Project Thailand

Missionaries should not require instantaneous conversion from the Thai unless the Holy Spirit does his work in their hearts. A change should come naturally by the power of the Holy Spirit. The meaning of Christianity should be stressed more than the form. Christians should approach Buddhists with humility and loving persuasion, backed by the testimony of a dynamic personal relationship with Jesus. A Christian’s credibility is vital to the audience’s acceptance of their message as credible. The Thai like the proverb, “slowly but surely”. (Mejudhon 2005, 166)

Taken from the work of Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon who summarized Fieg’s work in an article that was published in Sharing Jesus Effectively with the Buddhist World.

Implications for a missionary:

• Recognize that what you preach is different and don’t try to deny that it is contrary from what they have grown up with
• Trust that the Holy Spirit and the Gospel are sufficient and preach them without trying to synchronize them with their current beliefs.  That is why you are there!
• Deeply disciple a few rather than trying to convert the masses by yourself.
• Nationals will be a better example of how the Gospel changes a man than you will be since you are foreign and they don’t know what to distinguish as American and what is Christian, but they will see this in their own people.
• Pray for change since you are fighting an uphill battle against all of tradition!

The respect North Americans have for their elderly is indeed pale compared with the high value placed upon the elderly in other cultures. Thai people show respect for the elderly and ancestral generation… Thai law does not allow men or women to sue their parents in court. To honor one’s parents throughout life is considered one of the highest virtues.

The social interaction in the Thai culture helps us to understand the Thai value concerning youth versus age as follows:

1. An argument with parents or older persons are not encouraged and are sometimes prohibited;
2. A younger person should not teach religion to an older person;
3. A young man is able to teach religion to his or her own parents when his status changes from layman to Buddhist monk;
4. Parents usually guide or make decisions on important matters for their children (For example, a young couple could not get married unless both sets of parents agree);
5. On a bus, monks, women, children and old people usually have the seats. Others who occupy seats when these are standing should get up. (Mejudhon 2005, 163)

A young Christian should share with an older person politely but not with a teaching attitude. They should establish and maintain rapport with the family of the inquirer early. New converts should be encouraged to continue identification with their community. They should always be humble, loving, and responsible to their family. (Mejudhon 2005, 164)

Taken from the work of Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon who summarized Fieg’s work in an article that was published in Sharing Jesus Effectively with the Buddhist World.

Implications for a missionary:

• This would be a lot the same for any wise young person in America.  You are an idiot if you disrespect the older people.
• Make young people the focus of your ministry.
• Use the example of a young monk teaching an older person if told not to teach older people.

At the heart of a North American’s identity is self-reliance… In Thailand, the relationship is one of dependency… For this reason, the social network in Thailand is closely knit together. Missionaries should not be surprised when young Thais are asked to accept Christ and say “Let me go back home and ask permission from my parents.” Individual conversion will separate a Christian from the social network and stop church growth. (Mejudhon 2005, 166-167)

Taken from the work of Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon who summarized Fieg’s work in an article that was published in Sharing Jesus Effectively with the Buddhist World.

Implications for missionaries:

• Try to win the the whole family to Christ at once. Talk to them as a family.
• Focus on the men. That is what Jesus and Paul did. Because many times they will be saved “and their house” as they go home and lead their home.
• Don’t try to build a ministry solely out of children.
• Produce materials so they can accurately transport information back to the social network (family, friends, etc.). Tracts, web pages, CDs, etc.
• Have apologetics available to answer the objections that friends are sure to raise that would shake their young faith.
• Be available to go with someone who shows interest and talk with the family or friends.
• Be able to talk in a group and control a conversation
• Have an interdependent church culture to replace the culture that they will be ostracized from when they become a christian.
• Cultivate a loving culture in the church like a family
• Work as a team in ministry endeavors

The Thai tendency is to avoid direct confrontation so as to preserve surface harmony. Thais hate confrontation. Among Thais, serious and permanent damage is done to a relationship when a stage of open argument is reached. Face- to-face conflict is not viewed as a satisfactory solution to most problems. In Thailand it may not only be necessary but also desirable to beat around the bush in order to forestall an abrasive, open clash. (Mejudhon 2005, 167-168)

Christians should be aware that Thai people have big egos, a deep sense of independence, much pride and dignity. They cannot tolerate a violation of the ego self. Christians should not make the Thai lose face in the process of confrontation; and in some instances, Christians should avoid criticism. (Mejudhon 2005, 168)

Taken from the work of Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon who summarized Fieg’s work in an article that was published in Sharing Jesus Effectively with the Buddhist World.

Implications for missionaries:

• Be careful about American humor that is sarcastic and would especially hurt feelings
• Be delicate when confronting someone about the errors of Buddhism. Don’t make it a personal attack.
• Confront sin in people that you have a close relationship with – that know without a doubt that you love them.
• Make scripture the basis of confrontation, if needed, not your hurt feelings or personality.
• Be gracious.
• Don’t try to preach like the meanest preacher you know and impress people that aren’t there.
• Love people and help them.
• Confront problems in a group setting, indirectly. Drop hints and let people who want to grow be helped.

Thai culture understands that spiritual growth is more important than amassing wealth…

Taken from the work of Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon who summarized Fieg’s work in an article that was published in Sharing Jesus Effectively with the Buddhist World.

Implications for a missionary:

• Don’t live an extravagant lifestyle. It is contrary to scripture anyway, and would cause a Buddhist to most likely look down on the ‘religion of the foreigner’.
• Your covetousness, greed, and extravagance will be more obvious than in America and have a stronger negative reaction from the people.
• Though a missionary will have more than the average national, his outward spirituality (which will constantly be compared to the national religion) must be very vital and real
• Be generous. Don’t buy friends and church members, but show that things don’t have you and use what you have to help others.
• Don’t rely on money to bail you out of every problem. Demonstrate faith that’s not in money.
• Your lifestyle will show where your faith is.
• Your money, if used wrongly, could become a stumbling block to the people.

Americans learn as schoolchildren that “All men are created equal”. Taken from the Declaration of Independence, this value is burned in the American psyche as a “self-evident truth”. If egalitarianism is the central theme in the American social structure, then hierarchical relations are at the heart of the Thai society…Thai society provides language, both verbalisms and non-verbalisms, for each level of its structure for people to communicate to each other. (Mejudhon 2005, 164)

Taken from the work of Dr. Nantachai Mejudhon who summarized Fieg’s work in an article that was published in Sharing Jesus Effectively with the Buddhist World.

Implications for a missionary:

• Learn the nuances of the language to ensure that you coming across as the proper rank.  You don’t want to talk deep slang to the wrong people and come across disrespectful nor condescending.
• Learn the body language of the culture. If non-verbal communication makes up ~80% of what is communicated, how a missionary acts when communicating with the different social structures could either gain the respect of an audience, or cause people to disregard his message because of what else is being communicated.
• Don’t disrespect someones rank.
• Recognize and adapt language, illustrations, and mannerisms to your audience that you are speaking to.
• Preach why racism has no place in the church.
• Preach respect for one another in the church no matter social status.
• Use cultural examples to illustrate our relationship to God and His authority.