KZBlog

English Advantage Blog has a post up linking to a story about missionaries who use ESL courses as a cover for converting people in Bosnia. I’ve heard of this sort of thing going on in Kazakhstan and other countries for that matter.

I was told one story, which might be apocryphal, about an “English lesson” to demonstrate the use of the present progressive: Mohammad is burning in hell for his blasphemy
We use present progressive is burning to show that he is still in the process of burning, like all sinners burn for eternity. The discussion then went on to discuss how Mohammad sinned against the one true Christian God by setting himself up as false prophet, denying Jesus’ divinity, etc. and how all Muslims should convert unless they too want to suffer eternal damnation. Good English lesson there.

It’s sad because besides propagating the stereotype that Westerners are here to ram ideology down people’s throats, it also gives a bad name to Christians. There are some Christian groups who come to genuinely help and their faith is a motivation for their desire to come to a strange country and do good work. But that faith doesn’t get in the way of their mission to teach English or fund raise for orphans or volunteer for a hospital.

So please evangelists, stop giving Christians a bad name. Be straightforward and if you want to convert people, invite them to Bible Study or church service, not “English lessons!”