Purpose

Missions is a topic that has always interested me but never took the time to delve into. Now I want to step back (and not let personal beliefs interfere) and look at the situation as it is. I intend to research the social and political perspectives of American missionaries on missions in Asia. How are modern missionaries welcomed into a country? What difficulties do they face there (living conditions, monetary issues, communication)? What role/interference does the government of the receiver country take? My assumption was that most missions were funded through personal fundraising, but how much of it is funded by their church and does the U.S. government help at all (financially)? Some missionaries have to take on other jobs while they evangelize in that country, usually because of the government system (such as China and North Korea). My research should also delve into which government systems force missionaries to hide their real reason for being in that country and how much it interferes with the missionaries communication with the native Asians. What are the consequences if discovered? Does the society in the Asian countries permit missionaries to evangelize directing or indirectly (what sort of pressures do the native people put on missionaries and vice versa)? These are the questions that hopefully will be answered through research. Please comment if you have any input or would like to share any information or experiences with this topic.

DK