Do We Still Need Missionary Work?

There was a time when the United States justified its involvement in the affairs of other countries, at least in part, by declaring that it wanted to advance the spread of Christianity. In explaining why the United States should annex the Philippines after the Spanish-American War, President McKinley is reported to have said: “There was nothing left for us to do but to take them all, and to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize and Christianize them, and by God’s grace do the very best we could by them, as our fellow-men for whom Christ also died.” It is likely that spreading Christianity was a less important motivator than having a platform to expand commercial ties with Asia. Nevertheless, it was part of the justification for obtaining influence over the Philippines as well as many other countries, especially during the nineteenth century.

That rationale is completely gone now. I cannot recall a single Democrat or Republican trying to justify the invasion of Iraq on the grounds that some Muslims might be converted to Christianity. Sometimes we say that we want to “convert” Iraqis to democracy but that means the focus is political ideology, not religious belief. Perhaps that change reflects a good development: We are more humble about the superiority of our faith and we do not see spreading Christianity or any religion as the role of government.

Today, the role of advancing particular religions is largely left to private denominations. But what used to be thought of as the heart of “missionary work” – converting non-believers to Christianity – has declined in importance. Instead, most denominations focus on providing social services. For example, Catholic Charities is the largest private network of social services in the United States, perhaps in the world.

Is there any longer a role for organized religion to try to convert others to a particular set of doctrines? In some cases, e.g., drug addicts, religious faith may be the best road to recovery. But if others are comfortable in their own spiritual life, why are many denominations still determined to convert others to their beliefs? Are they convinced that their path is the only road to a meaningful life? Or is it because there is an inherent desire of organizations to increase membership roles and budgets? If it is the latter, is that kind of modern missionary work so different from private corporations that are intent on increasing sales?