The First Letter of John has been a favorite Scripture for years. It reminds me of the depths of God’s love in Jesus Christ and the call to allow grace to transform all of us in love. “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as He is, so are we in the world” (1 Jn 4:16-17). This is the challenge, the call to each Christian. This is the grace that we need to pray for each day that “as He is, so are we in the world.”
"Evangelization is colonialism,” she said. So, there I was on a Zoom call, part of a biweekly meeting of a Christian writers group. After sharing our latest accomplishments and travails, the topic of discussion turned to evangelization. One group member – I’ll call her Josephine – surprised us by categorically rejecting the very concept of missionary evangelization. She alleged that bringing the Gospel to foreign lands was tantamount to exploitation and oppression. “To send missionaries to Africa and Asia to convert the native people to Christianity is religious colonialism,” she insisted.