Bribes and Extortion on the Mission Field
“Once when the police in Africa pulled us over, my three-year-old offered him a stick of gum. The guy took it and waved us on with a broad grin. I was caught somewhere between being aghast and relieved. Did my preschooler just bribe the police?”
You’ve heard all the words – bribes, extortion, pre-tip, processing fees, thank you gift – but what do they look like in practice, does the Bible make distinctions between them, and what do you do when you come face to face with these occasions? Here are the best answers we have found:
Best Q&As from Missionaries
- What do missionaries think about bribery and how do they respond when they are expected to pay bribes and “special fees? https://askamissionary.com/daily/response-to-bribes/
- Read some real life examples of situations where you might find a “fee” or bribe to be expected!
Best Articles and eBooks
- MissionaryCare.com recently released a FREE 225 page eBook to help you sort through the issues related to bribes. This is the best and most complete article/eBook we are aware of! It does a great job of distinguishing between the terms and illustrating them. https://www.missionarycare.com/missionaries-and-bribes.html They make an interesting distinction between giving and receiving bribes.
- Bribery and the Bible, Richard L. Langston, CRU, ©1991 https://www.missionarycare.com/bribery-and-the-bible.html
Best Podcasts
We are unaware of any ☹
Best Print Books
See the above articles and eBooks.
Outline of Issues Related to Bribes
- Definition of words – bribe, tip, pre-tip, extortion, processing fee, gift, payoff, kickback, etc.
- Verses and passages related to bribery.
- Common situations where the expectation of a bribe arises.
- How missionaries have dealt with situations involving bribes.
- Legality of bribes in business around the world.
Additional Related Articles, Resources, Topics
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bribery
- Corruption Perceptions Index – The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an index which ranks countries “by their perceived levels of public sector corruption . . . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index
- Bribe Payers Index – Bribe Payers Index (BPI) is a measure of how willing a nation’s multinational corporations appear to engage in corrupt business practices. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bribe_Payers_Index
Editor’s note – if you know of other good articles, books or podcasts about bribes and missions, please let us know at editor@AskaMissionary.com.
