Christian aid shows pulpit's shifting power<\/p>\n
Brian Murphy, Associated Press\/Ladong, Aceh<\/p>\n
The Americans in matching T-shirts were hugged as heroes when
\nthey arrived one afternoon with clean water and medical care.<\/p>\n
But how the help got there was something the tsunami survivors
\ncould scarcely comprehend: the forces of faith, fund-raising and
\nglobe-trotting volunteerism that have opened a stream of private
\nChristian aid to one of the most religiously conservative corners
\nof Muslim Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The initiatives - from the volunteers in a Ladong palm grove
\nto an aid-laden Boeing 747 from the Samaritan's Purse run by the
\nson of evangelist Billy Graham - show the power of congregations
\nto tap private donors when a tragedy captures the world's
\nattention.<\/p>\n
It also highlights the rising aspirations among a new style of
\nChristian relief leagues mostly linked to evangelists and
\nactivists in the United States.<\/p>\n
For decades, most U.S. faith-based relief agencies have
\nfollowed a pact: access to government funds in exchange for
\npromises not to seek converts or upset local customs. Even groups
\nthat don't take U.S. financial help are on board. Nearly all
\nagree to a code of conduct that separates aid from religious
\noutreach.<\/p>\n
The tsunami disaster, however, has given a high-profile stage
\nfor other Christian groups outside the established framework.<\/p>\n
It's still very rare for any church group to openly combine
\noverseas assistance with missionary work - especially in the
\nMuslim world. But it remains highly sensitive. Some Islamic
\nleaders in Indonesia have warned of a sharp response to any
\nChristian visitor accused of proselytizing.<\/p>\n
\"We don't go around waving Bibles,\" said Ron Day, part of the
\n13-member team setting up water filtration and other provisions
\nat a small refugee camp in Ladong, about 20 kilometers east of
\nBanda Aceh, the hub of international relief efforts. \"I know that
\nis sometimes the perception. But it's wrong. As Christians, we
\nare called to help others, but we don't insist that others
\nbelieve what we do.\"<\/p>\n
Day's group, Strategic World Impact, has become a rising force
\namong the Christian aid brigades. SWI - run by veteran Christian
\nrights campaigner, Kevin Turner - offers war zone and disaster
\narea training near its Bartlesville, Oklahoma headquarters. When
\na crisis hits, it sends out the call to its alumni in
\ncongregations around the country. Since the late 1990s, the teams
\nhave operated from Bosnia to Myanmar.<\/p>\n
One of SWI's mission statements is \"the evangelization of the
\nworld.\"<\/p>\n
This is where it could get complicated in northwestern
\nIndonesia, a region of deep religious significance as the first
\npart of the archipelago to come in contact with Islamic traders
\nnearly 1,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
The country's most influential group of Muslim clerics has
\nwarned they would \"not remain quiet\" if Christian groups step
\nbeyond offering aid. It's a threat taken seriously in a country
\nwhere thousands have died in Christian-Muslim violence in recent
\nyears.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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