Article April 22, 1996 Issue

Out of Africa

by Kim Shippey

Dr. John Gration retired last year after twenty years as professor of missions and intercultural studies at Wheaton College Graduate School, Illinois. Before that he had served the Africa Inland Mission for fifteen years in Zaire and Kenya, teaching in English, Swahili, and French at Bible institutes and a seminary, and served eight years as an administrator at Mission headquarters in Pearl River, New York.

In an interview that began on the Wheaton campus and rambled on, "African style," through several other conversations, we talked with Dr. Gration about his bicultural teaching career and about his "deep, close, personal relationship" with Africa, which he has maintained by returning regularly to Kenya and Zaire to conduct seminars for the churches there. "I think it's imperative for us to keep mud on our shoes," he said, "so that we don't lose touch with our ministry."

An African pastor who was visiting John Gration in his office at Wheaton College once said, "You know, that clock on the wall is your president. It rules you." "He was right," said Dr. Gration. "In America, we're time-driven. The meter is always up and running. We regard time as a commodity that we personally own. We say, 'Could you spare me a few moments?' Or, 'Sorry to take your time, but ...' In Africa, time is viewed as a common possession. People take the time to build relationships. They place a higher value on relationships than on formal contracts.

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