Baptist Official: Pope's Passing May Open Doors for Discussing Faith
by Allie Martin
April 14, 2005
(AgapePress) - An official with the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) says the recent death of Pope John Paul II is providing Evangelicals with many opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.Last week millions of people flocked to Vatican City in Italy to offer their condolences in the aftermath of the Pope's passing. Jack Shiflet, administrator for Western Europe with ABWE, was a recent guest on a Mission Network News program, where he observed that many people in Europe appreciated the pope in the same way that many Americans appreciated former President Ronald Reagan.
Shiftlet observes that John Paul was beloved for his ideals and accomplishments and revered by many as a great leader. As such, the Roman Catholic pontiff's passing would naturally be notable to vast numbers of people who might share some of his convictions without necessarily sharing their spiritual foundation.
And, when it comes to the "culturally religious" masses in Europe or anywhere else, the Baptist official points out that many people claim to be Christians based on a so-called birthright or tradition. But they are still, as he terms it, "unchurched," and he notes, "that's what Western Europe is" -- largely unchurched.
"Athough you may think of the great cathedrals and its Christian past, half of Western Europe is less than one percent evangelical," Shiflet points out, "and that would be the same percentage you would find in India or in Egypt. So that's a startling statistic for most people because, when they go and visit Western Europe, they see signs of Christianity on every hand."
But in fact, the ABWE administrator says, Europe is a wide open mission field. And, he adds, the recent death of Pope John Paul II has provided some segues for Christians to engage people in discussions about eternity.
"I think any time you have a prominent event like this in public," Shiflet comments, "it's easy to bridge to ... what the issues are [and so on]. So, yes, I think [the Pope's passing] is going to afford opportunities for the gospel."
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
