Let me say two things at the outset: I realize why Christian missionaries seek converts and I respect their right to pursue that goal. That said, I’m terribly concerned about missionaries’ efforts in Iraq.
The Washington Post had an interesting item in yesterday’s paper about thousands of missionaries rushing into Iraq to convince Muslims to embrace Christianity. The evangelists aren’t literally going door to door, but they’re working their way into the country to spread the gospel, as they see it.
With a population estimated to be more than 95 percent Muslim and outbreaks of violence in the name of Islam occurring on an almost daily basis, Iraq is not a place where Christian missionaries can openly evangelize on street corners, hold community prayer meetings or hand out stacks of Bibles. Many say they entered the country as businessmen or aid workers, roles that let them establish relationships with Iraqis about something other than religion.
Over the past year, Christian aid groups have played a significant, if unofficial, role in the reconstruction, helping with various projects: repairing water purification facilities, building a book-bag factory to create employment and holding classes to teach people English. And some have drawn criticism that they endanger the lives of secular aid workers and the military because insurgents may associate Christianity with Western domination, or because they disguise their intentions.
Even as the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and large numbers of contractors have pulled out of Iraq due to escalating violence, many Christian groups have chosen to remain.
Iraqis aren’t stupid. They know that evangelists are offering aid, which is welcomed, but with ulterior motives, which isn’t. It adds a dangerous complication to an already dangerous occupation.
To be sure, people everywhere should be free to believe as they wish and equally free to share those beliefs with others. But I nevertheless wonder if these missionaries may be undermining the military and diplomatic efforts that are difficult enough right now.
Until recently, Christian groups in Iraq have operated in relative anonymity. But as shootings and kidnappings of foreigners have multiplied in recent weeks, their presence has become a source of tension in efforts to stabilize the country. Politically, the work of missionaries has been difficult to explain, with insurgents trying to characterize the violence as part of a holy war between Muslims and foreign Christians and U.S. authorities asserting it has nothing to do with religion. Practically, the occupation has had to scramble to rescue missionaries who have been attacked.
In other words, Iraqis see Americans coming into their country with military force and more Americans coming to convince them to give up their faith. For some reason, they find this troubling. Go figure.
Fears throughout the Arab world that our invasion was a “crusade” are immediately reinforced by American Christian missionaries encouraging Muslims to convert to the dominant religion in the United States.
Worse, our troops, who are already facing extraordinarily challenging conditions, feel compelled to help these missionaries, adding to their already weighty responsibilities.
The Rev. David Davis, 53, of Grace Bible Baptist Church in Vernon, Conn., was among the four pastors ambushed in February on the road from Babylon to Baghdad. A friend died in the seat in front of him, and he was shot in the left shoulder. Still, Davis, who was in Iraq to open a new church, believes that most Muslim Iraqis harbor no hostilities toward foreign Christians. He stayed on after the attack, performing a baptism a few days later. And though home now, he said he is eager to return.
“I believe Christianity is the one true way. I am willing to [preach] the gospel anywhere I can,” Davis said.
OK, but at what cost to the war’s efforts?
Iraqis have been suspicious about our religious motivations all along, and with good reason. The Bush administration named Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin to coordinate intelligence in the region, despite his record of anti-Muslim rhetoric and Christian proselytizing. Likewise, Franklin Graham, a noted evangelical Bush ally, has been pursuing an aggressive approach in Iraq, after calling Islam “a very evil and wicked religion.”
I have no idea what kind of permission or coordination the evangelists have received with the U.S. government in Iraq; I suspect it’s minimal. But to Iraqis who distrust our motives, having thousands of Christians trying to convert them is part of an antagonizing and condescending American message.
Given the circumstances, this evangelism is a destructive element in a tense environment. I don’t know if the missionaries are having success in finding converts, but it pales in comparison to failure in stabilizing a war-torn country.
Post Script: One last thought. Who wants to imagine how the new, post-June 30 government will look on thousands of Christian evangelists in their country? Here’s a guess: It will do what most Middle Eastern countries have done — ban them.