The Baptist Press, a publication of the Southern Baptist Convention, is carrying the ostensibly inspirational story of an 8-year-old American boy named John Mark Caner preaching the Gospel in Thailand. The child, in the company of his parents, is being celebrated for telling a Buddhist monk that the Buddha an idol and that one can get to Heaven only through Jesus. Heartwarming, um, not.
Along with encouraging the child to be intolerant and rude, one wonders what this nonsense is doing to the boy's emotional and intellectual development. I would think an 8-year-old who is encouraged to believe he already has all the answers is not likely to develop critical thinking skills as he matures.
"I loved watching how unafraid he was," his mother Hana said. "It made me wish I was a kid and didn't have the barriers of wondering what people will think about me. It was pretty amazing watching him go to the temples and witnessing him tell people about Christ."
And how would the congregation react if an 8-year-old from Thailand stood on the steps of mother Hana's Southern Baptist church back in Georgia to expound the Four Noble Truths? Do unto others, etc.
The parents were part of one of those missionary-tourist groups that appear to be something of a cash cow for U.S. Bible colleges. A tour lasts two or more weeks, and I assume tour members do have time to shop and sight-see when they aren't witnessing. Little John Mark is with a group from Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia.
However, there have been Christian churches in Thailand since at least the 17th century, possibly earlier, so it's not as if the Gospel isn't already available to those Thais who might be interested. After four centuries, Christians make up only about .7 percent of the Thai population, and I understand their numbers are growing more slowly than the Thai population itself. Perhaps the missionaries should consider not sending mouthy 8-year-old to insult the monks?
Incidentally, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Buddhists make up .7 percent of the U.S. population. That percentage is growing, albeit very slowly. Perhaps someone should persuade the Caners that John Mark has his work cut out for him here so he will stop annoying the Thais.
The monk accosted by the boy, BTW, appears to have thought the child cute and responded politely.
Another tour group in Thailand from Truett-McConnell College appears to have been targeting the Sikh minority. However, the group also encountered plenty of Buddhists as they handed out tracts from the back of a truck. The tourist-missionaries report that the Thais were friendly and politely listened to them witness.
According to Kevin Hall of the Moultrie Observer,
"The students would interact with the Buddhist monks during "monk chat," a conversation in which they asked the monks questions about Buddhism, and the monks asked them about Christianity in return. Many of the Thai spoke English, she said."
A shame no part of those questions and answers were in the story. And then the group went to China ...
'The group spent their time in Kunming in southern China. They saw few foreigners, Toon said. The Chinese were friendly, she said, but atheistic.
"'You aren't even supposed to talk about your religion,' she said. 'I felt like I was in a James Bond movie because you talk in code when you talk about God.'
Did no one explain to the tourists that Beijing takes a very dim view of foreign missionaries? My understanding is that those foreigners who are caught at it are instantaneously deported. Foreign missionaries have played a pernicious role in Chinese history, so Beijing does have an argument for being cautious.
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