Transplanting the weed..
Disclaimer — I know just enough about this to be dangerous. I am just beginning to explore the topic now. But I am learning something that is worth sharing, and I think the lesson is valid even if my analysis is not, so I am sharing anyway. Enjoy!
Happened accross another interesting book while researching my ancestors… My ancestor was barely mentioned in this book – I think he gave money to a cause, or served on a committee or the like — but the book was insanely interesting anyway..
I remember in history class hearing about the colonization of Liberia. I don’t really think that it is something that you can boil down to a paragaph or two in a textbook and get it anywhere near right. I seem to remember it being portrayed as a move by racist Americans to send the free black folks back to Africa, and it was left at that. But really the story is quite a bit deeper than that.
Thanks to books.google.com, we can now read the organizers periodicals and see exactly what they where saying and thinking.
This enterprise is interesting by other motives and prospects which it opens to our view. It addresses itself with peculiar force to those who would promote the missionary cause. Were this our object, and this alone, is there any other method of evangelizing heathen lands, promising results comparable with those of the Liberian Colony? By great expense, provided with difficulty, an individual or two may be sent into a heathen country. With all his privations, his watchful labours, his precarious life, the time and funds necessary to the attainment of language, he holds up a feeble and glimmering taper, scarcely discernible through the thick gloom of pagan darkness that covers the land. How different is the scene lighted up by a colony of Christians on the coast of Africa, of the same origin and complexion with the natives of the country. Not only does it carry with it, the religion of the gospel, but exhibits its institutions and all its benignant effects upon society. Here is no glimmering taper, ready to disappear with an individual, or to be extinguished by the breath of an enemy. It is a glorious beacon, beaming with a broad, and vivid, and constant splendor, indefinitely into the interior of an extensive continent overspread with the darkness of heathenism. Churches are erected, and the vows of assembled Christians ascend to the living and true God, perfumed by the incense of the Saviour’s sacrifice. The native, whose mind has been enveloped in the night of witchcraft and superstition, approaches this novelty. He listens for the first time to the prayer poured forth to the omnipresent and invisible Being, the Creator of the world, and of man to possess it,—of the beasts of the field, the fowls of the air, and of all which have their paths in the seas. For the first time he hears distinctly of the glories of that mercy, which is shown to our lost and guilty world, in the redemption of Jesus Christ. His vision becomes illuminated— its dimness is passing away. The arts of sorcery, and the delusions of satan are dispersed from the firmament where he had reigned for ages. They dissolve before the power of Him who, is now about to establish his throne of purity and light, and righteousness, and peace for the salvation of all who trust in him. The gospel is propagated at length to the successive tribes of the continent, now but little known to geography. When we consider the effects thus produced, with materials worse than useless among ourselves, shall we not be consoled—nay, even rejoice, that while we have been so long suffering under the evils reciprocally inflicted upon one another, so ample a compensation is thus discovered in the opportunity of spreading the blessings of Christianity and civilization to nations that for ages have been sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.
-The African Repository and Colonial Journal (1832) -By American Colonization Society pages 69-71
The folks who where raising the money and promoting this great experiment had a grand missionary vision for the colony.. Somehow my secular education omitted that. After reading a substantial amount of these journals, I am surprised that I don’t find a overtly racist message. On the contrary actually – The organizers had faith in the people of color. They thought that if they where freed from the poverty and oppression that they where experiencing here they could do great things – and be great ministers – and transform the cultures around them. They thought that having a free and educated colony on Africa would provide a base of operations to fight the illegal slave trade..
They do talk about the moral deficiencies of the freed people of color, but it does seem to be attributed to their hopeless condition more than their race or their intelligence.
Sadly however, I do think that all of these noble visions and missions where the secondary motive.. The primary motive was a defeatism here at home..
He is now a freeman; but his complexion, his features, every peculiarity of his person, pronounce to him another doom,—that every wish he may conceive, every effort he can make, shall be little better than vain. Even to every talent and virtuous impulse which he may feel working in his bosom, obstacles stand in impracticable array; “not from a defect of essential title to success, but from a positive external law, unreasoning and irreversible. Pre-eminent attainments in knowledge and virtue, in the skill and powers of the mind, are known to be arduous to the amplest opportunity. To prevent men from languishing in the pursuit of these, they need not only the consciousness of faculties competent to such objects, but the cheering voice of friendship and of surrounding witnesses, and a prospect of compassing at last the high rewardswith which others have been crowned, provided they shall assert an indisputable claim. But what shall we think of his condition, who, after having reached, without these quickening motives, by some self-sustaining force, the highest moral and intellectual excellence, is then to be told, that he must stand away, not only from all office in society, (this he might be supposed to disregard,) but from all the social intimacies, the endearing relations, the sympathies,—nay, the very appearance of too easy an intercourse with those around him, except with the beings from among whom, as the dregs of the human race, he has emerged. To this excommunicating interdict he must be made up at last, though by the persevering exertions of many years, he has been disqualifying himself for happiness in any other intercourse, but that from which he is driven. Nor is this all. For when such an eminence shall have been attained, there are multitudes of the humbler sort, who though forced to admit that it is prodigious! will pronounce it to be opportunity misplaced, and direct upon it a jealous vigilance, from whose invidious obloquy no human prudence could escape. Can human nature be expected to sustain itself in conflict with such difficulties as these; and not be disheartened under a sense of their invincible perpetuity.
- Same as above page 66-67
They see the problem – That there is a classism that will prevent the freed slaves from integrating into society. But that is too big of a fish to fry – It is easier to send the willing slaves back to Africa and we will see miracles happen accross the pond.
That defeatist mentality however was exported to Liberia. The colony faced mighty political battles because it’s citizens didn’t integrate with the natives in the area. They never overcame the classism. There where American Liberians and African Liberians, and the Freed Slaves that came back always behaved as an upper class..
Unfortunately this aristocracy was the overriding ethic that was exported and defined Liberia. And it clouded out the “Christian Light” that the country was supposed to be. Christianity just doesn’t work as a secondary motive.
I wonder how often we still do these things? Do we expectantly anticipate God doing great things “over there” while we expect him to do very little right here? Do we long for him to transform pagan hearts while we expect professing Christians to continue behaving in totally depraved ways? Do we rally and encourage the guy who is different from us to sacrifically serve the Lord, while we ourselves do nothing but lead the cheers? Do we pick the battles that the other guys can fight and win and ignore the battles that we can fight? How often do we are we going out to make disciples before we go out and be disciples?
Hindsight is 20/20 and I am sure that many of the Liberian organizers did have a good heart, and I am sure that God did do some amazing work over there - but still, The weed that we where afraid to destroy here was transplanted over there.
