Caleb posted an interview between Ed Stetzer and Marshall Dallas in Taipei discussing some cultural similarities between East and West. One of the things Marshall mentioned was his discovery of "nominalism," the cultural practice that subsequent generations take up their parents "faith" in practice only. Interestingly, that is exactly what we dealt with in Ireland and what we'll be facing in Portugal. You can watch the interview below:



Nominalism is a real challenge because it gives the appearance of faithfulness without the heart change that the gospel creates and demands. Ed pointed this out as an opportunity and a challenge. I agree. One thing that we've noticed personally is the difficulty nominalism creates in support raising. The impression of faith permeates the process especially when trying to raise support for Western Europe. We actually had someone tell us not to bother with our previous ministry in Ireland because "they were a Catholic country and knew about Jesus already." That couldn't have been further from the truth.

Yet another aspect of our job as missionaries is to educate our supporters about the realities of the locations we're working in and lift the lid on nominalism. This is another reason why exploratory trips and mission prep are so important.

Tags: Missions