ABSTRACT
The sharp polarization of attitudes and opinions demonstrated by Americans in past presidential elections is not confined to US shores. Americans teaching overseas carry with them political and cultural baggage that dictates how they will interact with individuals and institutions in their host nation. Competing ideas on values, morals, and political ideology are not confined to those who differ in whether they profess religious faith or not, but are also evident among Christian language teachers. Some Christians use English language teaching as a means to evangelize, to promote their conservative religious values and political opinions. However, other Christians oppose the views and actions of the pro-American religious right, focusing instead on building strong cross-cultural understanding and partnerships. We had only been in conversation for several minutes, but the young university graduate’s voice rang with conviction as he told me about the wonders and virtues of the American way of life. The praise for the American dream seemed out of place, since it was coming from someone who had never been to the US or even left his own country. However, he was knowledgeable of American freedoms, of how America was the land of opportunity, and a place where individuals could realize their dreams. He further explained that America’s wealth, power, and dominance in the world were a result of America’s belief in God. Not content to praise America, the young graduate commented negatively on his own culture. Not only did he believe radical political change was needed, but his nation’s culture and traditions were inherently deficient. Even as I protested and began to point out some of the many positives in his culture, he was quick to counteract with specific examples of what he thought needed to change. When I questioned the value judgments he was making, he declared that since I was also a Christian, I must understand the evil inherent in his own traditions. His culture and traditions needed to change because they had not been blessed by God. My encounter with this young man is not an isolated occurrence, either for myself or for the North American English teachers with whom I work. While one might want to believe that this attitude might be the result of listening to extremist short-wave radio programs or ambitious Internet surfing, I have found that behind the words and attitude is a Western language teacher-often a teacher who identifies himself or herself as Christian. There was also an American English teacher behind a story told by a Chinese
university student following the 1999 bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade by the US military. In his comments on the website of the Ming Pao News, the student shared what his American teacher said and did on the morning following the bombing incident. The student described how he was curious as to whether his teacher would even come to class, and what he would say if he did. He was not prepared for the teacher’s apologetic demeanor, particularly when he began to cry in the classroom. The American teacher apologized for the actions of his government, for the loss of life that the bombing had caused. He gave no excuses or reasons to support the American belief that the bombing was an accident. Instead there was only apology and then a verbal declaration of love for his students. The university student described the encounter: “We respect and love them [foreign teachers]. We were just friends, with no national boundaries! But today he repeatedly apologized, and our hearts were all pained.” The student concluded that “most Americans are trustworthy as friends,” and “ Sino-American friendship is possible.” This young American teacher was also a Christian and part of a church-based program. As the administrator of a North American church-sponsored program that partners with universities and academic institutions in China, I have experienced and heard numerous stories similar to those above. The worldview of English language teachers who are Christian (CET) is influenced and determined by their individual belief system. How these CET relate to their host environment, to students in the classroom, and how they approach classroom instruction is heavily influenced by their religious views. As demonstrated in the above vignettes, one cannot assume that all CET share the same opinions and will react to events and their environment in the same way. Just as moderate Muslims are frustrated with outsiders who lump them together with violent extremists and thus misunderstand the relationship between their faith and their view of the world, so many Christians are frustrated when it is assumed that their views are identical with Christian fundamentalists. Church-based agencies may have language teaching personnel with motivations that vary greatly. Some may see language teaching as simply the easiest way to get a visa and carry out covert evangelistic or discipleship activity. There are those who couple their evangelistic zeal with a strong right-wing pro-American political agenda. There are more moderate CET who feel called to evangelize but reject strong American values and do not seek to push their religious, political, or cultural views on others. Some CET feel strongly that evangelism is not their responsibility, but their first and primary duty is to provide quality language instruction. On the far side of the continuum are CET who are accepting and tolerant of other religious faiths, who focus on dialogue and mutual understanding, and do not push the values and political ideology of the American Christian right. The number of CET continues to grow, particularly in non-North American settings. There is much to criticize regarding the motivations, actions, and rationale of CET as a group. Obviously there are major differences among the various Christian-sending agencies and individual Christian teachers. Divergent
opinions and voices divide the Christian community-the purpose here is to better understand where these voices originate and how CET who reject a Christian fundamentalist theology and pro-American values orientation can find their faith making a positive contribution in our world.
