Too few missionaries, critics say, have a clue about the people they are trying to reach. Missionaries report of working in Russia without speaking the language or having read one Russian book, notes Mark Elliott, director of the Institute for East-West Christian Studies outside Chicago. Some groups, such as the Hare Krishnas, regret having used kamikaze tactics. The morality of material enticements may be tougher to assess. And Jehovah's Witnesses, wary of creating ''rice Christians'' who feign faith for food, focus only on spiritual ministry.
Hard questions arise.