Christians Debate Rightness of Evangelism in Disaster Relief
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/10605555.htm?1cPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, January 9, 2005: As Western humanitarian
organizations unleash an armada of relief supplies and workers into
Asia's crisis zone, some evangelical Christian groups aim to bring the
Gospel to the victims, as well. Religious groups promise to be a major
presence in the massive relief and reconstruction effort. InterAction,
the largest alliance of U.S.-based nongovernment organizations, reports
that of its 55 member agencies providing tsunami aid, 22 are
faith-based. Most of the religious players, including the Red Cross,
the American Jewish World Service, and Lutheran World Relief, have
rules again!
st
proselytizing.
But some evangelical groups active in Asia, including the Southern
Baptists' International Mission Board, Gospel for Asia, and the
Christian and Missionary Alliance, say the Bible always impels them to
create converts to the faith. "This (disaster) is one of the greatest
opportunities God has given us to share his love with people," said
K.P. Yohannan, president of the Texas-based Gospel for Asia. In an
interview, Yohannan said his 14,500 "native missionaries" in India, Sri
Lanka and the Andaman Islands are giving survivors Bibles and booklets
about "how to find hope in this time through the word of God." In
Krabi, Thailand, a Southern Baptist church had been "praying for a way
to make inroads" with a particular ethnic group of fishermen, according
to Southern Baptist relief coordinator Pat Julian. Then came the
tsunami, "a phenomenal
opportunity" to provide ministry and care,
Julian told the Baptist Press news service. In Andhra Pradesh, India, a
plan is developing to build "Christian communities" to replace
destroyed seashore villages. In a dispatch that the evangelical group
Focus on the Family posted on its Family.org Web site, James
Rebbavarapu of India Christian Ministries said a team of U.S. engineers
had agreed to help design villages of up to 400 homes each, "with a
church building in the center of them."
Not all evangelicals agree with these tactics. "It's not appropriate in
a crisis like this to take advantage of people who are hurting and
suffering," said the Rev. Franklin Graham, head of Samaritan's Purse
and son of evangelist Billy Graham. Samaritan's Purse is rushing $4
million in sanitation, food, medical and housing supplies to its teams
in Sri Lanka and Indonesi!
a. But
Graham, in a phone interview from his
North Carolina headquarters, said there were no plans to hand out
Christian literature with the relief. "Maybe another day, if they ask
why I come, I'd say, `I'm a Christian and I believe the Bible tells me
to do this,'" Graham said. "But now isn't the time. We have to save
lives."
Yohannan said Sri Lankan officials are "extremely angry" with Christian
missionary work and want to outlaw proselytizing. Some states in
southern India have anti-conversion laws that bar "fraudulent
manipulation," he said, adding: "I cannot tell you there is a hell
awaiting you because it can be interpreted as a fear tactic." But one
of the states, Tamil Nadu, recently repealed its law, and others don't
enforce theirs, Yohannan said.
Meanwhile, other religious relief groups eschew evangelizing. Many are
signatories of a Red Cro!
ss-Red
Crescent code of conduct that requires,
among other things, that aid "not be used to further a particular
political or religious standpoint." Church World Service, the
humanitarian arm of the National Council of Churches, is among the
signatories. "We carry out our work as a calling as Christians, but
it's not carried out based on any form of proselytization," said Rick
Augsberger, director of the agency's emergency-response program. Faith
issues might be shared informally, he said, "but not as an objective."
courtsey:
www.hinduismtoday.com