Even before the very existence of the United States, often dubbed as “the land of opportunity,” the New World, as experienced by European explorers, was simply abundant with vast possibilities. The seemingly infinite number of various environments and ecosystems were inhabited by millions of people with unique cultural and religious practices. However, there was a commonality evident among these native people. True, all of these indigenous people were adherents of distinct spiritualistic religions, but in their diverse beliefs lies the opportunity of redemption, or rather of conversion to Christianity. Thus, it was completely antithetical to the entire Christian faith to simply ignore the inhabitants of these lands. It is crucial that the powerful truth of the Gospel is brought to the unenlightened masses. At least, this was the pretext, the necessary justification to explain why Europeans made the arduous and perilous journey to these unexplored lands. Spreading the Gospel is not optional, rather it is our duty as commanded by the Bible. However, this noble and just intention was substituted by a more ominous motivation. These lands were abundant with a plethora of resources, all of which can be utilized to accumulate more wealth for the various host countries sponsoring these excursions to the New World. Not only were the lands stripped of their various riches, the natives were subjected to great misery, as missionaries and priests subjugated the indigenous populations in an attempt to forcefully convert them to Christianity. Through the eyes of natives, being a Christian simply meant to imitate these white Europeans in virtually every aspect. Thus, they sought not to imitate Jesus but rather the Europeans. Truly, the missionaries were not only endeavoring to convert these lost people to Christianity but more importantly, they were also trying to essentially Europeanize what they considered a woefully inferior people. The self-induced sense of moral superiority that the Europeans conquerors exhibited was falsely attributed to their own resilience in the Christian faith, when in actuality it was their own ethnocentric tendencies.

These were missionaries. These were Christians that truly believed that they were doing the best that they could to spread the Gospel. It is important to note that some of them truly understood this and tried their hardest to impart their biblical knowledge onto the local populations.

What can we as Christians learn from this part of history?

We must first look past all the various implications of colonialism and its various concepts and ideas. Our focus thus must become narrower, more precise in nature. By analyzing how the missionaries conducted themselves among the native people and the methods they utilized to convey the central truths of the Bible, it is evidently clear that these missionaries didn’t truly comprehend the vital importance of understanding.

In the mind of a missionary, thoroughly understanding the people, should be second in importance only to the Bible and having a strong Biblical understanding. The missionaries that embarked to the New World did not understand these people. They viewed them as savages and thus, had no desire to understand them. They truly believed that they were vastly inferior to Europeans in essentially all aspects.

Failure to understand local culture can not only yield a sense of alienation but also direct hostility against Christianity. First impressions are universally important regardless of where one is at in the world. Thus, before missionaries expect people to listen, they must make a concerted effort to understand the culture. Contrary to what many believe, understanding is not simply synonymous with condoning. Of course, there are indeed certain aspects of various cultures that are definitively wrong and immoral and action is necessary in order to attempt to correct and point out such errors but therein lies the danger. Many people have criticized Christians as being hypocritical and overly judgmental. Indeed, some Christians have substantiated this claim by vehemently condemning a plenitude of sinful acts without truly acknowledging the fallen nature inherent in everyone. A failure to understand can create catastrophic consequences that could very well hinder if not outright extinguish any possibility of leading people to Christ. If we are guilty of acting in this particular manner, then essentially, we are no better than the conquistadors and belligerent priests and missionaries that set out for the New World, who made no effort to understand the people and their culture and thus, in doing this, had no choice but to substitute what was deemed as an inferior culture with one that is decisively European.

The implications of truly understanding are obvious when missionaries carry out their duties in foreign countries, as they will undoubtedly be exposed to immense cultural differences, however, are these implications still applicable when one does missionary work inside their own country?

As a country, we are perhaps in more need of understanding than ever before. A small example that attests to this claim would be that politically the nation is hopelessly divided into two parties, although there are many other parties that exist, the dominance of these two parties is clearly seen. Members of these parties consider themselves drastically opposed to the other, with utterly no means of reconciliation. Each side merely considers the other as inherently wrong and only capable of espousing invalid views and beliefs. We relentlessly polemicized the other without endeavoring to truly understand why they feel and believe in such a way. Christians have also taken part in this conundrum that affects modern America. The evolution of information technology and social media, coupled with the propensity of the general media to report primarily on things that are deemed negative and scandalous, has yielded a very adverse public opinion on Christianity, in which the views of a few “Christians” and their outlandish views are ascribed to be the views of all Christians. In fact, what some of these Christians say seem indicate that at the very least they have not truly read the Bible in its entirety or are wholly inadequate in understanding what the Bible actually states. Thus, we are labeled as judgmental, self-righteous hypocrites who are woefully unable “to practice what we preach.” We could blame this current perception of Christianity solely on media’s selective reporting. However, this would provide an incomplete picture for we are partially responsible as well. Matthew 5:44 states that we are to love our enemies, yet we have entirely failed to do so. Instead we have refused to understand the various characteristics of modern society and stay firmly cemented in our beliefs, while remaining blissfully unaware of how society is evolving. If we want to spread the Gospel, then truly now more than ever we need to consider and we need to comprehend the importance of understanding.