Thank you for posting this. Praise God for these faithful witnesses!
Iraq's greatest hope is now increasing.
I am not going to comment on this article because I may just say things that are going to get me barred for life from FR.
But I am pissed to no end when I think that Christian men and women are dying in Muslim Iraq to give these people some semblance of dignity and also because I see no Christian politician in America raising a voice in protest or offering any help. Hey, Bush, Pelosi, Obama and others do or say something!!
We deserve to be eaten up by Islam because we choose to be lambs.
So.....they're proselytizing and converting Muslims???
Tell us more. We might yet win the war!
Or should that sentence read "They are conducting aggressive proselytism especially among Catholics and Orthodox"??
Phl 1:18 (RSV) What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in that I rejoice.
A couple of items on this:
Because of anti-prostletyzing laws in Muslim countries, there are a tremendous number of Muslims that have never actually heard about Christ Jesus. I saw that a lot when I lived in Turkey, a relatively free country, as far as Muslim countries go. I cannot think of the number of times that honest, curious questions were asked of me or that I was approached with misconceptions about Him. I was able to speak the Gospel to many people over there...not as a matter of attempting to convert them, but as a matter of helping them understand Christianity or to correct their misconceptions. I even believe that a couple of the people with whom I spoke may have had a conversion in their hearts (although, with the proscriptions against "apostacy" in Islam, they had to be extremely circumspect).
I have seen the same type of curiosity and interest with some Muslim immigrants that are neighbors of us...not to the same degree (yet)...but I am hopeful. I respectfully listen and ask questions...and then respectfully explain and answer their questions.
As to the subject of Evangelicals gaining converts among Catholics or Orthodox, it would be far better for people to be active, believing, practicing members of the Ekklesia Katholikos and in an authentic particular Church, but I'd rather they be active, believing, and practicing in some ecclesial group (see the Phillipians quote above), rather than a mere "cultural" Christian.
This article is a reminder of the need by Christians, be they Catholic, Orthodox, and Evangelical about the need to witness for both Christ and the good news to non-Christians.