04. The White Savior Industrial Complex with Rachel Pieh Jones
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Stitcher
Overview
Lauren and Rachel discuss what years of living in a different context teaches us about agency, story, and power. Rachel shares how her Djiboutian neighbors respond to short-term interactions with foreigners who assumed charitable roles, and the long-term rebuilding that was sometimes required after Western travelers disrupted social norms. Rachel shares how she has learned to be a good neighbor in spite of her race, gender, and socioeconomic status.
“Their motivation was probably good but their impact was really damaging.”
“It takes a new type of posture to come in with privilege and imagine a world where maybe your privilege is also the thing that is holding you back from understanding how to connect with people. Understanding how to live in a world where you are dependent on others and the beauty that comes from the dependency.”
“The sense of being neighbored well by Somali Muslims has been life-changing, transformative for my faith, for myself, for my relationships.”
Guest Bio
Rachel Pieh Jones writes about life at the crossroads of faith and culture for the New York Times, Christianity Today, Runners World, and more. Her work is influenced by living in the Horn of Africa, raising Third Culture Kids, and adventurous exploration of the natural world. She is the author of Pillars: How Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus and Stronger than Death: How Annalena Tonelli Defied Terror and Tuberculosis in the Horn of Africa.
Episode Highlights
Theology of Holy Saturday (5:29)
White Savior Industrial Complex (10:25)
Why we respond with privilege (18:24)
Resisting a paternalistic approach to community building (24:26)
Advocating for yourself while honoring the culture where you are (30:28)
Living in community and learning about Jesus through others (36:01)
Links
Kindred Exchange - Learn more and support ethical missions.
Shop ABLE - Get 15% off your order with the code UPWARD15.
Join Rachel’s Substack Community - Do Good Better
Subscribe to Rachel’s Newsletter - Stories From the Horn
Order Rachel’s Book - Pillars, How Muslim Friends Led Me Closer to Jesus
Connect with Lauren
Email / Instagram / Leave a Review
Connect with Rachel