We are called to restore it especially if it has been historically taken from other human beings by people who identify themselves as Christians.
Colonialism
What if God's mission for us was that we would co-operate in redeeming what had been destroyed, stolen, raped, disregarded, abused, used, etc...
I love walking down the streets of London and seeing how beautiful they are. Why are they beautiful - because the streets of Lagos, Nigeria are not. In America, why does the south have so many beautiful homes, with long drives overcast with gorgeous weeping willows - because the homes on the coasts of West Africa were emptied and the ocean floor was filled with dead bodies from here to there. I recently was given a picture of a plantation in the south as a decorative piece for my home. That picture will never be on the walls of my home.
What if our role as those who follow Christ was to come alongside cultures that have been lost to colonialistic and imperialistic impulses of stronger nations - to help re-discover where their true cultural identity actually is. This could be done imperialistically as well so great care and sensitivity would need to be present. What if that were the case? That that's how we as the church were to serve other nations in a post-colonial era? Does that sound colonial in and of itself?
God help us.
Redeem
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