Lausanne World Pulse – World Pulse Archives – World Pulse Archives

Twenty or so squirmy third graders jostled for places on the floor around me. Having been to Israel several times, I had been invited by my granddaughter’s teacher to give my impressions for 10 minutes or so and then answer questions. While her class studied Israel, other classes focused on other countries.

Everybody in this elementary school belonged to the Passport Club, a really ingenious way to get youngsters to study the world. Those third graders each week had to be able to spot strange countries on a blank world map. They could and they did.

Their expertise in geography gave me a glimmer of hope for the future when I read the sorry outcome of last month’s National Geographic Society poll of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24. The society tells us that only 13 percent of those polled could find Iraq on the map. Only 17 percent could locate Afghanistan. Fewer than half could identify China, Great Britain or Japan on a map. More of them knew that the locale of the “Survivors” TV show was the South Pacific than could find Israel.

How will the next generation’s business, cultural, political and religious leaders be able to tackle the world’s critical problems without some understanding of geography and current events? The same question applies to those in this age group who represent the next generation of missionaries and mission agency leaders.

Of course, I cannot assume that those who were polled actually included future missionaries. But generally it’s safe to say that prevailing trends-good and bad-do affect Christians as well as the population at large. Missionaries who make public presentations well know that they have to use maps. In many cases even their closest followers cannot point to the map and identify the countries of service.

Whether we like it or not, we had best get ready for the next wave of children of the Information Age. Information and entertainment pack their lives. They know how to sort out what they do not want to hear and see. If this poll is any indication, knowing world affairs is not a high priority.

Blaming culture, however, is like taking the Fifth Amendment. Christians know they battle culture every day. Instilling world affairs and geography in kids is like taking them to the dentist. But if our children need medical attention, we make sure they get it, no matter how hard they protest.

To take this analogy a step further, giving children shots and vitamins becomes second nature with us. Their future health demands it. We take them to Sunday school and church because we believe their spiritual welfare demands it. We can do the same thing by making maps and current events part of our daily routines.

Mounting a world map over the kitchen table points us away from our needs to the pressing needs of the world. Two or three major events can be tied to specific countries each day. Photos of missionaries linked to countries help to build sensitive knowledge. When e-mails arrive, we can take them to the table, find the country and then pray. And pictures of local Christians and their families will certainly help. When the news breaks, we can pray immediately for our fellow believers.

Although certainly not high-tech, this elementary approach shows our children that people and places around the world really matter to us. We’re doing more than educating our children in world geography, we are instilling the compassion of Jesus.

Once we start on this level, we can introduce them to the treasure trove of facts on the Internet about our global village. From general geography we can take them to mission agency Web sites. Their graphics pull into the stories and show exactly where they happen.

If we are to penetrate the world’s spiritual darkness, we must first dig ourselves out of the pit of our woeful ignorance and find our places on the map. We need both biblical and world facts if we are to be effective servants and ambassadors of Christ.