Source

MORAKETIYA, SRI LANKA, January 19, 2005: A dozen Americans walked into a relief camp here, showering bereft parents and traumatized children with gifts, attention and affection. They also quietly offered camp residents something else: Jesus, begins this article. The Americans, who all come from one church in Texas, have staged plays detailing the life of Jesus and had children draw pictures of him, camp residents said. The attempts at proselytizing are angering local Christian leaders, who worry that they could provoke a violent backlash against Christians in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country. Most American groups, including those affiliated with religious organizations, strictly avoid mixing aid and missionary work. But scattered reports of proselytizing in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India are arousing concerns that the good will spread by the American relief efforts may be undermined by resentment.



The Americans in Sri Lanka belong to the Antioch Community Church, an evangelical church based in Waco, Texas. It is one of a growing number of evangelical groups that believe in mixing aid-giving with discussing religion, an approach that older, more established Christian aid groups call unethical. In Sri Lanka, alarmed local Christian leaders say proselytizing at such a sensitive time could reverse the grass-roots interfaith cooperation that has emerged since the tsunami and endanger Christians, who make up 7 percent of the population. Older Christian aid groups say they do not proselytize, abiding by Red Cross guidelines that humanitarian aid not be used to further political or religious purposes. Ken Hackett, president of Catholic Relief services, said that in the last 20 years there had been an increase of smaller Christian evangelical groups providing relief aid in the wake of disaster. “I think there are new groups that are driven by missionary zeal,” Mr Hackett said. In the last several weeks, Mr. Hackett said, his group has received anecdotal reports of proselytizing in countries devastated by the tsunami.



More evangelical groups are apparently on their way. A message posted on the Web site of the Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell says the school he founded, Liberty University, is preparing to send a team to Sri Lanka, India and other countries battered by the tsunami. “Distribution of food and medical supplies along with the dissemination of thousands of gospel tracts in the language of the people will keep the L.U. team very busy,” the Web site says. “Mission trips to the Asian region by many L.U. students will follow in the months, and perhaps years, to come.”

Post Views: 571