We’ve been looking at Paul Hiebert’s Transforming Worldviews, especially about the dualism that grew up in Western culture over the last few centuries, the separation between religious and secular life.

Hiebert hits at the heart of the matter with the following quote:

Finally, the public/private split has made many Christians apprehensive about the whole idea of mission. Who are we to say that our truth is superior to the truths by which others live? (Kindle Location 3179)

That’s it. That’s what’s going on in our churches. I’m not sure if Hiebert saw the transition, but here’s what we’re doing now:

• Service projects. As he said, the dualism that grew up separated spiritual ministry and physical ministry. Now we’ve spiritualized the physical ministry, but left out the aspect that talks about Jesus. Doing good goes hand in hand with the good news, or it’s not truly good.
• Short-term missions. Short-term missions have their place, but when they replace evangelistic efforts, they’re harmful. If our focus is on “how good it is for our kids,” that’s inadequate. Few churches have chosen short-term missions because they feel them to be a more effective evangelistic tool than long-term missions. It’s more a way to avoid the tensions Hiebert mentions above.

That’s the heart of the matter. Our separation of spiritual and secular has seriously undercut missions in the church.