UNITED STATES, July 2011: A coalition of major Christian churches including the Vatican launched a rule book on Tuesday for spreading their faith that aims to reduce hostility from Islam and other religions to efforts to convert their followers.
The code, entitled “Christian Witness in a Multi-Religious World: Recommendations for Conduct”, comes amid growing tension between small local Christian communities and majorities from other religions in many, especially Muslim, countries. It was unveiled at a Geneva news conference by the World Council of Churches, a senior Roman Catholic prelate and the World Evangelical Alliance.
It urges Christians wanting “to share the good news of God’s kingdom” – missionary work or simply publicly testifying to their faith — “to build relations of respect and trust with all religions” and adapt their approaches to local conditions.
It reaffirms their right to proselytize, or promote their beliefs and seek converts. But it also urges them to abandon “inappropriate methods of exercising mission by resorting to deception and coercive means”, saying that such behavior “betray the gospel and may cause suffering to others”.