what's a missionary to do?

I was perusing the Internet the other day, and I came across something that left me astounded and nearly flabbergasted. And that's saying something, since I figure I've seen a fair amount of strange and offbeat stuff.

I wandered upon a "Christian" board game unlike anything I've ever seen. As you can see by the picture, it is called "Missionary Conquest" and is described with the following:

Don't miss this exciting game of laughter and strategy! Travel around the world as a missionary and learn to finance your trips with wise investments. Good decisions and risks are major factors in this wonderful game. No Bible knowledge is required to play, win or to enjoy this game.

I can't begin to explain the waterfall of feelings that rushed over me as I looked at this game. After chewing on it for awhile, I pretty much sorted out my thoughts and criticisms in the following order:

1. First, I see this as the kind of stereotypical merchandising that world has come to expect of Christians. I'm pretty sure the average person would look at this and simply shake his or her head at the goofiness of such a concept (What? Are Monopoly or Risk too worldly? And I'm really asking that!);

2. I also think a game like this reinforces the (mis?)understanding that everything religious is about the dollar- and if kids play this game, do they begin to think of missions being about finances and cash investments? I recognize that funding is important (I was a missionary 12 years, after all), but is that what I really want others to think about such a calling?

3. The title! Missionary CONQUEST?? Why not simply revert to the once-popular term, but now understandably insensitive, CRUSADE?! The last thing we need is for the world to think that as cross-cultural workers, our ultimate plan is to go out and conquer! Jesus told us (and showed us) that's it's not about conquest, but about servanthood and sacrifice in order to advance His message. ARRRRGGGHHH! This really gets to me!

4. But most problematic is knowing that, in fact, we have all too often represented the Gospel across national or cultural lines as conquerors. We've gone places and told people (either by word or by action) that we have the answers, that we know best, that we can show them a better way to do things. Instead of going as learners, we've often gone as tellers. Instead of entering cultures in a lowly manner, we've gone as top dogs, with the money, the resources, the influence, and the "right" way of doing things. Instead of enriching cultures, we really have often done more to conquer them- and not just for the Gospel, but for the sake of Western culture as well.

Maybe this game bugs me so much because for all its "wrongness" (in my way of thinking, at least), its very title hits too close to home, too close to the truth. Maybe we need to rethink the way we "do missions" (and, thankfully, many are doing just that) and find out what it really means to empty ourselves, taking the form of a servant, if we are going to go.

After all, that's what the greatest missionary the world has ever seen did.