Men: Unplug Your Xbox and Plug Into Global Missions

At the recent annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville, CBMW council member Danny Akin issued a plainly-worded and sobering challengeto men regarding the task of missions.  Statistics show that many more women are willing to surrender their lives for the cause of the Gospel in missions than men, Akin pointed out.  Akin serves as president of Southeastern BaptistTheological Seminary and is one of the most delightfully straight-forward men to serve in SBC leadership in recent years.  Dr. Akin’s words are sometimes pointed, but they are always seasoned with humility and grace. Thus, the adage from the old EF Hutton commercial is true of Danny: when he speaks, people listen.

Akin pointed out that nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide exist with no access to the Gospel and three out of four in North America live outside of the grace of God in Christ. Therefore, Akin did not mince words in admonishing men to grab the baton and take the Gospel to the nations:

“How is it that this spiritual crime is being so perpetuated? Who is guilty of this sin being perpetuated? Too much of the fault falls at the feet of men. Recently, I did some research and discovered that, among our wonderful Journeyman program, today theInternational Mission Board has 331 journey girls on the field, but only 126 men. There are 2 1/2 times more of our sisters on the mission field as there are our brothers. I was informed a couple of months ago that in West Africa, one ofour most difficult regions, there are today 50 journeymen—48 are females, only two are men. You say, “Where are the men?” They are sitting at home in their boxer shorts and T-shirts playing video games—that is where the men are. The fact of the matter today is that the median age of those who are addicted to those things (video games) is 34 years old.

“Gentlemen, what are we not doingto inspire our sons and grandsons to dream of doing something great for Jesus? What is it we’re not doing that would cause them to want to give their life for Christ and the nations and put their life on the line for that which really matters? You say,  ‘This is a new phenomenon.” No, unfortunately it is not; when Lottie Moon (Southern Baptists’ most famous missionary, a woman who labored in China in the late 19^thcentury) was on the mission field and she would write back home, she would write some scathing letters. Here is just one of them: “I am trying to do the work that could fill the hands of three or four women and in addition, I am doing the work that ought to be done by young men.  I must add that the work is suffering and will continue to suffer for the want of a man living on the spot.”

Okay guys, are you ready to drop the joysticks and lay down your life for the cause of Christ?