Most people simply assume that the way they look at things is the way things really are, and judge other cultures' views of reality before understanding them. These judgments are based on ethnocentrism, which closes the door to further understanding and communication. Furthermore, ethnocentric judgments keep missionaries from examining their own beliefs and values to determine which of them are based on biblical foundations and which on their cultural beliefs. Understanding Folk Religion . The New Testament writers were not scholars who had the leisure to research the evidence before they put pen to paper.
Mission is the very lifeblood of the church.
As the body cannot survive without blood, so the church cannot survive without mission. As the physical body becomes weak without sufficient oxygen-carrying red blood cells, so the church becomes anemic if it does not express its faith. The church . . . establishes its rationale for being its purpose for existing while articulating its faith. An unexpressed faith withers. A Christian fellowship without mission loses its vitality.