Steven Maldoff of BIMI International talks about being a missionary in countries where Christianity is the super-minority.

https://www.bimi.org/content/abMaldoff.php

In this enlightening episode of the Build Something Media podcast, hosts Chris Moreland and Justin Bethune sit down with their neighbor, Steven Maldoff, who shares his transformative journey from aspiring archaeologist and astronaut to a leading figure in missionary work across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. The conversation begins with Steven’s personal introduction, highlighting his unexpected path to becoming a mentor and supervisor for missionaries in some of the most culturally diverse and politically complex regions of the world.

Steven recounts the pivotal moment during a mission trip to Mexico that opened his eyes to the vastness of the world beyond his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, sparking a lifelong passion for aiding communities through faith-based initiatives. He details the evolution of his career, from founding a church in the Australian Outback to his current role as a director overseeing missionary efforts in 35 countries, emphasizing the importance of adapting to local cultures and respecting legal boundaries while spreading the Christian faith.

The discussion delves into the unique challenges of missionary work, including navigating geopolitical tensions, understanding and respecting diverse religious landscapes, and the practical aspects of establishing and supporting mission efforts abroad. Stephen offers insights into the innovative strategies used to engage with local communities, from providing education and medical care to simply being a present and supportive figure in people's lives.

Listeners are given a behind-the-scenes look at the complexities of planning and executing missionary work, including the financial, logistical, and emotional considerations that go into moving families to foreign countries and starting new ministries. The conversation also touches on the risks and rewards of such endeavors, with Stephen sharing personal experiences of navigating danger and witnessing the transformative power of faith in action.

The episode also explores broader themes of faith, cultural identity, and the search for truth in an increasingly digital and skeptical world. Stephen and the hosts discuss the impact of technology on faith communities, the importance of having deep, evidence-based convictions, and the role of individual believers in representing their faith amidst diverse viewpoints.

In a particularly thought-provoking segment of the episode, the conversation takes an unexpected turn towards the topic of religious freedom and diversity, specifically addressing the emergence of after-school satanic clubs as a counterpoint to Christian clubs in schools. This discussion opens up broader questions about the nature of faith, the boundaries of religious expression in public spaces, and the responsibilities of parents in guiding their children's spiritual education. Steven, Chris, and Justin navigate this sensitive topic with care, emphasizing the importance of open dialogue, respect for individual choice, and the foundational values of love and understanding that underpin their faith. This segment challenges listeners to consider the complexities of living in a pluralistic society where differing beliefs coexist and the role of personal conviction in navigating these differences.

Concluding with a lighter touch, the hosts engage Steven in a discussion about his predictions for the Stanley Cup finals, showcasing the multifaceted nature of their guest's interests and experiences. This episode of the Build Something Media podcast offers a compelling narrative of faith, resilience, and the universal pursuit of building a better world through understanding, compassion, and dedicated action.

www.buildsomethingmedia.com/podcast

Chapters

• 0:29 Introduction
• 3:54 Christianity is less than 2% of the population.
• 9:00 How to set up a church abroad.
• 14:20 The dangers of being a Christian missionary.
• 18:16 Ministering from a place of love.
• 19:13 Actions speak louder than words. Showing faith instead of preaching about it.
• 23:34 The difficulty of being a Christian in majority Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist countries.
• 27:17 Satanic club in Memphis school.

Transcript

  So.  It goes down. Everybody's ready. Welcome to build something media podcast. This is your host, Chris. This is your cohost, 

Justin Bethune.  And I hit the wrong button. Let's try that again. 

All right. 

Today our guest, 

today our guest is Steven Maldolph. Uh, Steve, go ahead and give us a personal introduction so everyone knows exactly who you are. 

Well, Hey everyone. Uh, I am Steven Maldolph. I am Chris's neighbor across the street. That would probably be my biggest claim to fame at the very moment. Uh, but in my other life, apart from being the neighbor, I am also someone who goes around and, uh, kind of mentors and leads, uh, missionaries, particularly in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific part of the world.

Kind of like a supervisor, administrator, all around helper to, to those living out there in that part of the region of the world. 

Yeah, so let's, let's dig into that. Um, to give us an idea about how you got into that, what, what led you to kind of where you're at right now, what's that journey look 

like? Oh, that's a long journey.

How long is the podcast? As 

long as it needs to be. This is a great, I think it's a great story, so. 

Well, you know, uh, obviously being kind of in a church ministry work type was not what I thought when I was growing up, you know, I was like the standard kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist first because of Indiana Jones, and then I wanted to be an astronaut because of Space Camp, the movie, um, and then I wanted to be a, uh, Uh, history teacher.

And so that was kind of the course I thought I was going to be led on in my life. And then it was an opportunity that I was, my family, we went to church, uh, there in Cleveland, Ohio. That's my kind of hometown. And, uh, we went to a missions trip to Mexico. And there on that missions trip it, uh, It opened my eyes to different cultures, different ways of living, uh, different food, different food.

Uh, just, you know, obviously living just in Cleveland, it was quite sheltered. And so now all of a sudden everything is quite different.  And it was really just the opportunity to be involved in, you know, and I am a person of faith. So it was kind of like how, you know, seeing people respond to the message about Jesus Christ.

And so that was like, wow, I had a part in that, and here I was just a teenager, and that thought really just impacted me as far as, you know, how can I help others, maybe even around the world, learn a little bit more about what I would say is the greatest message, and so, about Jesus Christ. And so that then kind of got me on that thinking.

And so then I kind of went to college, studied about that aspect of what we'd say missions. And then I moved my family out to Australia. And so we, my wife, uh, at that time, uh, and then we had two kids at that time as well. And so we took them into the outback Australia where that in over there, uh, started a church, did that for about 11 years.

And then I was approached by a ministry here in Chattanooga, Tennessee to say, Hey, we'd like you to be kind of a supervisor of, missionaries, kind of using your experience, your knowledge, uh, about cultures, about the world, about church work and, uh, see if you can help others with that. And so thus I went from kind of being focused on one country to now 35 countries all across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

Yeah. So, uh, let's, let's go into that. There's a lot of things happening right now in that, that region of the world. Um, geopolitical things, uh,  cultural movements, all sorts of things that are happening.  Can you dig into, like,  what it's like being a Christian missionary, going into those environments sometimes where it's, there are very few Christians in those countries at all.

In fact, you know, in, in that part of the world, which I kind of work in be very few Christians in most of the countries. Uh, I just did a study the other day of the 35 nations, 13 of those countries have less than 2 percent of the population that would identify as Christian. So you're, you're looking at a very small grouping, uh, there.

And so, you know, when you go into these places, there's always just sensitivity. Cultures are different. You know, you go to a Buddhist nation like Thailand, that's going to be different than even going to an Hindu nation like India, or Nepal, or even then an Islamic nation like Indonesia. So, it's, it's, uh, You can't just go into the cookie cutter approach as far as, you know, here I am as the American, you're going to hear me, you know, I'm going to come and talk to you and tell you how to live.

Well, that's of course the, the wrong mindset, wrong thinking.  So what I do is I come alongside and help those who are on the ground, usually missionaries who've been there for many years or nationals, uh, who want to encourage others in the Christian faith. And so I, I come to kind of help give counsel and supervision.

But it is, it can be very tough. You know, I, I, when I go in, I don't try to create waves. I'm not this guy that's gonna be like, okay, I'm just gonna buck all the rules and just risk my life, you know, for it. I don't care. You know, I, I have a family. I wanna come back to right. As well. Um, but I do think there's, you know, I, there's a message to share and I wanna share that, but I'm not going to, uh, just defy laws.

Uh, because of, of that.  So a lot of it is just really, you know, I would say praying that God would create opportunities for one on one conversations. Just people, people like to talk to the American.  Uh, I have found that all over the world. Uh, you know, even in Islamic nations where instantly are because of the way politics are here in the United States, we instantly think they're the enemy, you know, just like, oh, look at all they've done to us. 

Well, they really, most, most Islamic families, they just want their kids to do well in school. They're looking at how they can provide for their needs.  What's the future life, you know, ahead for them.  They have the same core struggles that we do here, and they're regular people. And so you just talk to them as regular people, and they, and so they are intrigued.

You know, why is an American here? What are you doing here? Because  most of the places I go to are not tourist locations. You And so it's like, why are you here? And so that then just allows me just to share why I'm there just to work with a church. Um, and so that often opens up conversations. And so just using smarts about it.

Um, people are great all over. They really are. 

The old, uh, you can 

get more bees with honey than vinegar. Absolutely. Yeah, very much so. 

Yeah. 

So how are you getting in front of these people? Are y'all, are y'all going and are you building schools? Are you doing, um, shelters, fixing homes? Um, um,  What is that process?

How are, how are you kind of connecting with it? Yeah, 

that, well, it's a great question and it is gonna be very varied based on where we're at. So in a place like India where there is a lot of children who are homeless, uh, or just needs that are there, so they're, they're some of the places I go to have, you know, kind of schools, orphanages, things of that nature, which of course then Creates a little bit of goodwill, um, and so then, you know, people have needs, and so working with these children, working with their families, that creates opportunity for us to kind of talk with them. 

Then in other places, it's going to be food,  it's going to be just rice, you know, giving out rice, bags of rice that can maybe sustain them for two weeks or so, you know, that people will kind of listen to someone who's helping them. We don't want to ever bring someone in to say the Christian faith because of rice, you know, that we don't know there's no bribery There's no, you know, hey, we're gonna bribe if you come to our faith.

You're going to get rice It's we just want to show graciousness and open up opportunities to talk And so if somebody wants to talk to us great, we'll take it if someone doesn't well, okay, that's fine, too  But we're still gonna show graciousness no matter what Uh, medical is also another big thing, because most of this is third world, and so we'll have medical teams come over and do, uh, things like, um, eyeglasses, um, basic dentistry, uh, basic medical care, uh, wound care, things of that nature, and so that then brings in people from all over, because, uh,  Um, often out in the villages, people don't get medical care  and it's too expensive for them to travel to the big cities where they would need it.

And so for us to go to them, all of a sudden that news spreads. And so we will be, you know, bombarded with people who will come out to just get care. And so we'll, we'll give everyone care again, and if we'll create opportunity to converse if they don't want to, that's fine. Um, but we'll still give that opportunity to talk.

So. It's using a lot of different methods, uh, just to create those conversations.  

So what, what is like your role in, in all of this, like, I guess, like your title? 

Yeah, my title would technically be, uh, director of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.  And so what that means is in the 35 countries, the way that we, the mission organization breaks up the world, um, I get places like India, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos.

All the way down to Australia, New Zealand, and all those islands in the South Pacific that nobody, nobody knows about, Fiji, and Tonga, and some, and Vanuatu. So all those places, and so families living there, especially Western families who go over to these places, well of course it's going to be quite different culture.

Any, any American family moving to Indonesia, well that's a big difference. And so, of course, uh, there's an emotional component to that. Struggles of  being the oddity in a culture like that. Um, being away from family, being away from the traditions, just that we have here. Uh, so often there's just, they need encouragement.

So I'll come alongside, go to them, just encourage them. As they do their ministry, uh, I'll come along and just kind of help give counsel. They'll, they'll bounce off me. Hey, we're thinking about doing this. What do you think? What are some of the logistics that you can see? Would need to be met to make this work well and with longevity.

And so I'll provide some of that counsel.  Um, you know, other times I'll just go out and just lend a hand, just be a, a helping hand someone that they kind of, a familiar face that knows is in their corner and I'll come along and just, you know, be a friend, be a helper, uh, get plugged in, whatever I can do with them.

And so, for example, in India, in May I'll be going and helping with a children's program and just. You know, just being an extra hand for that ministry there and, uh, you know, getting involved with kids and doing whatever I can just to assist with the program that they have going on. 

So, at this time, what you're doing is you're going out to places that are already established and have people that are already there?

Mm hmm. Okay. Primarily, yes. There are a few folks who would kind of, like, if somebody came today and said, hey, I would like to go to, you know, um,  say, Thailand and start a church work or start a, you know, Christian school or, or some ministry or something like that. Then I would, they would come to me and I would help them with how do you get into that country, how much money is needed to be, have a sustained operation of ministry.

Um, you know, so I do a lot of looking at the economics in various countries, how much there's a family need for their, um, ministry living and all those things, uh, so that they are, we don't want someone to go over there and, you am I going to. Not just do my ministry work, but how am I going to survive? And so, uh, I help with all that to say, Hey, this is, you're going to this place, this is how much you're going to need. 

Of course, that's wide ranging. You go to Bangkok, Thailand, well, that's going to need a lot more money than, say, going to the middle of Indonesia in some small village, uh, and then compare that to Singapore, which is going to be super expensive. And so, you know, with that knowledge, I help those folks, you know, kind of plan and prepare.

So there are those who would be starting out new ministries, new opportunities, and they would come to me and I'd help kind of plug them in. 

So somebody that's going and starting a new area like that is like, is there a team structure? Is it just a family? Uh, what does that kind of look like when someone's going into a new area?

It's going to be again, and I don't mean to be repetitive, but it's going to be varied. Um, there's going to be some times where we plug them into it. Um, with a team that may be over there already. Uh, because particularly the more challenging the environment, we want them to have a smoother transition. If we can smooth that, make that transition smooth, then hopefully there'll be longevity for what they wanna do.

It, cultural adjustment's a hard thing. Um, food, language, you know, you have to, you're being surrounded by different languages, you, you feel odd. And so if you have people who can help kinda, Ease you into that.  Well, of course, that really makes life a whole lot better for you. 

What about North Korea?  

Um, well, we've not been there.

And again, going back to my first point of we try to obey the rules and laws of the countries. Um, but in, you know, in other, in other places that definitely, um, we try to, you know, help them out the best we can. We want to see them succeed in, in whatever they want to do. Um, and so, uh, there are those we plug in, but then there are those who have that kind of pioneering spirit who say, Hey, I, I'm going to take my family.

We're going to go out to, you know, the middle of the Outback, like what I did. I didn't, I didn't work with anyone. I just took my family to this remote town in the Outback of Australia and, uh, got off an airplane there in a place called Mildura, which if you try to find that on map, probably, you know, good luck finding it.

That'll take the rest of the podcast time. Just if. If I didn't give you any clues where it's at and, uh, just started, you know, and just started and got involved and made it work for 11 years until I moved into this capacity. So there are those that have that pioneering spirit of, Hey, we want to build a church.

We're going to do it. We're just going to bunker down, put our head to the grind and, and go for it. 

I was about to say, uh, yeah, you built, you built something  as it were.  I 

did.  Typically on like on average, I know it's different for every country. So like on average, how dangerous is, is this to go into a new area? Like what kind of stuff have y'all encountered and seen and like, what are, what precautions do you have in place to, to kind of protect people?

Well, uh, there.  It's going to be a two leveled answer. One is, like, I'll take Pakistan for, uh, for, as an example, I, I go over to Pakistan and Pakistan, based on the constitution, it says that you're allowed to have freedom of worship,  you know, even though it's a predominantly Muslim nation, 90, I think 98 percent of the population would identify as Islamic and, uh, less than 2 percent would identify as Christian, but they say, hey, constitutionally, you have the freedom to practice your own religion.

That's  It's when you kind of share your faith, or they use the word proselytize, that would be when it's problematic. Um, you know, I can't just go up to a Muslim man and say, Hey, let me tell you about Jesus Christ, and, uh, do you know him? And that would be a problem. But if they came and approached me, you know, again, just like I said, You know, talk to me.

Hey, tell us why you're here and what are you doing? Well, I can then open that conversation.  So  on the constitution, there's protection, but then when you get into some of the like local areas, uh, villages more outside the main cities, well, people are a whole lot more, um, protective and don't really care what the constitution says.

And so there may be some, you know, opposition that will come. And so. By and large, you'll see the smaller the community, the more hostile they'll be to someone coming in  basically of a different faith, even if you're going to come to start a Christian school. you know, better with education, um, you know, give a good education, give a kind of good grounding in, in, in, you know, the alphabet and writing and reading.

Um, they still, because you're a Christian, they will say, you know, there'll be a lot of hostility. And so I've been in villages where it's been, you know, Hey, let's keep a very low profile. Um,  we'll go into a village and work with a church or work with a Christian that's there or work in a school, but we'll keep our head down and.

Try to minimize the exposure.  I was in Myanmar. Um, you know, formerly known as Burma. And of course, right now it's, there's a coup that happened back in 2020. And so that's changed a lot of things, even for the worst, but before then in 2019, I was over in Myanmar and, uh, they would have the taxi drop us off at one location.

Then we'd have to walk then to the church, um, just so that people didn't see where were the, where were these Americans going? Okay. Because that would raise a lot of questions. And so, uh, you know, you just take some precautions. And if you're smart, you can, you know, pretty much do okay. It's when guys get callous or  show a thing of bravado, like, oh, I can do this, I'm not worried.

Well, that's when problems do come. And problems have happened, you know. We, to the extreme, we have seen missionaries lose their life. That has happened. Um, thankfully not too, too often, but it has happened. Um, people have been chased out of the cities, the areas where they're ministering, churches have been shut down, you know, things of that nature. 

But again, thankfully, it's very rare, at least with the group I work with, because we do try to stress longevity and smart over just bold and brash and coming in with a mindset that says, Hey, I'm going to do it the way I want to do it.  

Go with the tried and true method when something as serious as your life can be on the line.

Yeah, 

exactly right. Yeah, 

yeah.  

So more or less they're, they're there to help and to push  and that, that's kind of your way in. 

Yeah.  Yeah, absolutely. You know, again, people, you know, most people when they see your heart and when they truly see that you're there and you love them and you're not just there to, you know, to say convert to them.

That, that makes a world of difference. 

So, 

leading by example. Absolutely. Yeah, leading by example, leading by love. Truly caring. You know, if you go into a culture, and again most of these cultures are very different because they're nothing like the western culture we live in,  and so you go in there, and um, if you show that you love them, you're not above them,  That, uh, you're going to kind of live, we, we will never live like them because we are western, so we have our creature comforts that we just kind of have to have, uh, to make life there, but you don't have to live five, six, seven levels higher than them, um, you know, you never bad mouth their culture, you never, um, 

Complain.

Yeah, you don't, and if you do, you do it inside your own home to your own family and that's it. Um, but always, or to always go back, well back in America we did this, or back in America this makes more sense than how we do it in America versus here. Well, you have to show, hey I am here, and I'm here because I love, love you all, and I love what I'm, the purpose why I'm here.

And, and I'm not going to just keep, continue to compare and be like, well, back in America, it's fine. It's better. It's great. Well, then people will be like, well, fine, go back, go back to America.  And so that, that happens, you know, we warn people, teach people, try to, but you know, there's a small percentage that  because they grow up in a Western culture, you're going to, that's what your lens of focus is going to be.

So when you go to an Eastern. Society living well, it's hard to make that adjustment. It can be done, but it's most people 

aren't going to understand because even In america, even if you're talking to someone who's not religious at all They for the most part especially in the south here, uh, people respect christianity and they're just kind of used to it So nobody really has a problem with it.

Uh, so the only mission trips i've ever done were in in the united states So like we never really got any backlash or anything, you know, it's just uh We were working on people's houses and they loved that we were there. And, you know, it's, uh, they, they knew why we were there. It wasn't something abnormal, you know, it's not something that they've never heard of.

And so that was, I can only imagine going to a different country. Where Christianity is not the majority. Um, so that would be pretty daunting and I bet terrifying at some times. 

It is, it is. You know, for many folks though, it is,  there's an intrigue about it. Because it is not normal, you know, you don't meet many Christians.

I mean it is very possible and it's, it's, This statement, most Americans cannot understand, especially like you just mentioned in the South.  Someone living in, say, Thailand or Cambodia can literally go their entire life and never pass a Christian church of any type. It doesn't matter Baptist or Presbyterian or anything, it just, they'll never pass a Christian church at all.

Because there's just so few Christians there. And, um, And so,  there's an intrigue, like, ooh, what is this Christianity? But most people just instantly link it to Western culture. So, they'll think, um, ooh, Christianity is the West. So everything that they think about America, and they obviously equate Christianity with America, because that's the predominant faith practice here.

So they'll instantly just, oh, everything that's there, link it together, and that's what Christianity is.  Well, that really isn't. Like they think everyone here is a cowboy. Yeah, exactly. They just think the stereotypes, and so, And so it, it, you have to kind of break through that, what, that stereotype of what they think.

Um, and, but then, even if they're intrigued and want to know more, there is the cultural battle of, Hey, if I take this, am I going against my country and my, in a sense, ethnicity as a, as a Khmer person in Cambodia or as a Thai person in Thailand,  because I'm taking this Western faith.  And so that kind of like going against their country.

So there's a whole lot wrapped up into,  you know, someone coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Because it is not just, okay,  the change for someone to become a Christian, which is just big on any level, no matter what, even here in the United States. But, then also when you tie in, oh, I'm going against even my country's culture, and so I will not be really considered Thai anymore.

Because I've taken a Western faith. Well, that's a whole nother level of,  of challenge, and so you don't see many Christians. I don't think it's necessarily because of lack of interest, but I think it's because of all these obstacles that are built into it.  

That makes, that makes complete sense. Yeah. I mean, you're, you're essentially having to give up your identity.

Yes. To, to, to take on the new one. Yes. You shed who you are. 

Yes. That's, uh, yeah, that's a big ask 

for 

anyone. Well, and, and, you know, another thing over there in, in that part of the world is something you can never do here in the United States. On most of their government ID cards, like kind of the equivalent of driver's license, you have to actually identify what your faith practice is.

They have to identify that. And so if, say, you're a Muslim, you And then you convert to Christianity, well, that's a big thing if you're going to go to the government and say hey, I moved from being a Muslim to a Christian, well,  you know, that's, that's a boldness that's a whole nother level because then that impacts what you can receive as far as even benefits from the government.

Oh wow. That impacts a lot of You know, what you can get, the, the opportunities that are opened up to you, um, and so, it's a huge thing. It's a huge thing.  

Would they be treated differently? 

Yeah, often, many times, many times, in, in some of the countries, they would be considered, uh, first off, uh, they betrayed their country, because they moved from, uh, you know, the, the country's predominant faith to the, to this new Christian Western faith.

So, you're, you see that. Then you see, um, particularly with, let's say, Buddhists, um, where they believe in a lot of spirits.  Of course, I believe in the spiritual world, but their thinking comes from a different, you know, kind of angle on it. So, they will say, we don't want a Christian living in our apartment complex.

You've just become a Christian. Well, that's going to create bad spirits in our apartment complex, so we're going to kick you out of the apartment. Well here in the United States, you can't do that. People can't 

fathom that. Oh, 

no, absolutely not. We have the protections We have all these things but there where it's like hey by having this Christian now in our apartment unit We're gonna get the bad spirits.

And so see you you you have to leave Well, I personally have talked to you and sat with people who this they've experienced this or even job There's no job protections. And so it's like Oh, you've become a Christian. Well, we're not going to have you work here anymore for our company because you're going to bring bad karma to our company because you're going against the spirits.

And so, you know, that again would be a very huge obstacle for someone to come to faith in Jesus Christ because of that.  I 

think a lot of people in America need to hear that.  Just that, that last two minutes right there. Uh, people don't realize how well off we actually have it here. Regardless of what your beliefs are.

Absolutely. 

It's uh, it's astounding. 

Yeah. Those, those, we have so many protections here. Which, you know, for, you know, People overseas would just, could only dream of. Oh, if you 

get, 

if you lose your 

job here because of your faith, you're gonna be a millionaire over a lawsuit. I mean, it's, 

it's wild. There's, uh, there's something else, uh, I kinda wanna hear your thoughts.

I don't know if this is something that we can talk about on here, I don't know what. If it's not, we can cut it 

out. If it's not, we can cut it out. I guess I'm gonna edit it, right?  But, 

um, here, you know, in the U. S., it's a beautiful world. You know, everybody loves the U. S. for a reason. And now, even, you know, I have a four year old.

Um, I respect every religion, you know, um, I was raised catholic, um, and I,  I have, they're, they're really strict when it comes to catholic, um, so when, when we visited, when I visited another, you know, denomination of christianity, or like a christianity church, there was, you know, sound everywhere, there was a lot of things going on, I was like, am I sinning right now?

Because there was just so much going on. But, um, just, just. To give you that backstory,  there is something going on, like, in, in Tennessee, I believe it's in Memphis, I don't know if you guys heard of it, there, it's an after school, uh, satanic club.  Like, that's for kids, uh, so they're, they're saying, if there's after school Christian club,  why can't there be, you know, after school satanic club? 

They they help people get abortions, you know all that stuff,  but you know, hey to each their own, you know I'm  not gonna personally go against it or with it, but I'm not gonna you know, my kid I'm not gonna just let my kid go  Why  well, he's he's still you know a kid I mean, I wouldn't even let him go to you know at that age.

There's they're so young Um, that whatever you're put in front of, whatever you're taught, you're kind of,  you kind of just grow. 

But what about it, the content of it that may What, what about, what about the content of it makes you not wanna have your kid go to it? 

I would, I would, before I would be open to it if I  , if I talked to the actual guy and see. 

Kind of what their angle is because sometimes there's always an angle  

Let's let's unpack that one Steve No, I can it and it it really isn't even a challenge to try to answer it  Because you know, I think when here in the United States when you  Um, we have a freedom of religion, and we have a freedom for, you know, religions to practice. 

And so I think, as long as there's an equal opportunity,  then they can do such. Now I think, obviously,  families need to make a decision, and, you know, just the, the market determines what's going to succeed and what's not going to succeed. And so if people don't go to it, then, you know, hey, they had the opportunity, but then nobody shows, or whatever, then that's what happens. 

See, I'll take it from this angle. See, I go to parts of the world where Christianity is completely the minority.  And so I see all the restrictions that are put in place. And so, you know, in a sense, I spend a lot of time praying that, that God would touch hearts of leaders and politicians to open up, open up more freedoms, more,  um, opportunities for Christians to thrive. 

And, you know, the, the thumb is very strongly against that in most places. Well,  we don't like being the minority over in these parts of the world,  um, but the majority faith is determining what happens.  And so you flip it, then you get here, Christianity in the West is the majority faith, and a lot is still dictated off of that.

And so, um, Just because we're the majority doesn't mean that we should put the thumb on everyone else. I, I think you can only, um, see things succeed or grow or fail based on just changing of hearts and changing of lives, you know? And, you know, so why, why should someone maybe not choose to go to the Satanic Club?

Well, I would give them, not that, ooh, it's bad because it's Satanic Club, but I'd be like, hey, these are the reasons because of, you know, Where's your, what's your faith in? You, you, everyone has a faith in something. Doesn't matter humanist, doesn't matter, you know, astrology, doesn't matter Buddhist,  you know, whatever, Shinto, We all have a faith in something, and so it is, okay, what's your faith, and, and obviously I believe very strongly, I've studied it, you know, researched it, experienced it, you know, Christianity,  and so it'd be like, hey, I'm gonna approach it from a Christian angle,  and this is why I would not go, because I do think that there is a battle of right and wrong, I do think that there is a, what we teach has an impact and influence, just like, you know, You just said, and so it is okay, I want my kids to grow up in understanding  about God and understanding about, um, the Bible and things of that nature.

But I recognize that's not for everyone. And I don't want to have laws that say, okay, they can't  because I'm on the other side of the world where they say you can't, and I'm hoping that they could kind of thing. Yeah. And um.  And so even like what I mentioned before about the benefits that come, okay, the Islamic nations are going to say, you can't do this just simply because you identify as a Christian.

Well, you know, I would sit and say, well, that's not fair. That's not right. You know, people are sitting in jail because they're Christians. People are sitting in prison right now. You know, families are broken up because Dad is in prison because he's a preacher or of a Christian faith in a non christian country Well, we would all we can get rallies about you know of people.

Hey, that's not right. That's not right. That's not right Well, then we shouldn't flip it and do that here and you know, even that's the extreme But so I think how do you change things like what you just mentioned about the Satanic Club in Memphis? Well, I'd say it's only by changing hearts by You know, I don't think you can legalize those things. 

Make it compete in the marketplace of ideas. Yes, yes. And I, I think when it comes to children,  It's a little different, um, because I feel like it's okay to be traditional in your family, regardless of what your traditions are. I feel like when, when your children are minors and you're responsible legally for everything that they do, there's nothing wrong with instilling your values.

Absolutely. As the head of a family, whatever. You and your partner dictate is your values. You should be able to instill those in your family and your children. And people shouldn't frown upon it. And people shouldn't, um, have an issue with you not wanting other outside influence on your children, regardless of what that is to me as a conservative leaning libertarian with a Christian background, the way that I believe in most things is I don't care what you do.

You should have the freedom to do what you want, practice what you want, drink as you want, do whatever you want, as long as you don't harm other people or ask me to pay for it, I don't care what you do.  Don't try to tell me how to, how to bring up my family and what values I should instill in my children when I'm not doing the same to you.

And so if I want to raise my kids in church, if I want to raise my kids outside of church, but with the Bible, that's completely my, my doing. You know, I should have the freedom to do that. And so with what Diego was talking about, that's where I kind of have an issue is when it comes to kids, it becomes a problem there.

I think if, um, the kid's parents don't want them involved in that, nobody should be. frowning upon that. It's their Children. They're responsible for them. 

And you're exactly right. And in fact, in that situation in Memphis, it, the parents do opt in, you know, to those, those classes. Now, obviously I would, you know, wish they wouldn't, and I would disagree, uh, with their choice, but it is their choice, you know, and.

Um, you know, if someone asked me why I would, you know, share why I would think it's not the best thing, uh, but again, I do have to recognize also that we can't legalize these things. These are, these are not things we can legalize. Um, they,  you know, we live in a nation that allows these things to, to go on.

And again, it's going to succeed or, or fail based on, you know, You know, kind of people's, um, joining into it and participating in it. 

I mean, we have to sign permission slips for field trips. So what's wrong with signing a permission slip for any club? I think 

you do. I mean, we have to sign permission slips for chess club.

So yeah, it's, it's the same. I'm sure it's the same sort of thing. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but most clubs, a parent has to opt in. 

Yeah. Yeah. As well as the after school Christian club, you should have to sign up for that. Exactly right. Yes. Exactly 

right. You know, in, in, in here in Tennessee, in lots of schools, there are, we would even say, I think they're called, um, after school clubs or, uh, Bible clubs or something like that.

I think they have at some schools. And, um, you know, parents have to opt in. Well, man, I'm sure glad that there's, you know, that if you go through the right channels and you go through and do the way it's all kind of laid out. Well, hey, I'm glad that churches take opportunity to plug in and, and, you know, do what they're allowed to do in these schools.

So I can't say, hey, you make it fair for us and then everyone else, you can't.  Again, I think, uh, you know, it does come down to parents choice, and, you know, and I do think, um, that because Christianity, especially in the West, Christianity and politics have been so integrated in so many ways that they almost become indistinguishable between the two, that, you know, based on your viewpoint, you know, if you're kind of more of a progressive You know, left leaning, then you're, you know, kind of, and I'm stereotyping, you know, kind of, Oh, okay, well, all those Christians who link politics and religion together, that's bad, let's stay away from that.

And, um, and so, yeah, let's open up these opportunities for, you know, more out there kind of thoughts.  And I think when you've merged the two, and I think in a lot of ways political parties have merged Christianity and politics, In a way that  should not have happened, and should never have happened. Um, but, you can't then start dictating laws based on Christianity.

Because, again, what happens when the Muslims come in charge? Well then, are they gonna set laws? And, well America's gonna, well you can't do that. Well, but they're the majority then. You know, it's 

naturally going to lean that way if the majority of politicians are a certain religion, their influence is going to dictate their decisions.

Yep. 

Um, so it's, it's going to happen regardless. And we can try to separate church and state as much as possible, but it's always going to have an influence. 

I would, I would argue that, that it hasn't until the last two decades. Not, not to the extent that, that it currently is. I mean, even George Washington, some of his writings to the, to the Catholic church tells him that he doesn't wish to associate the government with it.

I mean, and that's, that's a, that's a founder. That's, that's, that's the guy. Um, and it wasn't until about, I'd say 20, 25 years ago that we really started marrying these things. Um, and that's,  I'd say it's been supercharged since the advent of the internet. Yeah, exactly. I mean, everything 

goes back to social media. 

We didn't have as much information 20 years ago as we do now. So things happen so much faster. And it has such a, I mean,  30 years ago, you barely knew it was going on a state over unless they talked about it for 20 seconds on the six o'clock news,  much less 100 years ago. But now it happens instantly and we know like, how else would we know what's going on at a school in Memphis?

Like nobody cared. 30 years ago because we only cared about what was happening in front of us. Well, now the whole world is right in front of us 24 7. I 

mean, how would I know that, that about the libertarian being elected in Venezuela all the year in Malay? How else would I know that without the internet?

It's, it's, you might hear that on the, the, with the Friday evening news, Sunday evening news, like, 30 years ago for a 10 second, 15 seconds. It's also to 

incite emotion. So with how much we know about social media, social media is everything now. So the whole point for them, that's how they make a profit and have a profitable platform is the fact that they invoke emotion and it keeps you on the platform.

It keeps you engaged and everything. So of course that stuff's going to be put right in front of us because it's what's closest to your heart and it's what you're going to be the most passionate about. 

Well, some services also have. You know, or some churches have their service on social media. 

Mm-Hmm. 

Yeah. 

What are your thoughts about ai? Steve, we, we've talked about this a little bit, but for, from a, from a, um, church standpoint, um, you know, it, it, it gives, enables you to have a certain set of tools that allows you to connect with a lot of people and answer a lot of questions really rapidly. 

A Christ butt.

Yeah. I mean that, I think it's already, I really think that already exists.  , I'm sure somebody has made it already. Um, and.  You know,  you interrupted my thought there, Diego.  No, but you know, a lot of people are going to use it to amplify their own voices. Um,  and, and sorry, that's already happened. We're, we're doing it.

Um,  what are, what do you think that is going to do in terms of how do you think it's going to affect the church, I guess? And, um,  I guess how, how.  We have to re I think we're gonna have to rethink about how we interact with people again. So I do think the A. I meet is me. This is just Chris's prediction. I think A.

I kills the Internet the way that we know it right now. It's just gonna I think people are gonna catch on to the thing that we're doing, and it's they're gonna create so much content information that it'll be to the point that people just can't take it anymore. Oh, 

yeah. 

Um, and  and you won't and you'll be you'll have to question reality every time you take a look at your phone or your screen.

So I think the next iteration of whatever technology we have has to address that. Um,  from a, from a, uh, a, a, hence the standpoint of a pastor and missionary, like, how does that affect what you're doing? Well, 

I, I think you hit the nail on the head as far as we're going to get to the point where, um, we question literally everything, you know, you see an image and it's like, is this image AI generated or is it true?

Um, and we're beginning, we're at the, obviously we're now at the threshold of that where you just cannot trust anything that you see.  So it, I think then it leads to a search for truth. People, you know, we, people want truth. And so, to me, I think one of the things it does is require the, like, the church, Christians, individuals, I don't even want to bring it to, like, the collective corporate unity of the church, but individuals who say that they're Christians, who would say, hey, I have truth in Jesus Christ, I think it forces them to have answers to some questions that Whereas, there are a lot of Christians who can repeat things, um, you know, repeat kind of cliches that have been said throughout,  you know, throughout their growing up in church, but they don't really know how to answer the questions of life and dealing with the core things that we face every single day.

And I do believe that there is an answer. I do believe that in the Bible there is an answer, and that it has truth, and that it's applicable truth. But you can't just mimic or parrot just the cliches that have been said, you know, for decades within the Christian church. And so when someone is searching for truth,  you know, the,  you just can't say, well, Jesus is the answer.

Well, the next follow up question is, how do you know? And why do you say that? Because I, I'm just not going to accept it anymore as the truth. I need to know what is true. And so I think then you, it requires kind of a depth of, you know, not, not saying someone's got to be a theologian to answer questions, but you have to be a theologian to answer questions.

But I do think it, there has to be a depth to your faith to say, Hey, this is why I think faith in Jesus Christ stands scrutiny. That it's, it's not just shut my mind off and believe in something that's out there, but it stands scrutiny in history, it stands scrutiny in archeology, it stands scrutiny in science, it stands scrutiny in all these things.

To say that, look at, look at where the evidence points, the evidence points that there's credibility to this. I can't never prove, I'll never be able to prove to anyone that there's a God. But I do think there's enough credible evidence that points to something supernatural out there.  And so, rather than just saying, well, Jesus is the answer, God is the answer, Church is the answer, well, now you're going to have to go into a whole other level, because people aren't just going to accept that answer anymore.

And I don't know if most Christians sitting in churches today are able to answer those questions. And I think it requires a bit more  Knowing knowledge of their faith and why they believe their faith truly is true. Yeah, it's some additional 

depth of 

understanding 

Yes, I've got something to add if if I may  so  I used to actually date a seven day Adventist and They had this guy one day Explaining all of the you know, why some day Adventist is  I guess religion in a way, uh, they had facts down like to the, to the tee.

Um, but, but yeah, I mean, that's  the, I get, I get what you're saying, uh, just to add that. Uh, but yeah, what, what are your thoughts on,  on people just wanting their religion or their form of. of Christianity to be the right religion? 

Yeah.  It's a great question, Diego, because I think, you know, obviously Christianity is a broad term. 

Those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Now, that looks different in a lot of ways. You have, obviously, Catholic, you have Seventh day Adventist, you have Baptist, Methodist, and the list can go on and on and on.  I think at the core of it is we're not here to make people Baptists, which I, um, I would identify with the Baptist practice of faith, I would say, um, I'm not here to make people Baptists, I'm, I would say I'm here to point people to Jesus Christ, and that it's Jesus Christ that is the one that gives, um, you know, the, the redemption from our sin, the life with the relationship with God,  the forgiveness of our sin, and the hope that we have of this life and in the life to come. 

The Baptist church is just a  mode of practicing that,  and I think, you know, I would say it lines up a lot with the tenets of what you see, you know, in the Bible. But if someone goes to another church, hey, more power to you, as long as you understand about Jesus Christ. If we just bring it to the church level, well then you're just kind of competing Pepsi versus Coke versus Sprite versus Dr.

Pepper. Well, it's, that's not what it's about. It has become that. It has become that. But at the core, it's, who is Jesus? What have I done with what he has done  for the sin of mankind by giving his life as a sacrifice? And that's the core of it, because there's going to be a whole lot of people who have different denominational practices sitting up in heaven.

There'll be Seventh day Adventists sitting up in heaven. Or even non denomination. Yeah, yeah. All of it, you know. It all comes down to what have I done with what Jesus Christ has done for us in giving his life as a sacrifice for sin, and have I accepted that? If someone goes to, you know, a Lutheran church and practices, great.

You know, um, obviously I would say there's, I have Kind of, it's like why people like Pepsi versus Coke, you know, there's some differences. It's not the same, similar, but not the same. And so, you know, I would say, hey, there's things I don't prefer about it, there's things I don't think line up, you know, in tradition as well as completely with Scripture.

But hey, I'd much rather, if someone says, I know I have a faith in Jesus Christ, and that is the center of my life, and He is my Savior, then, hey,  you know, um, and so I think that's, That's the most important thing, you know, because we can sit all day and debate brands of Christianity, but to me, that's not  To me that's you know, and I think it's important, but it's that's not the most important thing The most important thing I believe is is what have I done with Jesus Christ?

And what is my trust and understanding of what he has done?  

All right So now we're gonna move on to the second most important thing  Who do you pick for the Stanley Cup finals? 

Oh That's a good question. Yeah Well, I would like to say it's my New York Islanders, but that would be a, a bad pick. I would be,  I'd be tossing money away.

Um,  uh, so I would, you know, I would have to say, Chris, that,  uh,  the Rangers are looking good as much as I hate to say that being a New York Islanders fan, the Rangers are looking pretty good. Um, then Vegas is looking good, but it's hard to repeat  my, if I had to have a kind of sentimental pick, I would hope for Edmonton, Edmonton Oilers.

Um, You know, I like the Oilers when Gretzky was on, back in the day, and, um, and, you know, you have to, Connor McDavid is just an amazing player, and so, it's kind of like the Michael Jordan of this generation, and so it's like, man, you want to see him win one. Now, I don't want to see him win five or six, but you at least want to see him win one.

So,  I'd have to say, I would be cheering for, you know, if the Islanders are not going to make it, which, again, I don't think they will, then I would be cheering for the Edmonton Oilers. 

Nice. Well, Steve, uh, Stephen, thank you so much for joining us. Uh, Stephen Maldolph with  

Baptist International Missions. I said, 

and if you have any socials or a website that you'd like to throw out there, we'd love for you to do that.

Yeah, well, on, uh, social media, you can, if you will go through all of them. Facebook, it'd be, uh, B I M I Southeast Asia. If someone just typed that into the thing on X, it'd be similar. B I M I Southeast Asia. And then on Instagram, same thing. Um, or if someone had a question or they wanted to reach out to me, my email is sea, like Southeast Asia.

So seadirector at B I M I dot O R G.  

Thank you so much for joining us, Steven. No, thank you. Thanks for the opportunity, 

guys.