Evangelicals: Tsunami Relief Work Relates Closely to Evangelism

Two weeks after the South Asia quake-tsunami disaster devastated coastlines around the Indian Ocean, the relief effort continues to focus on survivors. While the names of the major charities or aid agencies hit the headlines almost everyday with their enormous donations, some other unseen good works of God are emerging behind the scenes of the tragedy.

In the tragedy of losing loved ones and property, the faith of many victims or witnesses of the devastating tsunami has being shaken. However, the crisis has revealed the broken and humble hearts of men which have now become a contact point to see God. Christian Evangelicals claim that humanitarian aid should have a spiritual component.

Rev. Franklin Graham, the outspoken leader of Samaritan's Purse and the son of the world renowned evangelist Rev. Billy Graham, said, "Aid should share the love of Christ...I would hope that they would come to know the God I know."

For many evangelical groups, humanitarian aid has a dual purpose. In short-term, it provides immediate physical relief for victims. In long-term, it helps establishing relationships in the hope of future influence, paving a way for mission.

However, the evangelical groups’ approach to mixing Christian mission with humanitarian aid is not being well accepted by faith-based relief organisations. InterAction, an umbrella organisation that coordinates the largest relief agencies, including the most widely recognised faith-based groups, said it expected its members to respect the "cultural, religious and political customs" in the countries where they work.

Christian relief agency World Vision and Catholic Relief Services are two examples that oppose doing aid work and evangelism together. Scott Moreau, editor of Evangelical Missions Quarterly and a Wheaton College professor said, "They consider the very fact that they're there and compassionate as a viable form of Christian witness without having to convert people."

World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, however is focused on humanitarian aid while looking for opportunities to later encourage conversions in southern Asia.

Dating back in history, the door of the Gospel was very much opened by the humanitarian work in many parts of the world. World Relief spokesman Chris Pettit cited Cambodia as an example. 300 churches were built after the World Relief provided aid for the war-torn Cambodian in the 1990s.

"Historically, the best approach is to provide help and build trust, and then through that trust, opportunities arise. We plant the seeds," Pettit said.

Actually, in the 16th century, a similar debate was raised between Jesuits and Franciscans. As they delivered humanitarian aid to China, one side supports deference to indigenous religions and cultures; the other seeks an opportunity to spread its religious message.

Moreau predicts, "They (evangelicals) will not give up the goal of church planting."

The Lampstand Partnership, a church planting organisation, said that their church planters are providing basic needs to victims in Aech, Indonesia and at the same time they are sharing the gospel to many who have been unable to hear it for a long time.

"The province is under military rule due to an on-going civil war - and travel is restricted," Leader of the Lampstand Partnership Michael Densmoor said.

"No foreigners are allowed in the province as well. Now all this has changed. Church planters will be going into these areas starting today. We have already trained them in the Acehnese language and Muslim evangelism. They will be giving clothes to the naked, water to the thirsty but the words of life to those who have never heard."