I’m generally against proselytization. I don’t mind people opening sharing the Good News of Christ (or the Mercy of Allah, or the Serenity of the Buddha, or the Unspeakable Horror of Cthulhu) where it is welcomed, or sought after, but I’ve never been much for missionary work. I think we all have enough to do
On the other hand, I don’t automatically look for sinister motives from Christian churches that are seeking to provide humanitarian aid to, say, the people of Iraq. Heck, there was a solicitation for contributions at our church last Sunday — though it noted that the money gathered would be provided to aid agencies already on the ground.
But when some guy like Franklin Graham announces that he and his organization, Samaritan’s Purse, are going to Iraq to provide humanitarian aid, I get worried. After all, this is the same gent who stirred things up in a not terribly charitable way a while back:
Speaking after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Graham had commented, “I don’t believe this is a wonderful, peaceful religion.” The president of Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian relief agency, added: “When you read the Koran and you read the verses from the Koran, it instructs the killing of the infidel, for those that are non-Muslim.”
“NBC News” reported Friday that when asked to clarify his statement, Graham repeated his charge that Islam, as a whole, was evil. “It wasn’t Methodists flying into those buildings, it wasn’t Lutherans,” he said. “It was an attack on this country by people of the Islamic faith.
That makes it a bit worrisome when he issues statements like this:
The group’s main objective is to help refugees and people who have lost their homes or are sick and hungry as a result of the war, Graham told Beliefnet. “We realize we’re in an Arab country and we just can’t go out and preach,” Graham said in a telephone interview from Samaritan’s Purse headquarters in Boone, N.C.
However, he added, “I believe as we work, God will always give us opportunities to tell others about his Son….We are there to reach out to love them and to save them, and as a Christian I do this in the name of Jesus Christ.
There is a Christian minority in Iraq (Tariq Aziz is, in fact, Christian), but it doesn’t sound like Graham is going there in solidarity to his brethren in Christ. And surely there will be those who use his presence there to demonstrate that the Iraq War was all a religious crusade to begin with.
Still, there’s not much to be done for it. I may find it morally and politically unfortunate, but it’s ultimately Graham’s freedom of religion to express it, and the freedom of speech and religion I hope the Iraqis will have to politely tell him to mind his own business.
And, after all, that’s better way to handle the situation than, say, in Saudi Arabia, a missionary nation itself, where conversion from Islam is a capital offense, overt practice of Christianity can lead to prison and deportation, and Christian missionaries (and Jews) are forbidden from entering.
And who knows? Maybe Graham will learn something in the process.
(via Words Mean Things)
Franklin Graham has worked in Islamic countries for quite a while (Sudan and Afghanistan amongst others). His view on Islam are partly bred based on personal experince, such as the government of Sudan bombing hospitals he has started. The approach of Samaritan’s Purse is to help people. If they want to find out what motivates that help, they answer. Franklin Graham calls this approach “show and tell” evangelism. Now as an Iraqi which Christian do you want to associate with Tariq Aziz who wants to kill you or Franklin Graham who sends doctors and food and build hospitals.
Here’s a description of what they have done in Afghanistan:
“I am personally grateful to the people who have been bringing this humanitarian assistance to our country,” said General Suhilla Siddiqi, the Afghan minister of public health from Kabul. “I hope that God blesses you. If you travel throughout Afghanistan, you will see the atrocities. There is nothing left. There are no buildings, or professional people. Samaritan’s Purse has brought us people and equipment. Samaritan’s Purse has set an example.”
Her words were spoken during the grand opening of the hospital and the clinic, which took place on Monday, July 15. The ceremony was attended by officials from throughout the country, including Dr. Mirwais Rabei, the director of public health for northern Afghanistan.
“In Afghanistan, there is a proverb that if something describes itself, how can I describe it more?” he said. “You can see the results. The buildings speak for themselves. The event speaks for itself. I appreciate the hard work of Samaritan’s Purse for the people of northern Afghanistan. Thank you for the hospital and the clinic, and thank you for the rebuilding of the schools in this community.”
The clinic opened in mid-May, and in the first two months saw about 2,000 patients. Most were treated for malaria, typhoid, dehydration, and intestinal diseases.
Almost half of the patients have been women, who had no access to medical treatment under the Taliban. Male doctors were not allowed to see female patients, and female doctors were not allowed to practice.
That certainly sounds positive, and I would hope that he would continue his “show and tell” evangelism. I can understand how experience in Sudan would tilt one’s perspective as well.
Be that as it may, Graham (and others like him) will be under quite a bit of scrutiny in Iraq. I hope he is able to show more diplomacy than some of his past remarks indicate.
Oh, yes… I hadn’t given much thought to the religious zealots who will use this opportunity to recruit. Now you’ve done it… you’ve written something else to make me cranky and keep me awake at night! Argggh! 😉
I have more optimism for Graham personally than “others like him”. The Twentieth Century marked a bifurcation of the Social Gospel from the “Spiritual” Gospel. The latter was a reaction to any naked humanitarianism. Jesus showed no such division. He healed people but also said your sins are forgiven. Christians are to release people from bondage and suffering whether it is physical or spiritual. While doing humanitarian work with “strings attached” is not right, neither is not having a full-orbed solution to human suffering. It’s a both/and and not an either/or kind of thing.