THE MISSION and the Mission

摘要

It would be perilous to conflate the mission of spreading Christianity with the mission of ideological political competition in a gray zone of subconflict engagements with international rivals; and indeed, such conflation has historically led to a variety of failures. I am merely pointing out similarities in means and practices available to those engaged in each of these types of missions. The comparison, as far as it goes, applies to those who are deeply engaged in the work of spreading an ideology that they believe will create a better world—whether the ideals are of democracy or Christianity. Christians seek to fulfill the divine commander’s instruction to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”