Christian Missionaries in Africa

It isn't often that someone writes an article that almost perfectly captures your own views on a topic.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

If I lived in a destitute nation like Malawi I would certainly prefer missionaries over anti-AIDS drugs. It is ultimately going to be cultural change that lifts Africa out of abject poverty, and missionaries seem much more effective at that than more secular equivalents, no doubt because they are willing to say one culture is better than another.