are of no value to anyone—unless they get us to think quite differently.

First, we need to think differently about ourselves. We are rich people. Very rich people. Most of us prefer to be known as middle class, and in North America we are, but not in Africa. There we are among the wealthy elite. We have to accept that fact and believe that God allowed us to be rich. We are responsible to him for what we do with our wealth.

Second, we need to think differently about the poor. They cannot be the objects of our pity. Rather they are people to admire and honor. The poor are often spiritually rich, and we are the ones who need them—though it is not always obvious to us. In his second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul holds up the poor Macedonian church as a model to the rich one in Corinth. Despite their extreme poverty, Paul says, the Macedonians gave beyond their ability. They even begged Paul to let them give. And they didn’t just give money. Paul says they gave themselves. This is what poor Christians can teach rich Christians: how to give yourself as a gift.
But what about our wealth? How should we go to Africa and be rich? Or any other part of the world for that matter.

John Stott offers a useful embarrassment test. Invite a poor person to your home for a meal. If you feel embarrassed by your possessions and lifestyle, take that as a sign that you need to scale back. The same is true if you are invited into the home of a poor family. If you are comfortable and honored to be there, be encouraged. An African proverb says we do not have a relationship until we have shared a meal in our homes. Hospitality is actually a way to break through the barrier. Don’t turn down the chance to be a guest.

Jonathan Bonk, who edits the International Bulletin of Missionary Research, suggests the concept of "righteous rich" as a guide. Every society has rich people, Bonk argues, and in every society there are perceptions of "good rich people" and "bad rich people." When we enter another society, like one in Africa, we should figure out what "good rich people" do. This will help us know how we should act. Quite likely, it will involve some kind of generosity. Bonk acknowledges that our wealth is often a hindrance to our mission efforts because it affects the credibility of our witness. But if we can be at least "righteously rich," we reduce the problems of our wealth.

A few months ago, one of my board members passed away after a long battle with cancer. During a time of eulogies at his funeral, one of his friends made the comment, "Chris lived below his means." His income could have afforded him a much grander lifestyle but he chose not to live that way. I know why. He shared his wealth with many missionaries and schools like NEGST. In the end, we all have choices to make about the use of our wealth. We can spend it all on ourselves and our families or we can share it with those in need and invest it in the Lord’s work around the world.

None of these suggestions are intended to be formulas to resolve your feelings of guilt. You have to wrestle with the economic disparities that affect even the church. You have to find your way to becoming a "cheerful giver" as Paul puts it. But pay attention to the Macedonians. Paul indicates they were actually driven to give by the grace of God. They weren’t seeking to be known for their generosity. They were simply responding as people touched deeply by grace. If and when you visit Africa, concentrate on God’s grace to you and see where that takes you.

An Update on NEGST

By the time you read this, I’ll be returning from Nairobi on the campus of Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology. The political unrest earlier this year caused me to postpone a visit but I am eager to be on campus meeting with students and professors and staff to see how they got through the crisis. I’m especially anxious to hear stories about churches and pastors trying to be agents of peace and reconciliation.

I’m sure the consequences of the crisis in January and February have rippled through the entire economy and profoundly affected every institution, including the church. I’m sure that the community of NEGST will feel its effects for years to come. But Kenyans are resilient people. They have endured political crises before. They have endured droughts and famines. They were making economic progress before the crisis and there are many signs already that the country is getting back on its feet. The tourist industry is recovering well and many people are once again traveling to Kenya. The game parks are once again becoming busy.

I often hesitate to report on events on Kenya when my primary source of information is U.S. newspapers and television broadcasts. I fear that our media mislead us by focusing on the dramatic and sensational. Riots and mob scenes are especially prone to be exaggerated or misrepresented. There is a remarkable disconnect between the Kenya we hear and see in our media and the Kenya you experience when you are there. The recent movement of Kenyan pastors who went to many cities to pray for spiritual cleansing and forgiveness was never covered by any Western news outlets despite our efforts to tell them about it.

As we reported before, NEGST itself was always a secure place and the community became actively engaged in caring for refugees, protecting people who were threatened, talking openly and publicly about issues of ethnicity and tribalism from a Biblical point of view. What might be considered a disruption to learning was actually an occasion for great learning about being followers of Christ in a broken world. Friends of NEGST can be gratified that our support of students in their training for ministry bore fruit, especially among the graduates who are now all over Kenya leading the church.

The library at NEGST continues to be a place of special interest. It expands every year with more and more books, journals and electronic resources. The goal is for this library to be a major center of evangelical African scholarship for the continent. Not that long ago I received a $100,000 matching grant for the library. I’ve informed many donors of this grant and the unique opportunity it represents. Thus far about $10,000 has come in for the match. If you can help us toward the goal, even with a small gift, we and NEGST will be very thankful.
We think long-term about NEGST. We’re building for the future, for the next generation of church leaders. We’re looking to ground the exploding church on the African continent in the Scriptures and the application of God’s Word to Africa by Africans. That’s why I point to the endowment funds we started for faculty positions at NEGST. This will ensure that NEGST will have Godly evangelical African professors for years to come. This past year we went over $200,000 in the endowment fund. Our goal is $1 million and we are making progress. If you want your gifts to last for generations, give to the endowment fund. Your gift can be sent to the address below.

In Christ,

Paul Heidebrecht
Christian Leaders for Africa
P.O. Box 1642Indianapolis, IN 46206
clafrica@sbcglobal.net