Ukraine Proseletising

[andrewstx]

Today I read in the newspaper that the first Baptist church has been concerned over the riots in Ukraine.

Why are the Baptists even there to begin with? Ukraine has been Greek Catholic and Orthodox for many centuries before the Baptists even saw light of day.

I am very offended by this, we were Christians for many years before the Baptists decided to ‘bring Ukraine to Christ and American culture’!

 

[dzheremi]

Why are the Baptists even there to begin with?

For the same reason Protestants are everywhere: To turn people away from their native churches and to newly-planted Protestant ones. It does not seem as bad in Ukraine as it is in, say, Ethiopia or India (in terms of traditionally Orthodox countries or countries with apostolic Christian roots). Then again, I have heard of Protestants going to those countries as missionaries and coming back as Orthodox or Catholic Christians (depending on the demographics of where they went), so it’s not all bad.

 

[andrewstx]

For the same reason Protestants are everywhere: To turn people away from their native churches and to newly-planted Protestant ones. It does not seem as bad in Ukraine as it is in, say, Ethiopia or India (in terms of traditionally Orthodox countries or countries with apostolic Christian roots). Then again, I have heard of Protestants going to those countries as missionaries and coming back as Orthodox or Catholic Christians (depending on the demographics of where they went), so it’s not all bad.

I think we should send thousands of Priests and Bishops to Alabama to bring the Baptists to Christ.

Yes a reader in my parish started out as a “church of Christ” missioner to Romania.

 

[JustaServant]

Today I read in the newspaper that the first Baptist church has been concerned over the riots in Ukraine.

Why are the Baptists even there to begin with? Ukraine has been Greek Catholic and Orthodox for many centuries before the Baptists even saw light of day.

I am very offended by this, we were Christians for many years before the Baptists decided to ‘bring Ukraine to Christ and American culture’!

This was a big thing when I was a fundie. When the Soviet Union fell they proclaimed they had an “open door” to “preach the Gospel” in the former Soviet states. Catholic or Orthodox, made no difference (they’re all the same…right? )
It comes off however, for people in those cultures, as a purely AMERICAN religion trying desparately to turn Ukrainian Orthodox or Catholics into AMERICANS.
Christian Fundamentalism was created in America.

 

[Peter_J]

I think we should send thousands of Priests and Bishops to Alabama to bring the Baptists to Christ.

Sarcasm aside, perhaps you really should try to bring Baptists to the truth.

By way of comparison, recall that 4 centuries ago (Catholic) Polish kings used their power to bring a great many Orthodox into the Roman Communion. How much better would it have been if they instead focused on bringing Baptists (or should I say Zwinglians) to the truth?

 

[BillyT926]

I think we should send thousands of Priests and Bishops to Alabama to bring the Baptists to Christ.

Yes a reader in my parish started out as a “church of Christ” missioner to Romania.

Why do you think EWTN is in Alabama !

 

[Loving_disciple]

I hope Protestantism doesn’t get that far in the Ukraine I mean yes Catholics and Orthodox have their problems with each other but at least there is some community with them. Protestants will destroy any unity that there is in Christianity

 

[MichaelinMD]

Sarcasm aside, perhaps you really should try to bring Baptists to the truth.

By way of comparison, recall that 4 centuries ago (Catholic) Polish kings used their power to bring a great many Orthodox into the Roman Communion. How much better would it have been if they instead focused on bringing Baptists (or should I say Zwinglians) to the truth?

Because 4 centuries ago, there were no Baptists/Zwinglians (and no Polish kings) in Alabama ?

Or maybe because there were a lot more Orthodox than any Protestants in Poland then?
upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Religions_in_Poland_1573.PNG

 

[Miserissima]

Cracks me up: if the Orthodox over there are only one tenth as strong in their faith as the Orthodox I know over here, 9/10 of the missionaries will convert before (or soon after) they return to American soil.

 

[rfournier103]

What I find amazing is that the vast majority of Protestant missionaries go to countries that are already Christian (Brazil, Mexico, the Phillipines…) after Catholics or Orthodox have done the heavy lifting and risked their necks.

I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia. Easier to muscle in on non-violent Catholics than risk their lives. What does that tell you about those missionaries, their message, and the strength of their conviction?

 

[MichaelinMD]

What I find amazing is that the vast majority of Protestant missionaries go to countries that are already Christian (Brazil, Mexico, the Phillipines…) after Catholics or Orthodox have done the heavy lifting and risked their necks.

***I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia. *** Easier to muscle in on non-violent Catholics than risk their lives. What does that tell you about those missionaries, their message, and the strength of their conviction?

How do you know they haven’t? I recall reading not all that long ago of some Protestant missionaries in Pakistan being executed–for trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.

(And…not all Catholics are all that “non-violent”, either…)

 

[Peter_J]

Because 4 centuries ago, there were no Baptists/Zwinglians (and no Polish kings) in Alabama ?

Interesting. I figured someone would make a wisecrack about there not being Baptists in Poland, but this ^^ was a fun twist.

 

[Miserissima]

What I find amazing is that the vast majority of Protestant missionaries go to countries that are already Christian (Brazil, Mexico, the Phillipines…) after Catholics or Orthodox have done the heavy lifting and risked their necks.

I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia. Easier to muscle in on non-violent Catholics than risk their lives. What does that tell you about those missionaries, their message, and the strength of their conviction?[/iITC, QUOTE]

IIRC, weren’t there some Protestant missionaries to rescue before the last Iraq mission?

 

[babochka]

I hope Protestantism doesn’t get that far in the Ukraine I mean yes Catholics and Orthodox have their problems with each other but at least there is some community with them. Protestants will destroy any unity that there is in Christianity

Too late, I’m afraid. My city has tens of thousands of Ukrainian immigrants, almost all Baptists and Pentecostals.

 

[rfournier103]

What I find amazing is that the vast majority of Protestant missionaries go to countries that are already Christian (Brazil, Mexico, the Phillipines…) after Catholics or Orthodox have done the heavy lifting and risked their necks.

I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia. Easier to muscle in on non-violent Catholics than risk their lives. What does that tell you about those missionaries, their message, and the strength of their conviction?

rfournier103;11724391:

What I find amazing is that the vast majority of Protestant missionaries go to countries that are already Christian (Brazil, Mexico, the Phillipines…) after Catholics or Orthodox have done the heavy lifting and risked their necks.

I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia. Easier to muscle in on non-violent Catholics than risk their lives. What does that tell you about those missionaries, their message, and the strength of their conviction?

IIRC, weren’t there some Protestant missionaries to rescue before the last Iraq mission?

I do believe I said THE VAST MAJORITY went to countries that were already Christian. I did in no way intend to include ALL.

The work of those who spread the Gospel in ANY country that doesn’t already have it is a very admirable thing. But to go to a Christian country and try to “convert” them sounds like a mission from the the DRD (Department of Redundancy Department).

There’s a high profile missionary, (whose son is a high profile prefessional football player who can’t seem to get a job in the NFL), that has invested YEARS of his life in the Philippines trying to convert the native people. According to a quick web-search of mine; 80% of the people are Catholic, and another 15% are Protestant. Who is he trying to convert? The remaining 5%?

 

[TRH1292]

What I find amazing is that the vast majority of Protestant missionaries go to countries that are already Christian (Brazil, Mexico, the Phillipines…) after Catholics or Orthodox have done the heavy lifting and risked their necks.

I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia. Easier to muscle in on non-violent Catholics than risk their lives. What does that tell you about those missionaries, their message, and the strength of their conviction?

Aye, that is one of the biggest source of tension between Protestants and Catholic/Orthodox, I feel.

 

[MichaelinMD]

I do believe I said THE VAST MAJORITY went to countries that were already Christian. I did in no way intend to include ALL.

The work of those who spread the Gospel in ANY country that doesn’t already have it is a very admirable thing. But to go to a Christian country and try to “convert” them sounds like a mission from the the DRD (Department of Redundancy Department).

There’s a high profile missionary, (whose son is a high profile prefessional football player who can’t seem to get a job in the NFL), that has invested YEARS of his life in the Philippines trying to convert the native people. According to a quick web-search of mine; 80% of the people are Catholic, and another 15% are Protestant. Who is he trying to convert? The remaining 5%?

But you also said, "I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia." at which my comment was directed. And they are.

As for that particular family you reference, a VERY cursory glancing at their website tells me that, yes, they are aiming primarily at the “remaining 5%”.

The Philippines, a country comprised of over 7,100 islands, has historically been an area of abuse and conquest. Of the 86 million Filipinos, we estimate that over 65 million have never once heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Currently, there are 41,949 barangays (villages), and 26,675 (64%) of them have no evangelical church of any kind.

btea.org/theplan.asp

 

[Aramis]

I do believe I said THE VAST MAJORITY went to countries that were already Christian. I did in no way intend to include ALL.

The work of those who spread the Gospel in ANY country that doesn’t already have it is a very admirable thing. But to go to a Christian country and try to “convert” them sounds like a mission from the the DRD (Department of Redundancy Department).

There’s a high profile missionary, (whose son is a high profile prefessional football player who can’t seem to get a job in the NFL), that has invested YEARS of his life in the Philippines trying to convert the native people. According to a quick web-search of mine; 80% of the people are Catholic, and another 15% are Protestant. Who is he trying to convert? The remaining 5%?

The problem is that many protestants see the Apostolic faiths as heresy; in fact, they often refer to Catholics as pagans. They are deluded, and boy are they in for a surprise, but delusion drives a lot these days.

 

[tomarin]

The problem is that many protestants see the Apostolic faiths as heresy; in fact, they often refer to Catholics as pagans. They are deluded, and boy are they in for a surprise, but delusion drives a lot these days.

There’s a very wide range in ecumenism among Protestants, but historically certainly they have always been trying to correct the errors as they see it of apostolic Christianity – that’s what the whole Protestant Reformation was about and it hasn’t really ended.

 

[josie_L]

But you also said, "I would love to see these Protestant missionaries try their hand in places like: Iraq, Pakistan, the Congo, Sudan, or Indonesia." at which my comment was directed. And they are.

As for that particular family you reference, a VERY cursory glancing at their website tells me that, yes, they are aiming primarily at the “remaining 5%”.

Well, I guess the 2% of Non-Catholics Brazilians were the reason that Evangelicals had to proselytize Brazil.