Good works - Blogabond

In thinking about how I can best serve in rural communities, and from observing the work of the organizations I've encountered so far, it seems that those that are secular (in practice if not in name) could have good intentions but may hesitate to "impose" a set of values. Too often in the past, values have been imposed by conquerers, colonizers, missionaries, government agencies and NGOs who probably believed they were doing the right thing but caused many problems, and the new organizations don't want to repeat those mistakes. It seems arrogant to suggest that we know what's best for another group of people.

I think it's wrong and not effective in the long-term to impose, and it would be arrogant and misguided to promote a set of values if they were just those of one group of people vs. another. However, what if the values come from God? Of course people could disagree about what God wants, but personally I want to promote what I believe that is, not just anything a community wants. What this could mean in a particular context isn't fixed. I believe God desires for us to be humble and continuously turn to him for guidance in prayer.

In the book Tropical Forests and the Human Spirit, it was noted that without a common spiritual tradition, there is little to prevent self-interest (we could say “sin”) from undermining the goals of the best intentioned development efforts.

It may be impossible NOT to promote a set of values. It's just that in a secular organization, these may not be discussed - they could be more implicit. We promote values by the way we live and the kind of relationships we have. How can even the best intentioned really do any good without God?

Whoever invokes a blessing in the land
will do so by the God of truth;
he who takes an oath in the land
will swear by the God of truth.
For the past troubles will be forgotten
and hidden from my eyes.

Isaiah 65:16

written by

cjones on January 31, 2008 from Quito, Ecuador

from the travel blog: so-journ

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