Globalization
Anthony Elliott’s Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction is a valuable reference book for study and researching contemporary social theories and global ideas. He focuses on local, national, and global issues that influence everything from what we eat to what we believe. This post will bypass the traditional comprehensive reviews and zero in on globalization, the impact of introducing technology to an African village, and a few comments on spiritual warfare.
Elliott says there are costs associated with the continued advance of globalization, positive and negative. He says, “Globalization has enmeshed individuals throughout the world in historically unique circumstances placing an unavoidable burden on each individual to reflexively manage their own life- creating a new and pervasive individualism.”[1] The authors argue that globalization must be “conceptualized as possessing efficacy” within the internal life of the individual before they can adapt to the magnitude and scale of the outside influences, stimuli, and forces that they encounter in everyday life.[2] Macha Works is a living example of introducing information technology to the bush.[3]
During my mission aviation service in Botswana and Zambia I was able to participate in bringing internet to the “bush” in Zambia. At the time I did not realize the long-term impact, but as I read Elliott’s work on globalization I realized that we introduced the internet, training, and information technology that will forever change the social and cultural context of Macha, Zambia, and the surrounding region.[4] My colleague and friend Dr. Gertjan van Stam completed his PhD with Tilburg University, Netherlands after years of extensive field research in the African bush to find out what happens 
when African society and technologies meet.[5] Flying Mission, the missionary aviation organization that I helped lead, became partners and stakeholders for the introduction of technology to Macha. First, we determined a location, obtained the permission of the chiefs and elders, and leveraged the villagers to build us a runway, by hand, pick, and shovel. Next, using small airplanes, we flew in the technology, computers, hardware, and training material needed for the initiative. We also crossed rivers and deserts by land to drive in heavy equipment, storage containers, and brick making machines to build structures, offices, and homes.
Stam told me, we must be careful introducing technology because it can be “unhelpful in the local African community if there is no connection with African meaning making.”[6] I remember taking it slow, establishing relationships, respecting their values, helping them make meaning out of the changes. It was important to earn the trust of the indigenous nationals before opening the flood gates of information technology through the internet. We forced ourselves only to advise, encourage, and support. We had to resist the chief’s desire for us to lead the program, make decisions, and make assignments. It was painful, inefficient, and took years to accomplish their transition to a globalized worldview. Nevertheless, the time and effort were worth the wait, because this small village made the technological leap from grass huts with mud floors to the “borderless worlds” of advanced technological relationships through the world wide web.[7] 
Globalization came to Macha through the introduction of information technology. Now they are not only stretching social relations across oceans, but also developing global interconnectedness between tribes, people groups, institutions, states, and countries.[8] Our missionary service, in Elliott’s globalization terms is called a “vast, multi-layered structure of global civil society.” Macha, colonized by the British and missionized by the Catholics, is now a thriving center of “expertise, training, innovation, and experimentation in agriculture, alternative energy, entrepreneurship, and novel approaches in ICT appropriate for the African context.”[9]
It was relatively easy to make research connections between globalization and spiritual warfare.[10] For instance, DeBernardi reports a globalized conference in Guatemala City in 1998 where hundreds of participants from 115 countries gathered to share ground level spiritual warfare.[11] Churches and believers from around the world gathered to talk about the problem that they see influencing Christians on a global scale. Unfortunately, I think spiritual warfare is part of our social theory construct. In my experience, the African believer is much more sensitive to the influences of Satan and the forces of evil than the Western believer.
In summary, one of the effects of globalization is the marginalization of the churches response to spiritual warfare. Like Elliott says, we are subjected to so much information, data, stimulus, images, and satanic influences, that many believers, trying to reflexively manage their own lives, create non-biblical levels of individualism, which may even lead to idolatry, sin, and separation from God. Overall, Elliott is a good electronic resource and primer for social theory presentations and research.
[1] Anthony Elliott, Charles Lemert, and Mark Carrigan. “The New Individualism: The Emotional Costs of Globalization.” Journal of Critical Realism 9, no. 3 (2010): 384.
[2] Ibid., 386.
[3] Gertjan van Stam and Gerard van Oortmerssen. “Macha works!.” (2010).
[4] Jonas, Karl, Idris A. Rai, and Maurice Tchuente, eds. e-Infrastructure and e-Services for Developing Countries: 4th International ICST Conference, AFRICOMM 2012, Yaounde, Cameroon, November 12-14, 2012, Revised Selected Papers. Vol. 119. Springer, 2013.
[5] Ibid., 2.
[6] Ibid., 3.
[7] Anthony Elliott. Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction. (Routledge: New York, NY, 2014) 335.
[8] Ibid., 340.
[9] Stam, Macha works, 1.
[10] DeBernardi, Jean E (Jean Elizabeth). “Spiritual warfare and territorial spirits: the globalization and localisation of a ‘practical theology’.” Religious Studies And Theology 18, no. 2 (December 1999): 66-96. ATLASerials, Religion Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed November 16, 2017).
[11] Ibid., 85
About the Author
Mike
8 responses to “Globalization”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Hey Mike, I agree that Westerners seem to be less in tune to spiritual warfare and activity. Since Elliot’s book is mainly comprised of Western Social theories, I wonder if you found the book to be lacking in spiritual awareness. And is that why you say “In summary, one of the effects of globalization is the marginalization of the churches response to spiritual warfare.” I don’t think I see th elink between globalization and the church’s marginalized response to spiritual warfare. Can you say more about this?
Hi Mike! I always appreciate your global experiences. I’m curious if you have anecdotal data on how the village you were instrumental in introducing internet to is doing? Talk about a drastic change and exposure to a lot of new information. And does/will this globalization make Africans less sensitive, more sensitive, or stay the same as far as spiritual warfare? Great post!
Hi Mike!
Very interesting post! I was intrigued by your aviation service and introducing the internet to Macha, Zambia.
As I read, I wondered if you’ve been able to discern if globalization has a positive contribution to make to spiritual warfare.
Have a good week, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
Mark
PS. FYI I see your footnote numbers in the text but the actual citations didn’t make the transition to the blog post.
Mark,
Thanks for the footnotes comment. They must have dropped off when I was inserting the pictures. Globalization has it’s positive and negative aspects in regards to spiritual warfare. If used and viewed thru the lens of Christ, it is definitely positive!
You have had yours, but Happy Thanksgiving US style!
Hi Mike,
Did you know you would be a world changer? Wow, what an amazing perspective you have been granted, with the experiences you have been blessed with.
I figured you would talk about globalization! How many countries have you been to? With your wealth of travels in interesting ways, you certainly have the right to speak about it, especially with your closing arguments tying spiritual warfare to individualization. Well done my Brother.
Mike, Great Post! I must say, you actually addressed one of the areas I was curious about in this topic, and that was the method of incorporation with such principles. I appreciate how you pointed out that it was a “painful, inefficient” process to slowly introduce the technology; it was that methodology that shows you had to force yourself to understand the position of the people, rather than just push the motivation of your group. How do you think things would have fared had you done as the chief had requested, and took the lead instead of letting them work it out?
Mike, I appreciate your story of incorporating globalization into Africa and what that actually looked like. As you read, I focused on globalization as well and saw some of the negative effects. I appreciate the many upsides of globalization as well (being able to write this message as one!). I do wonder about the sensitivity of the church and would like to second Jean’s question to you about spiritual warfare sensitivity levels after globalization where you served. Do you have any updates or outcomes that you have seen?
Mike,
Thanks for the insight into globalizing an area of the world, bringing the internet to a new area is an interesting project. I am curious how the dynamics of the area changed after they were introduced to a “borderless” world as you put it. I would love to hear if the changes possibly hurt those who you brought them to.
Jason