Missionaries and Other Moralizers Who Miss the Point: Why the West Flourishes
In my experience, it's common for international Christian missionaries to see the poverty and suffering in the two-thirds world in contrast to the wealth and flourishing in the Western world, and become angry toward the West for their flourishing.
It seems most of these critics were not public policy or economics majors. They are usually entirely unaware that most Western wealth was not attained by theft, luck, or forcible extraction, but by rule of law, relatively little corruption, secure property rights, an impartial justice system, entrepreneurship, a robust work ethic, and the ability to keep—and voluntarily share—most of what one earns.
The Christian West has never been perfect, but it has lived out these values well in contrast to the rest of the world, and that has led to unprecedented human flourishing.
In contrast, much of the world lives in relative poverty due largely to corruption, an absence of rule of law, an unreliable and biased "justice" system, a tribal mentality, a “might makes right” view of power and leadership, dependence on others, limited property rights, and other policies and values that disincentive risk-taking, innovation, and hard work.
In fact, I've witnessed and/or personally experienced many of these destructive practices throughout my time in third world countries, especially as I'm frequently stopped and restrained for bribes everywhere I go in these countries.
But missionaries aren't the only ones who miss the point. From classroom Marxists to pulpit moralizers, the same stale narrative—that the West is rich because someone else was robbed—gets repeated wherever envy substitutes for economics.
The good news for angry missionaries and their fellow moralizers is that, apparently due to an embrace of white guilt, modern social justice theories, and suicidal compassion, the West is gradually destroying itself by the very same practices common to the majority world. For those who value equality more than human flourishing, take heart; it shouldn't be long before the U.S. and Western Europe decline enough to be tragically equal to the rest of the world. 😜
One downside for these angry missionaries, however, is that those of us who regularly give money to send you out will no longer be able to do so. Don't worry, though, I'm sure the government will pick up the bill to support your world travels to share the gospel. 🙄😜🤦♀️
All snark aside, for those of us who value human flourishing over equality of outcome, all is not yet lost. We need to continue to articulate the policies, values, and economic realities that lead to the freedoms, opportunities, and thriving we all appreciate—including the disposable income to create Christian resources, support Christian apologists, give generously to those in need, and keep developing and innovating in ways that benefit everyone.
