Baptists: Perilous Missions to Go On (Houston Chronicle)

[Bridget Burke]

"On March 15, gunmen in Mosul, Iraq, ambushed a truck carrying a five-member team (David) McDonnall was leading for the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. He became the seventh Baptist missionary killed in the Middle East in the past 16 months.

"The attack shed light on a vigorous and controversial push by Southern Baptists to evangelize in Iraq and other parts of the Islamic world. While Baptists say they are acting out of love and concern, critics say their spiritual aspirations endanger lives, disrupt secular humanitarian efforts and fuel resentment of Westerners in a region shot through with religious and political tensions.

"'You could imagine how we would feel if we here in America were occupied and our streets were filled with Muslim missionaries,' said Kevin Henry, advocacy director for the aid group CARE. 'We would find this deeply offensive.'"

Part of the problem, according to this article, is that evangelical missionaries often pose as, say, relief workers, to gain entry to a country. They do not enter as missionaries. This makes all foreign relief workers suspect--& puts them in danger.

The missionaries who were killed sound like people who really meant well. The higher-ups who talk to the writer--& insist they will continue to send more missionaries to Iraq--will be staying in Texas. They, of course, are not going to face the danger themselves.

[Safi]

1. Awesome

Go spread the word of Jesus, all of ya.

[zonmoy]

2. cant think of a better way

to ultimately destroy christianity than to preach it more.

[EdGy]

3. these people are nothing but an arm of the US military occupation

they have no business being there.