Mission as co-option or coercion

Skara Cathedral and the Cape Town Jazz Festival: Mission by Co-Option

What I address here are occasions when you join a meeting of some kind with a clear programme only finding out that other agendas are brought in which you never asked for, for example being preached to on being a Christian. I recall three such instances fairly recently.

There is at every end of the term a heated discussion in media about whether a particular primary or secondary school should make use of the local church for its final and more solemn assembly. Church of Sweden is unbelievably well endowed with churches throughout the country many of which are treasure troves of paintings with Christian motifs and other artefacts. The recurring question is whether a religious ceremony could be held and if so what kind. Even the government has tried to make some simple guidelines. The main point seems to be that religion (that is Christian faith) must not be forced on the pupils so gathered in a church. With a history of having been the official and state church of the country, where for centuries church and school were different sides of the same coin, emotions go high and many have problems drawing a demarcation line between the school’s agenda and that of the church.

I was reminded of this in two instances earlier this year, when I was preached to without having asked for it. Being a lover of the church, because it is my (spiritual) home, I still have a large part of my life outside the church in the world where I really thrive, being challenged and encouraged every day. What inspires me is the common ground that we have, all of us, regardless of conviction or creed; every day is an exercise in tolerance and respect, while my own personal interpretation of this common ground is that it also belongs to God. As our creator and sustainer, God is there for all of us. But it would be a violation of someone else’s integrity in any way to try to coerce such a conviction on any other human being within that common domain. That is basically how I understand things.

As a missionary and priest I am in sensitive to the way in which the Christian good news is conveyed to people. What makes me upset and even causes a pent up anger is when I am told that God has a way for me (through Jesus Christ) whether I like it or not. It is a fait accompli situation where I am told that there is good news for me when I never have asked for it. It is when I have gone to a gathering for one thing and then I am made to hear that, well, once you are here we should just as well let you know about God. It is mission by co-option or even mission by coercion.

I will give two examples, one from Skara cathedral almost two months ago now, the other from the Cape Town jazz festival at the beginning of April this year.

Saturday the 25^th of May I took part in the celebrations at the Skara Cathedral School, where I matriculated many years ago, 51 to be precise. A few of us thought that it was a good idea to come together and take part in the celebrations even during this odd year. Skara has an annual celebration for all anniversaries, from 5 to 60 years or more. A grand dinner is served in the local town hotel with some 3 – 500 guests; the student male choir gives a concert in the botanic gardens; the Puella female double quartet sings at the hotel. It is a day when students come together remembering olden times and sharing new insights of the day.

At mid-day there is a short gathering in the cathedral during which two scholarships are awarded to final year students in (Swedish) literature. We sang a Swedish summer hymn but it was not a service; then the Dean of the cathedral, Anders Alberius, spoke, basically sharing some insights about this beautiful and ancient cathedral, being of similar age, and having almost the same style and architecture as Notre Dame in Paris, but smaller. Anders, an old friend of mine, now made the mistake of co-opting us into being obedient servants of God. Being quite pedagogical he made use of the term for those who have matriculated from the Skara School. We are called “djäknar”. He explained that the first school in Skara was a cathedral school training young men for the priesthood; this was some 800 years ago. Later on, some were trained as deacons as well, and that term comes from the New Testament (in Greek diakonia, meaning “service”). The word djäkne, Dean Alberius went on, stems from the word deacon and is a local development from this word. So, the Dean continued, you are all deacons, who are sitting here, and you should know that to be a djäkne is to be a deacon, i.e. to be a servant of God.

I felt very uneasy as I knew that probably 90% of those present were not church goers and would be very hesitant regarding such a conclusion. On behalf of the others I felt bad; I felt that we were all being co-opted into something that we had never asked for.

This is not mission, or it is the wrong kind of mission, mission by stealth, or by coercion. Right mission is an offer of something, the opening of a door, the making of a space. Right mission could be an invitation but never a wholesale solution and co-option.

The second example is taken from the Cape Town Jazz Festival at the beginning of April this year. Much of what was on offer was more into popular music and the real jazz was often compromised. So much was however offered that one person could only manage to listen to 20% of what was there, in other words there were five stages where music was played simultaneously. I was however very happy when I managed to get into the concert hall where a US band was playing, the Kirk Whalum Quintet. Much of it was excellent and I sat back and enjoyed the music. But after a while though I felt there was a bit too much of talking in between the numbers. And soon enough, I think it was Kirk Whalum himself, started to talk in very personal terms about somebody up there who was in charge and that there was a way for us also to be saved. I do not remember the wording at all, but I was taken aback. All of it was phrased in a very subtle way, but the message was loud and clear: in this band we believe in the Christian God.

I also felt very sad. Again I was being co-opted into faith matters which I never had asked for in the first place. It was the wrong place. I wanted music, not sermons. Perhaps one could say: the right thing at the wrong place. This kind of clandestine evangelization should stop. If you as a musician believe in God, let your music be the witness, don’t destroy the music with many words.

There is in fact a third example of the same thing. At an earlier concert a few years ago, I and a few friends listened to a Cape Town artist, Jonathan Butler, a very good guitarist, who had emigrated from South Africa to the US, but now had come back to his home ground. Good music, but towards the end the same thing happened: he could not hold back, he had to give witness also to how great God is, and how he had helped him when he was in dire straits (now it became too personal as well). I could sense that many capetonians did not mind; they liked this kind of witnessing, they felt good about it. I did not. Was his music not good enough as a witness about the greatness of God?? I was sorely missing Miles Davies who most of the time just played, not saying a single word during his concerts; not even bothering about an enthusiastic applause.

You must not be lured into a situation of evangelization. Dean Alberius I am sure had the best of intentions, but his message was counterproductive; it was like the last remnants of the state church speaking to the Swedish people: you should know where you are coming from, you should know that you stem from a Christian people (whether you like it or not). I am now caricaturing his words, but so it could be understood.

Mission is an offer, an open door. The one who is approached should at least be able to decide whether that door should be entered, the one who has heard the message should at least be able to say yes, or no.