Dae-Young Lee - Shalom: Gods Ultimate Purpose for the World: Modern Medical Mission in the Islamic Context

Modern Medical Mission in the Islamic Context

Dae-Young Lee

Preface by Jerry M. Ireland

I n the world of Christian compassionate missions, and, more precisely, the world of Christian medical missions to the Arab world, pitfalls abound. There exists the ever-present danger of doing medical missions merely as a platform, and thereby disingenuously. Or, more palatably to the non-Christian world, one might engage in medical work in a foreign land that has no genuine Christian content because there exists no explicit link to the gospel. Additionally, medical mission efforts have too often subverted, ignored, or dismissed local medical professionals, guidelines, and government regulations, putting the missionaries at odds with civil authorities in ways incompatible with the gospel and with truth. Paternalistic tendencies, especially among western mission workers have at times resulted in the sending of so-called medical teams that lacked even basic medical and missionary training.

These far-too-common shortcomings in medical mission work have minimally left a dark stain on the church but also raised (further) questions as to the legitimacy of the entire mission enterprise. If Christians cannot show compassion to the most needy and vulnerable, especially the sick, in ways that are Christ-honoring, culturally considerate, and carried out with honesty and integrity, then is there any hope at all for Christian cross-cultural efforts?

A large part of the problem when it comes to Christian medical missions is that these mission efforts seldom are carried out by those who have the multiple levels of expertise neededthat is, legitimate medical credentials, solid biblical-theological training including an understanding of biblical languages, and a more than rudimentary grasp of the complex issues that make up the discipline of missiology. This is precisely why this text you now hold proves so crucial. Dae Young Lee meets (and excels) in all of these disciplines and thereby not only provides sound biblical guidance on medical missions but does so in a way that keeps the churchs evangelistic efforts central.

By focusing on and unpacking the deep theological concept of shalom and noting both its bridges to and divergence from Muslim concepts of peace, Lee offers an insightful take on what is sure to be a major focus of Christian mission in the twenty-first century. He calls on Christian medical mission organizations and personnel to acknowledge and repent of their sometime wayward efforts, such as having built kingdoms of individual mission agencies which disempowered local indigenous churches and their leadership. The question of what medical mission work might look like viewed through a lens of indigeneity has rarely been asked and seldom answered to a satisfactory degree. This, though, is where this text shines brightest. Dae Young is unafraid to point to areas of neglect and shortcoming in medical missions because he is convinced by Scripture that there must be a better, more Christ-honoring way.

I heartily recommend this book for all whose Christian faith intersects in any way with medical missions. Church leaders, pastors, and mission boards who support medical missionaries should read this book to gain better insight into what kinds of activities are worthy of support and what kind need reconsideration or revision. Mission leaders who appoint, oversee, and send missionaries should read this book to gain clarity about what medical mission to the Arab world might look like when done in line with sound missiological principles. Missionaries who engage in medical missions of any kind should read this book for its biblical grounding, its missional principles, and its practical application. And students considering medical missions should read this book in order to better understand before they begin how to engage in this important need and to do it with excellence.

Jerry M. Ireland, PhD