Thursday, January 13, 2005
Evangelism after the Tsunami
The Christianity Today blog has collected several stories dealing with the story that "Evangelical aid groups have come under some criticism for preaching the gospel alongside providing aid to the survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami." (Thanks to Amy Welborn). According to the Baltimore Sun, "some evangelical groups are mixing Christian missionary work with humanitarian aid in countries ravaged by the tsunamis and earthquake, a provocative approach shunned by the majority of faith-based relief organizations." Apparently, a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer expresses surprise that the United States -- purportedly eager to improve relations with Muslims -- has done little to stop this missionary work: "The U.S. government has said it hopes American tsunami aid improves its image abroad, particularly with Muslims. At the same time, it has not tried to impede evangelical efforts."
Here are some earlier thoughts of mine on "proselytism." What do people think? Is it unworthy of the Gospel to evangelize while aiding the victims of this disaster? And, is a government constrained by our First Amendment authorized to limit or discourage such evangelism?
Rick
https://mirrorofjustice.blogs.com/mirrorofjustice/2005/01/evangelism_afte.html