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Sang Won Lee
Associate Pastor
670 N. Hill Ave. #1, Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: 626-864-4904
E-mail:
sanglee34@gmail.com
Union Evangelical Church
Community Healthcare Missions in a
Muslim Context
I
n recent decades, the population explosion in the world, along with
advances in information and travel technology, has led to an unprecedented
worldwide interaction between different people and their cultures.
1
In the post-
Enlightenment era, the religious constitution of the world has become less and
less homogenous, as different people and religious groups are allowed multiple
forums through which they can engage one another. In this context, Christians
are presented with the opportunity for tremendous global access in sharing
their faith, but they are also faced with the challenges of communicating beliefs
that are culturally relevant and applicable.
Throughout the 20th century, healthcare missions have been effective
means of providing holistic care to people groups worldwide. Through the
historic evolution of healthcare mission models - from the hospital mission
station to the empowerment of local community workers - missionaries have
constantly had to adapt to the people groups they have sought to reach. In
contemporary times, missions with Islamic communities require adaptation
more than ever. In light of heightened political instability between Christians
and Muslims, there is a great need for Christian healthcare missionaries to
approach their ministries with special care and sensitivity. Indeed, healthcare in
missions with Muslims must incorporate a comprehensive understanding of the
cultural context and begin at the local, personal level in which trusting
relationships can be developed. These principles are encompassed in the
Community Development Education model developed by Stan Rowland.
In the study of ministries with Islamic communities, there must be an
underlying understanding that Muslims inhabit every continent of the world, and
there is great diversity in the expressions of their beliefs. Research must be
done under the premises of trends and generalities, with the awareness that
there is not one monolithic group of people with one type of faith. With this
disclaimer, important issues in healthcare missions with Muslims can be
discussed.
"Muslim society is more than just a theological tenet. It is a complete
culture. Islamic society is a way of life. It is the society's religion, the politics,
the family, the economics, the way of life. It is more than a set of beliefs or a
Fuller
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sect."
2
For these reasons, entire nations operate with Islamic law as the governing principle, and
there is no separation of religion and state. Because the Islamic worldview blends the secular and
spiritual worlds, Muslims may see Christianity as integrated with Western culture, including
stereotypes such as liberal sexual morals, abuse of drugs and alcohol, and individualistic thinking.
There is often an initial shock among Muslims outside of the West at the low standards of public
morality portrayed by people they believe are Christians. Thus, it is paramount that missionaries are
able to demonstrate the high moral standards of Christianity in a way that is not Western, but fully
immersed in the local culture. "They appreciate people who do not smoke, who do not drink, who are
modest in their dress and deportment, and who use careful language. This fits in with their idea of
what a role model should be."
3
As a pervasive, all-encompassing belief system, Islam requires strict conformity of its
members. The values of individualism and personal achievement are minimal in comparison to the
West, and the most important consideration is that of the group, particularly the family.
4
Thus,
individual behavior is controlled by society, and making an independent decision such as accepting
the gospel may be countercultural. In a Muslim community, converting the whole family is
foundational to the local church because of the communal approach to decisions.
In a law-based culture, Muslims follow strict moral standards, and submission is a key theme
that pervades society. However, with such a works-based mentality, love is sometimes missing in the
family context.
5
Christians who show love within their own families, as well as for their Muslim
neighbors, can reveal a love-based faith that leads to healthy relationships. Missionaries who go with
their families can, therefore, have a unique impact on their communities through their family
dynamics.
An Effective Healthcare Mission Model
The history of healthcare missions has undergone significant changes in the last few decades.
Early missions hospitals consisted of a campus built by expatriates as the main site of work and
ministry. Confronted by pressing needs and high demand for services, healthcare professionals and
mission administrators focused on efficient curative systems.
6
In the 1970's, there was a marked
shift toward training locals in their own communities, leading to the banners of health promotion and
disease prevention. This allowed for holistic care, including spiritual, social, and emotional health, in
addition to physical well-being. This comprehensive perspective has proven to be much more
effective in reaching people groups with the gospel, but especially so in the Muslim context.
"The classic walled mission compound, passing out religious literature just does not fit into
Muslim culture. Reaching the Muslim individual in a meaningful way that will result in his/her
choice to change lifestyle is, I perceive, much more dependent on personal relationships and
credibility than we will experience in many other cultures… As a rule, personal loyalties are
extremely important, and personal friendship is the only thing that will rise above religious and
political differences."
7
Such personal relationships can be facilitated greatly by missionaries who work with locals in their
own communities to address needs that the locals themselves identify. This demonstrates the value
of the locals' point of view and trust in their ability to produce change. Contrary to the hospital station,
initiating programs in the locals' own communities creates a sense of ownership and brings change
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to the attitude of the people. Location is thus a pivotal factor in effective healthcare missions because
of the values of service and community that are expressed.
Stan Rowland's Community Development Education (CDE) model is ideally suited for
healthcare missions with Islamic communities. The program is directed at the "broad-based first tier
of the community."
8
The philosophy involves teaching people to do as much as possible on their
own; going to the people; emphasis on changed lifestyles and conditions through preventive
medicine and health education; training content that is transferable and multipliable; and "aggressive
evangelism, follow-up, and discipleship to saturate the target area for Christ."
9
All of these strategies
lead to close working relationships based on growing rapport and trust. The key components that can
transform Muslim communities are the vision to multiply and the use of one-on-one discipleship
through everyday home visits between locals. Having a balance of physical and spiritual work is
considered so important that patient loads are sometimes decreased in order to provide room for
spiritual ministry.
Many mission organizations provide communities with short-term relief that lasts only as long
as the expatriate missionaries are there. When the missionaries leave, the benefits to the people
quickly evaporate because they are dependent on the missionaries' skills. CDE is the exact opposite,
seeking to place most of the responsibility in the hands of the local community members, so that
long-term development can take place without the need for expatriates.
10
"The medical work is an
ideal way to approach Muslims and it is certainly needed, but it must fit into the perceived needs of
the community… The emphasis on temperance and lifestyle is appreciated and supported by all
segments."
11
CDE believes that the best way to understand the perceived needs of the community is
by asking the locals to identify the most pressing needs, and then address them through change in
lifestyles, one member at a time.
CDE begins with a training team of three to four Christian members, preferably nationals, who
are skilled in discipleship, evangelism, and practical areas of healthcare and community
development.
12
They work with community members in assessing needs and establishing a
community health committee. The committee chooses 12-18 volunteer workers who will be trained as
Community Health Evangelists (CDEs). The training team will teach them to address spiritual and
healthcare needs through twice per week sessions, over a span of five to six months. After
completing training, CDEs conduct home visits with neighbors, teaching public health and prevention
strategies in the context of spiritual discipleship. Because CDEs model what they teach by living out
the principles in their lifestyles, long-term change can happen in their community. Sustained one-on-
one relationships produce transformation, and because each new person becomes a multiplying
agent, the broader neighborhood can be reached with the gospel and improved health.
CDE is a model that is designed to work in any situation because its foundational ideas are
universal. However, its relational and long-term methods are especially suited to Muslim communities
which are based on loyal friendships. Muslims evaluate expatriates from the West in order to
determine their motives for moving into their community.
"It is obvious to them that the technical people, the professors, technicians, come for at
least one over-riding reason. For many, it is money. Often expatriates come because of
their expertise in transportation, the educational, the engineering, and other fields… It is
perceived that others are coming for their personal prestige. They may be people on a
research project writing books."
13
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CDE makes it clear from the beginning that the goal is to help develop communities in a holistic
manner with no hidden motives. The gospel is shared through teaching relationships, and even if it is
not accepted, the work continues on. Because of the barriers to Christianity with Muslims, the CDE
model may take more time to reach people spiritually, resulting in a slower process of multiplication.
However, ministries with Muslims rarely produce rapid conversions because the nature of change
comes through the patient development of genuine friendships. The healthcare program of CDE
offers material that is immediately relevant and desirable to community members. In trusting
discipleship relationships, the hope is that they find the deeper truth of the Trinitarian God.
Discussion and Implications
Muslim communities offer many unique opportunities for Christian healthcare missionaries.
There are opportunities to reconcile Muslims and Christians through mutual understanding and
respect for one another's traditions. Genuine, loyal friendships can be cultivated between expatriates
and locals, in which the gospel can make a profound impact. When Muslims accept Christ into their
lives, they are making a commitment of enormous cost. In these ways, the transforming power of
God's love can be experienced by both the Muslim and the Christian in the process of conversion.
Along with the many opportunities presented by Muslim communities, missionaries must also
face significant challenges in their ministries. One difficult challenge is to work within a background of
global political tension between Muslims and Christians. Missionaries may encounter a lack of
acceptance or compromised safety in this environment. Christians must dispel stereotypes of
Christianity that equate it with Western culture, including ideas of loose morals and individualistic
determinism that disregards family and community. The lifestyle of a healthcare missionary will be
closely scrutinized, and both high moral standards and a commitment to the community must be
demonstrated.
The message must be communicated that the Christian faith is not confined to the West, but it
is a worldwide faith with universal principles. Christianity is relevant to every people group, and the
gospel must be shared in a way that makes sense in the worldview of the people. The history of
Christianity in Africa provides a poignant example of how faith communicated outside of the cultural
context can cause grave damage to a people. For centuries, colonial patterns of domination,
combined with European missionary efforts, have communicated the message that to be Christian
meant being European. Africans were taught that their cultural values were deficient or evil, and they
needed to deny their heritage in order to fully embrace Christianity. African theologians have pointed
out that, ironically, their values and customs are often closer to those represented in the Scriptures
and in the story of Jesus than those of the European colonizers. Inculturation theology has thus
become the most prevalent and developed theological school in black Africa. In inculturation, "an
effort is made to incarnate the Gospel message in the African cultures on the theological level."
14
Though inculturation of faith has been a prime issue on the African Christian agenda, it is currently
more of a goal than an actualized fact.
Inculturation is a necessary perspective in healthcare missionaries, especially from the West,
who work with Islamic communities. In the CDE model, locals assess their community health needs
and develop solutions that they believe will be most effective. Whether it is means for sanitary water,
safely delivering a baby, or preventing disease; the community members decide what needs are
most dire. The same approach is taken in sharing the gospel. In dialogue with Muslims, the Qu'ran
cannot be dismissed as heresy, but it must be understood and treated with respect. Only then can it
be compared to the Bible and result in meaningful conversation. Principles regarding the approach to
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the Qu'ran among missionaries include the following: genuine respect for sacred text, leading to
credibility in Muslim communities; using Qu'ranic thought patterns to explain biblical truths; and
encouraging investigation and study in the Qu'ran, which can lead to the same in the Bible.
15
Inculturation paradigms can be used with the CDE model in both healthcare and discipleship, so
transformation can occur within the culture of the people.
One of the basic tenets of Islam is that God is absolutely transcendent, beyond the knowledge
of human beings.
16
Although Christ is considered a prophet, he cannot be considered divine
because God cannot be known in such an intimate manner. This is a profound difference from the
view of the Christian God, who is loving and relational. Missionaries cannot reconcile such
differences with Muslims abruptly, but it must come through gradual, long-term relationships.
Christians must essentially become Christ to them, healing and promoting health to meet physical
needs, while fostering trusting friendships based on love rather than obedience. The leap from an
unknowable God to a fully relational God can thus be shortened as people experience the love of
Christ through Christian workers on a daily basis. Applying CDE to the Muslim context marries the
spiritual gospel with physical healing and communal living. Through multiplying discipleship, wholistic
transformation can occur in Islamic communities.
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References
1. Kärkkäinen, VM.
An Introduction to the Theology of Religions
. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity
Press, 2003, 19.
2. Hole, JH and Schantz, B (eds.).
The Three Angels and the Crescent: A Reader
. Bracknell, UK:
SAD Global Centre for Islamic Studies, 1993, 199.
3. Ibid, 206.
4. Saal, WJ.
Reaching Muslims for Christ
. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991, 24.
5. Hole, JH and Schantz, B (eds.).
The Three Angels and the Crescent: A Reader
. Bracknell, UK:
SAD Global Centre for Islamic Studies, 1993, 202.
6. Elmer, D and McKinney, L (eds.).
With an Eye on the Future
. Monrovia, CA: MARC Publications,
1996, 179.
7. Hole, JH and Schantz, B (eds.).
The Three Angels and the Crescent: A Reader
. Bracknell, UK:
SAD Global Centre for Islamic Studies, 1993, 202.
8. Rowland, S.
Multiplying Light and Truth Through Community Health Evangelism
. Mumbai, India:
GLS Publishing, 2004, 16.
9. Ibid, 18.
10. Ibid, 57.
11. Hole, JH and Schantz, B (eds.).
The Three Angels and the Crescent: A Reader
. Bracknell, UK:
SAD Global Centre for Islamic Studies, 1993, 201-202.
12. Rowland, S.
Multiplying Light and Truth Through Community Health Evangelism
. Mumbai, India:
GLS Publishing, 2004, 107-109.
13. Hole, JH and Schantz, B (eds.).
The Three Angels and the Crescent: A Reader
. Bracknell, UK:
SAD Global Centre for Islamic Studies, 1993, 201.
14. R.J. Schreiter (ed.).
Faces of Jesus in Africa
. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991, 3.
15. Hole, JH and Schantz, B (eds.).
The Three Angels and the Crescent: A Reader
. Bracknell, UK:
SAD Global Centre for Islamic Studies, 1993, 253.
16. Saal, WJ.
Reaching Muslims for Christ
. Chicago: Moody Press, 1991, 43.