St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

How to save Iraq?

Rebuilding Iraq offers Christian agencies the chance to take a leading role in delivering aid. But there's a major controversy over the demands some are making if they are to give that help. One agency is ready to commit millions of dollars, but only if allowed to preach the gospel message while doing so. Others have raised their voices against making humanitarian aid contingent on receiving the gospel. To them, followers of Jesus should do good for goodness sake - without the slightest trace of religious coercion or spiritual manipulation.

I wonder. On the one hand, I am an evangelical who believes we should use all legitimate means to win the world to Christ. On the other, using aid as 'bait' will probably do more harm than good. Will it increase conflicts between Muslims and Christians? Will this result in other Islamic governments putting more restraints on churches within their borders? I don't know.

What Jesus would do? I notice that Jesus resisted this very idea when Satan came to tempt him.

In Matthew 4:1-4, Satan proposes Jesus turn stones into bread. Why? So Jesus would be able to get hungry people to follow him. Jesus responds, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Jesus says simply holding up the truth about our magnificent loving God, without any accompanying bribes, is sufficient to bring people to faith.

I believe Christians should provide humanitarian aid to Iraq without conditions, as evidence that we love Jesus. And we should evangelise simply by holding up Jesus and allowing people to choose him freely because of who he is. We don't need to use bait or bribes. Jesus put it this way: 'If I be lifted up, I will draw all men and women to myself' (John 12:32).

Consider China. Before the Communist revolution, Western missionaries often spread Christianity there by connecting food and education with preaching Jesus. When the Communists took over there were only about 500,000 Christians in that vast country. Then the missionaries left, religion was outlawed, and the church driven underground, with nothing to offer other than the Saviour himself. Today there may be more than 40 million Chinese Christians.

When considering what we Christians should do in Iraq, let's remember what the Holy Spirit and the gospel of Jesus alone have done in China.

Dr. Tony Campolo, St. Davids, Pennsylvania, USA. Reprinted with permission from World Vision's free e-mail newsletter WorldView - www.worldvision.org.uk/church.

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. October 2003, Page 6.
Home Page. Index of articles. In this issue: (October 2003) Alpha, In the news, Egyptian Harvest, Conditional Aid? Finances, Poem.	How to save Iraq? Rebuilding Iraq offers Christian agencies the chance to take a leading role in delivering aid. But there's a major controversy over the demands some are making if they are to give that help. One agency is ready to commit millions of dollars, but only if allowed to preach the gospel message while doing so. Others have raised their voices against making humanitarian aid contingent on receiving the gospel. To them, followers of Jesus should do good for goodness sake - without the slightest trace of religious coercion or spiritual manipulation. I wonder. On the one hand, I am an evangelical who believes we should use all legitimate means to win the world to Christ. On the other, using aid as 'bait' will probably do more harm than good. Will it increase conflicts between Muslims and Christians? Will this result in other Islamic governments putting more restraints on churches within their borders? I don't know. What Jesus would do? I notice that Jesus resisted this very idea when Satan came to tempt him. In Matthew 4:1-4, Satan proposes Jesus turn stones into bread. Why? So Jesus would be able to get hungry people to follow him. Jesus responds, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Jesus says simply holding up the truth about our magnificent loving God, without any accompanying bribes, is sufficient to bring people to faith. I believe Christians should provide humanitarian aid to Iraq without conditions, as evidence that we love Jesus. And we should evangelise simply by holding up Jesus and allowing people to choose him freely because of who he is. We don't need to use bait or bribes. Jesus put it this way: 'If I be lifted up, I will draw all men and women to myself' (John 12:32). Consider China. Before the Communist revolution, Western missionaries often spread Christianity there by connecting food and education with preaching Jesus. When the Communists took over there were only about 500,000 Christians in that vast country. Then the missionaries left, religion was outlawed, and the church driven underground, with nothing to offer other than the Saviour himself. Today there may be more than 40 million Chinese Christians. When considering what we Christians should do in Iraq, let's remember what the Holy Spirit and the gospel of Jesus alone have done in China. Dr. Tony Campolo, St. Davids, Pennsylvania, USA. Reprinted with permission from World Vision's free e-mail newsletter WorldView - www.worldvision.org.uk/church. John Hartley
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