Showing posts with label Afghanistan. Show all posts
People Grieve For Pastor, Amid Concern About Protestant Mission Policy
Monday, July 30, 2007
South Koreans grieve the slaying of a pastor in Afghanistan and now question overseas mission work by Korean Protestant Churches.
Taliban rebels in Afghanistan killed Reverend Bae Hyeong-gyu on July 25. His bullet-riddled body was found in Ghazni province in Afghanistan, six days after they kidnapped him and 22 other South Koreans, 18 women and four men.
All the hostages belong to Saemmul Community Church in Seongnam, near Seoul, where Reverend Bae was vice-pastor. The Protestants were in Afghanistan to provide free medical and educational services. They arrived in the Muslim country on July 13 and were to leave July 23.
Auxiliary Bishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju, president of the Korean bishops' Committee for Promoting Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue, sent a condolence letter to Reverend Kwon Oh-sung, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea, on July 26. He wrote: "I offer deep condolences to his bereaved family and Church community. I also pray to God for the safe return home of the 22 young volunteers."
The Christian Council of Korea, an umbrella group of conservative Protestant Churches, released a statement on July 26 expressing sorrow over Reverend Bae's death. Besides urging Christians to pray for the other captives' safe return, it demands restraint of Church social-work activities in dangerous places and appropriate safety measures for all overseas Church aid workers.
The Taliban Islamic extremists threaten to kill the hostages if the Afghan government fails to release the same number of Taliban prisoners in exchange. The Taliban that ruled most of Afghanistan until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 also demands the immediate withdrawal of 200 South Korean non-combat troops serving as medics and engineers. They are set to return home in December.
Local media are debating the "hot controversy" among Koreans about reckless overseas mission work by Protestant Churches. Korean-language newspapers such as Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun say in their editorials that aggressive mission work undertaken by Korean Protestants is "inappropriate."
Benedict Park Young-dae, director of lay-run Woori Theology Institute, told UCA News on July 23, "I feel pity, but Protestant Churches need to review their unfriendly mission attitude to other religions."
"Protestant Churches may tacitly regard the brutal death as martyrdom," he added, "but I think he (Reverend Bae) is just a victim of Protestant Churches' overseas mission policy." The Churches should review their mission policy in accord with the prevalent culture and religion of a particular area, he said.
Monica Lee Ji-yun, a 32-year-old office worker, told UCA News she feels deep sorrow "for the innocent death," but questions the reckless missionary activities of the kidnapped group. "Their missionary work was disguised in the name of volunteer service," she said, so she is also wondering if their short stay affected the life of the Afghans.
However, Son Jung-eun, a member of Somang Presbyterian Church in Seoul who did two-week mission trips to Taiwan and India last year, argues that mission work must continue because it is "a must for Christians."
Witnessing to faith in one's daily lives may be the best way to do mission work, she told UCA News on July 26, but it is hard to obtain conversions this way. "So, we need to go out to just sow the seeds of evangelization. The Holy Spirit will grow the seeds."
Imm Min-hyuk, a 34-year-old office worker who professes no religion, agrees that Protestants need to do mission work. "However, they should have paid more respect to the culture and life of the country (Afghanistan)," he told UCA News on July 27. "Unlike South Korea, where religious plurality is admitted, Islam is their culture and life in Muslim countries. It would be better (for Protestants) to spread their truth in a passive way than by offensive and direct mission work," he said.
As of 2006, according to the Korea World Missions Association, Korean Protestants Churches dispatched 14,086 missioners overseas, including some to Islamic countries that ban Christian missionary work in their territories.
Source: UCAN
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Taliban rebels in Afghanistan killed Reverend Bae Hyeong-gyu on July 25. His bullet-riddled body was found in Ghazni province in Afghanistan, six days after they kidnapped him and 22 other South Koreans, 18 women and four men.
All the hostages belong to Saemmul Community Church in Seongnam, near Seoul, where Reverend Bae was vice-pastor. The Protestants were in Afghanistan to provide free medical and educational services. They arrived in the Muslim country on July 13 and were to leave July 23.
Auxiliary Bishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju, president of the Korean bishops' Committee for Promoting Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue, sent a condolence letter to Reverend Kwon Oh-sung, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in Korea, on July 26. He wrote: "I offer deep condolences to his bereaved family and Church community. I also pray to God for the safe return home of the 22 young volunteers."
The Christian Council of Korea, an umbrella group of conservative Protestant Churches, released a statement on July 26 expressing sorrow over Reverend Bae's death. Besides urging Christians to pray for the other captives' safe return, it demands restraint of Church social-work activities in dangerous places and appropriate safety measures for all overseas Church aid workers.
The Taliban Islamic extremists threaten to kill the hostages if the Afghan government fails to release the same number of Taliban prisoners in exchange. The Taliban that ruled most of Afghanistan until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 also demands the immediate withdrawal of 200 South Korean non-combat troops serving as medics and engineers. They are set to return home in December.
Local media are debating the "hot controversy" among Koreans about reckless overseas mission work by Protestant Churches. Korean-language newspapers such as Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun say in their editorials that aggressive mission work undertaken by Korean Protestants is "inappropriate."
Benedict Park Young-dae, director of lay-run Woori Theology Institute, told UCA News on July 23, "I feel pity, but Protestant Churches need to review their unfriendly mission attitude to other religions."
"Protestant Churches may tacitly regard the brutal death as martyrdom," he added, "but I think he (Reverend Bae) is just a victim of Protestant Churches' overseas mission policy." The Churches should review their mission policy in accord with the prevalent culture and religion of a particular area, he said.
Monica Lee Ji-yun, a 32-year-old office worker, told UCA News she feels deep sorrow "for the innocent death," but questions the reckless missionary activities of the kidnapped group. "Their missionary work was disguised in the name of volunteer service," she said, so she is also wondering if their short stay affected the life of the Afghans.
However, Son Jung-eun, a member of Somang Presbyterian Church in Seoul who did two-week mission trips to Taiwan and India last year, argues that mission work must continue because it is "a must for Christians."
Witnessing to faith in one's daily lives may be the best way to do mission work, she told UCA News on July 26, but it is hard to obtain conversions this way. "So, we need to go out to just sow the seeds of evangelization. The Holy Spirit will grow the seeds."
Imm Min-hyuk, a 34-year-old office worker who professes no religion, agrees that Protestants need to do mission work. "However, they should have paid more respect to the culture and life of the country (Afghanistan)," he told UCA News on July 27. "Unlike South Korea, where religious plurality is admitted, Islam is their culture and life in Muslim countries. It would be better (for Protestants) to spread their truth in a passive way than by offensive and direct mission work," he said.
As of 2006, according to the Korea World Missions Association, Korean Protestants Churches dispatched 14,086 missioners overseas, including some to Islamic countries that ban Christian missionary work in their territories.
Source: UCAN
Click here to return to homepage