Because of the offering in her name, Charlotte Digges Moon, Lottie Moon to all of us, is the SBC's most heroic figure.
If SBCers would take an excursion away from the usual Christmastime abstract of her life found in International Mission Board materials and repeated in church Lottie Moon Christmas Offering promotional stuff and read her biography, they would probably join me in my assessment.
Regina Sullivan wrote the latest biography of LM (cover image is shown here). A previous biography, 1980, was written by Catherine Allen. I bought the former and was generously sent a copy of the latter by Wanda Lee, WMU president. I read Sullivan's but haven't had time to read Allen's.
Moon was an inspiring example, serving in China. Pioneering work, alone, in some parts of the interior. Living through the Boxer Rebellion. Vigorously contenting for the faith, pleading for support. Read the book.
One of the popular blog sites interviews prominent SBCers and always asks them who some of their heroes are. I think my memory is correct when I say that Lottie's name has yet to be mentioned. The current SBC is manifestly gender-sensitive, a euphemistic way of putting it. Serious gender issues are meant to be subsumed under the sterile vocabulary of "complementarianism" and "egalitarianism" issues for another day on my blog.
I wouldn't have any hesitation in naming Lottie Moon as one of my heroes in Christian ministry.
One side note. Why the IMB continues to use the unattractive "schoolgirl" photograph of jut-jawed Lottie in their promotional materials is beyond me. , Regina Sullivan told me that she saw a letter from LM to the board asking that they not use that photograph. There are certainly others available. You would think that they would use a photo of Lottie from her time in the field. The "schoolgirl" photo is almost certainly prior to her time in China.
I'm praying that the LMCO shows an increase this year.
If SBCers would take an excursion away from the usual Christmastime abstract of her life found in International Mission Board materials and repeated in church Lottie Moon Christmas Offering promotional stuff and read her biography, they would probably join me in my assessment.
Regina Sullivan wrote the latest biography of LM (cover image is shown here). A previous biography, 1980, was written by Catherine Allen. I bought the former and was generously sent a copy of the latter by Wanda Lee, WMU president. I read Sullivan's but haven't had time to read Allen's.
Moon was an inspiring example, serving in China. Pioneering work, alone, in some parts of the interior. Living through the Boxer Rebellion. Vigorously contenting for the faith, pleading for support. Read the book.
One of the popular blog sites interviews prominent SBCers and always asks them who some of their heroes are. I think my memory is correct when I say that Lottie's name has yet to be mentioned. The current SBC is manifestly gender-sensitive, a euphemistic way of putting it. Serious gender issues are meant to be subsumed under the sterile vocabulary of "complementarianism" and "egalitarianism" issues for another day on my blog.
I wouldn't have any hesitation in naming Lottie Moon as one of my heroes in Christian ministry.
One side note. Why the IMB continues to use the unattractive "schoolgirl" photograph of jut-jawed Lottie in their promotional materials is beyond me. , Regina Sullivan told me that she saw a letter from LM to the board asking that they not use that photograph. There are certainly others available. You would think that they would use a photo of Lottie from her time in the field. The "schoolgirl" photo is almost certainly prior to her time in China.
I'm praying that the LMCO shows an increase this year.
1 comment:
I love Lottie Moon and have written about her often. She is definitely one of my top heroes. Besides Christ, she is someone I will love to meet when I get to heaven.
I hope she's prepared to talk for weeks about her time doing missions in China.
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