Is it appropriate to fund a Protestant missionary?

[AlwaysCurious]

I am a convert, and the only Catholic in my family. The rest are evangelical protestants.

Recently a close cousin announced his plans to visit China for a year, ostensibly as an English teacher but also as a missionary. He needs to raise funds for the travel expenses, visa, etc. and has been going to various local churches to speak and request contributions.

This cousin was probably more tolerant of my conversion to Catholicism than anyone else in my extended family, and I doubt he would expend energy trying to draw away any Chinese Catholics he might run across. And I suspect he will do his best to express God’s love through practical action. Still, the gospel he will be teaching/preaching will obviously not be the fullness of the truth.

So, do I make a financial contribution, or not?

 

[VivienneJ]

I am a convert, and the only Catholic in my family. The rest are evangelical protestants.

Recently a close cousin announced his plans to visit China for a year, ostensibly as an English teacher but also as a missionary. He needs to raise funds for the travel expenses, visa, etc. and has been going to various local churches to speak and request contributions.

This cousin was probably more tolerant of my conversion to Catholicism than anyone else in my extended family, and I doubt he would expend energy trying to draw away any Chinese Catholics he might run across. And I suspect he will do his best to express God’s love through practical action. Still, the gospel he will be teaching/preaching will obviously not be the fullness of the truth.

So, do I make a financial contribution, or not?

AlwaysCurious, I’m alarmed by the phrase I bolded. If your cousin has a post as an English teacher and that is what his visa states, he could get into serious trouble proselytizing in China. He needs to make sure that his visa application states he will be engaging in missionary work, if he is going through an agency he should inform them of his intentions as well.

 

[Joan1969]

I am a convert, and the only Catholic in my family. The rest are evangelical protestants.

Recently a close cousin announced his plans to visit China for a year, ostensibly as an English teacher but also as a missionary. He needs to raise funds for the travel expenses, visa, etc. and has been going to various local churches to speak and request contributions.

This cousin was probably more tolerant of my conversion to Catholicism than anyone else in my extended family, and I doubt he would expend energy trying to draw away any Chinese Catholics he might run across. And I suspect he will do his best to express God’s love through practical action. Still, the gospel he will be teaching/preaching will obviously not be the fullness of the truth.

So, do I make a financial contribution, or not?

Hi Always,

My short answer to the question would be no. The only Protestant groups I fund at all are involved exclusively in secular political or legal work here in the US. Missionaries may do some good work, but if they are not Catholics it is mixed in with their doctrine, and we should only spread the fullness of the Gospel with our contributions.

I think Vivienne makes a very important point. Does your cousin have a full awareness of what he’s doing? What sorts of consequences, both to himself and even to the country as a whole, might result? I very much doubt that China allows visitors any freedom to spread religion of any kind. Not that their position is legitimate, but it is the reality and must be dealt with as it is. I would like to know how the Church deals with China and similar countries in this regard.

God Bless,
Joan

 

[AlwaysCurious]

AlwaysCurious, I’m alarmed by the phrase I bolded. If your cousin has a post as an English teacher and that is what his visa states, he could get into serious trouble proselytizing in China. He needs to make sure that his visa application states he will be engaging in missionary work, if he is going through an agency he should inform them of his intentions as well.

I do not know the specifics of the visa, nor do I know whether he intends to proselytize or simply “live out his witness.” His program has been around for about 12 years without any political or legal incident, so I assume they know what they’re doing.

 

[Jingerly44]

Absolutely NO. The Church recognises other Christians, baptised in the name of the Blessed Trinity, as our Brothers and Sisters in Christ; but they possess a deficient faith -or rather only part of the True faith. They can cause more harm than good (how many groups are pro-abortion? Divorce? Not to mention the need for sacramental Grace).

To fund such individuals is tantamount to acknowledging what they are proclaiming as the truth. If you want to assist denote to one of the many Catholic Missionary societies.

I admire you for your courage. It is not easy going against family and loved ones for the sake of the truth. And in cases such as this the distinction between compassion and compromise can be tricky.

Stand Firm In The Faith

 

[Jesus_123]

+You need to really pray . . . . . . and discern how God is leading you in this matter . . . pondering on the below little portion of Sacred :bible1: Scripture might be helpful . . .

. . . :coffeeread: . . .

The Holy :bible1: Bible
Matthew 25:34-46

[34] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For** I **was hungry, and you gave **me **to eat; **I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in: [36] Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I **was in prison, and you came to me. [37] Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see **thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink? [38] And when did we see thee **a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee? [39] Or when did we see **thee sick or in prison, and came to thee? [40] And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I **say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.

[41] Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For** I** was hungry, and you gave me NOT to eat: **I was thirsty, and you gave me **NOT to drink. [43] I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me NOT: sick and in prison, and you did NOT visit me. [44] Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? [45] Then **he **shall answer them, saying: Amen **I say to you, as long as you did it NOT to one of these least, neither did you do it to me. [46] And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting. ​

The previous comments expressed individual personal opinions . . . however . . . please note . . . that not one of them quoted any source doctrine or document from our Holy Mother Church’s Magesterium . . . to support their personal opinions . . . also . . . I have protestant friends . . . truly Holy Godly Christ Centered :bible1: Bible believing souls . . . who have gone over to that area as teachers . . . and the schools they are actually connected to are all church schools . . . not public . . . perhaps that is the arena your cousin will be teaching in . . .

*God bless . . . *

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . thank You dear Lord our Saviour+
. . . thank You Gracious Heavenly Father+
. . . thank You Sweet Spirit of our Holy God+​

 

[Joan1969]

. . . please note . . . that not one of them quoted any source doctrine or document from our Holy Mother Church’s Magesterium . . . to support their personal opinions . . .

Hi 123,

I am all in favor of finding supporting quotes where necessary, but sometimes good judgement and common sense can serve quite well without citations. It is common knowledge that the Church considers Herself to be the only ecclessial body that has the fullness of the Truth. Any group that is separated from the Church and teaching any different, mistaken doctrines (which pretty much describes Protestants) should therefore not be supported in any effort to spread their theological ideas.

I can find citations, but I will only take that time if the OP desires it.

God Bless,
Joan

p.s. I hope the Protestants who read this realize that I do respect both the sincerity of their Faith, and that we often share beliefs as often as we differ. But we do differ, and generally in important matters.

 

[lizaanne]

So, do I make a financial contribution, or not?

Why would you ever want to support an organization that preaches heresy? Take the fact that this is a relative out of it, because it has zero relevance. This man is going with the intent to preach to people and lead them to a life in a heretical religion. We can be all nice and wishy washy about it and say, well at least they will be Christian! But that is the wrong answer. The right answer is to find a Catholic mission group in China and give THEM your money.

And I agree with others - if your cousin is not totally open with the Chinese government and gets caught, it could be a life or death situation for him. He needs to be extremely careful. Better that he just stick to teaching English…for a number of reasons.

~Liza

 

[manualman]

I’ve been in a similar circumstance too. I can’t believe people are actually suggesting that you simply say “Heck no, I’m not supporting no heretics!”

First, I think this is a call to reflection on your current giving. Are you giving to the work of the Church as much as you are being called to?

If so, explain to your family member how you decide who to give to and how much. Somewhere in that list is probably a highly focused catholic organization (maybe Mother Theresa’s order). Explain to the relative that if the situation were reversed, you’d understand if he/she were reluctant to give to an organization that teaches praying the rosary as an integral part of their spiritual outreach. You have that same concern because in spite of his/her personal sanctity, that version of christianity stripped bare of the oversight of bishops descended from the apostles and containing only 2 of the 7 sacraments we believe Jesus intended is something you cannot support when it would mean diverting funds away from one of the apostolates you are already supporting that does teach the full catholic faith.

Make sure it comes across not as personal, but as principled.

 

[AlwaysCurious]

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice!

 

[Joan1969]

I’ve been in a similar circumstance too. I can’t believe people are actually suggesting that you simply say “Heck no, I’m not supporting no heretics!”

First, I think this is a call to reflection on your current giving. Are you giving to the work of the Church as much as you are being called to?

Hi Manualman,

It’s true that Curious should be tactful in how he refuses his money to his cousin, assuming he is asked personally and needs to explicitly refuse. I don’t think he really needs, from any motive of politeness, to give detailed reasons if he chooses not to do so. One can say “I’m sorry, but I’m not in a position to give to you.” Or a general remark that one only gives to Catholic charities as a matter of personal practice. Either would do. The rude thing would be for anyone to press for a donation.

Good point about giving to Catholic work. There is a huge field of opportunity for giving to those who are spreading our own Faith. If you are interested, Curious, I can give you names of some of the organizations I support.

God Bless,
Joan

 

[Jesus_123]

+Keep praying AlwaysCurious . . . so far no one on this thread has even gotten near the heart of our Holy Mother Church’s sound and holy doctrinal teachings on such a matter . . . the only thing I can suggest is that you go to your priest seeking wisdom and instruction . . . tell him that as an act of . . . obedience to God . . . since you don’t know what is the wisest course of action in relation to your beloved cousin’s request in regard to supporting his new teaching assignment . . . commit in your heart and share with your preist that . . . you will follow his instruction in this matter . . . and humbly accept his judgement . . . for the Lord always honors our obedience to our spiritual director’s direction . . . *this whole dilemma is covered by the below portion of . . . Sacred :bible1:Scripture . . . *. . . :bible1: . . .
[28] And there came one of the scribes that had heard them reasoning together, and seeing that he had answered them well, asked him which was the first commandment of all. [29] And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is ONE GOD. [30] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy **whole heart **, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.

[31] And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these. [32] And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him. [33] And that he should be loved with the whole heart , and with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, and with the whole strength; and to love one’s neighbour as one’s self, is a greater thing than all holocausts and sacrifices. [34] And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him: Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.

​

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- Mark 12:28-34​

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T

hink no more of what people say, but of pleasing the Heart of Jesus, alone according to the lights He will give you. **He loves you and He will never allow you to perish, as long as you trust in Him.

​

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- St. Margaret Mary Alacoque​

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​

 

[Jesus_123]

. . . :bible1: . . .
[29] But he willing to justify himself, said to Jesus:

And who is my neighbour?

[30] And Jesus answering, said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who also stripped him, and having wounded him went away, leaving him half dead. [31] And it chanced, that a certain** priest went down the same way: and seeing him, passed by. [32] In like manner also a Levite, when he was near the place and saw him, passed by. [33] But a certain Samaritan **being on his journey, came near him; and seeing him, was moved with **compassion **. [34] And going up to him, bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine: and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. [35] And the next day he took out :twocents: , and gave to the host, and said: Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend over and above, I, at my return, will repay thee.

[36] Which of these three, in thy opinion, was neighbour to him that fell among the robbers? [37] But he said: He that shewed mercy to him. And Jesus said to him: Go, and do thou in like manner.

***- Matthew 10:29-37 ***​

 

[GraceDK]

I am a convert, and the only Catholic in my family. The rest are evangelical protestants.

Recently a close cousin announced his plans to visit China for a year, ostensibly as an English teacher but also as a missionary. He needs to raise funds for the travel expenses, visa, etc. and has been going to various local churches to speak and request contributions.

Great you must be very proud of him… I wouldn’t mind going to China myself one day. Right now reading the book: The Heavenly Man about a modern day apostle called brother Yun. The Lord is clearly blessing his ministry with something much more valuable than money, namely the Holy Spirit… inspite of him being a Catholic. But as the Bible says… the Lord has no favourites

This cousin was probably more tolerant of my conversion to Catholicism than anyone else in my extended family, and I doubt he would expend energy trying to draw away any Chinese Catholics he might run across.

Its important for you to know that in other parts of the world, outside America, the strife between churches is not as pronounced as in the States. In China eg. they have tried to not be influenced by the strife but simply live the simple Gospel and not accept books from either sides that seek to add to that simplicity or create bias against other Christians.

And I suspect he will do his best to express God’s love through practical action. Still, the gospel he will be teaching/preaching will obviously not be the fullness of the truth.

Really? I thought there is only one Gospel (Good News) but you are telling me there are two?

So, do I make a financial contribution, or not?

The question is if he preaches the one Gospel, and he does it with power, humility, simplicity and the Holy Spirit. If he does that, then by all means support him.

 

[GraceDK]

Hi 123,

I am all in favor of finding supporting quotes where necessary, but sometimes good judgement and common sense can serve quite well without citations. It is common knowledge that the Church considers Herself to be the only ecclessial body that has the fullness of the Truth. Any group that is separated from the Church and teaching any different, mistaken doctrines (which pretty much describes Protestants) should therefore not be supported in any effort to spread their theological ideas.

.

Really? And what if they spread their “Theological Ideas” that is, the Bible and simple message of salvation, better and more effectively and to a bigger audience than any Catholics in that given part of the world?

Is pettiness a part of Catholicism, I sometimes wonder.
I personally support Open Doors ministry which in an uncontested way supports the worlds persecuted Christians with Bibles, even in the most dangerous countries. And they don’t differ when they meet a Catholic, Orthodox or a Protestant

Dont you know that much Protestantism is like a minimal form of Catholicism… that is, Catholicism stripped of the Sacraments, saints etc, but still with huge respect for the Word of God, which they often use much more fully than we do, and believe much more in the promises of God in certain areas… the power of the Holy Spirit is manifest in their assemblies and in the people they send out… And its the Holy Spirit the OP supports if she supports a sincere missionary.

 

[GraceDK]

Absolutely NO. The Church recognises other Christians, baptised in the name of the Blessed Trinity, as our Brothers and Sisters in Christ; but they possess a deficient faith -or rather only part of the True faith. They can cause more harm than good (how many groups are pro-abortion? Divorce? Not to mention the need for sacramental Grace).

cause more harm than good? I am so indignated…
What are you comparing to? So many Protestant missionaries risk their lives every year, preaching in ways and in places where no one have been preaching before… and you wanna hinder them in hearing about Christ, because you have something against your brother… I understood if we were talking about anti-Catholics but thats not what the OP’s case is about… and yours is a distasteful blanket statement about a huge group of Christians some of which are the leading and fastest growing religious groups today with most success in spreading the Gospel in China, Africa, Middle East etc…

When I read such threads as these I see how much pride there is in some Catholics, and I wish that you could read and see the things I have read and seen in my life within different traditions, because you should indeed be concerned about taking out the plank from the eye of your own faith community before making prejudized statements about others. Some of the most upright and consistent Christians I have met in the Evangelical Churches and you wanna talk about who is pro-abortion, pro-divorce etc… you dont even have to move your butt, but can go into these very fora, to see all whats going on in our own Church of all these ills, and dont go giving me that we are not the Church, and that the church is some lofty mystical thing only… no… you need to step down and get aquainted with more Christains before you attempt to speak.

 

[Jesus_123]

+Eloquently and beautifully written GraceDK . . .:clapping: . . .

. . . all for Jesus+

 

[PoliSciProf]

I have very good friends, one of whom is a MD (his wife is a RN) who have spent their entire lives as medical missionaries in the back country of Kenya and now in Afghanistan. They do not proseletize but witness to the Gospel. They are supported by a number of Protestant churches, and, I am proud to say, by me and wife. More harm than good?? No way.

 

[mdgspencer]

If you are not sure, why even worry about it? Give your donation to a Catholic cause, if you want to make one. There is no call to explain to someone why you aren’t giving them money for their cause. If you want to tell them you are giving them something, you could say you will pray for them. You could then pray that they will do or know God’s will, for example.
I don’t see though objections that he would be violating Chinese law. In the Roman Empire Christians evangelized, though their activities were against the law.

 

[quiet52]

cause more harm than good? I am so indignated…
What are you comparing to? So many Protestant missionaries risk their lives every year, preaching in ways and in places where no one have been preaching before… and you wanna hinder them in hearing about Christ, because you have something against your brother… I understood if we were talking about anti-Catholics but thats not what the OP’s case is about… and yours is a distasteful blanket statement about a huge group of Christians some of which are the leading and fastest growing religious groups today with most success in spreading the Gospel in China, Africa, Middle East etc…

When I read such threads as these I see how much pride there is in some Catholics, and I wish that you could read and see the things I have read and seen in my life within different traditions, because you should indeed be concerned about taking out the plank from the eye of your own faith community before making prejudized statements about others. Some of the most upright and consistent Christians I have met in the Evangelical Churches and you wanna talk about who is pro-abortion, pro-divorce etc… you dont even have to move your butt, but can go into these very fora, to see all whats going on in our own Church of all these ills, and dont go giving me that we are not the Church, and that the church is some lofty mystical thing only… no… you need to step down and get aquainted with more Christains before you attempt to speak.

Several years ago one of my relatives was soliciting thousands of dollars from family members, so she could participate in a missionary effort which lasted only a few weeks. She believes that the Gospels teach that contraception, abortion, divorce and remarriage, homosexual relationships, personal interpretation of the Scriptures, Sola Scriptura, and Sola Fide are all okay. As much as I love her, I did not want to contribute to anyone causing harm to souls by MIS-teaching the message of our Lord. I sent her $50, and told her it was for fun and souvenir-shopping before and after her missionary trip.