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Has anyone seen this yet?

It is Operation Gideon's adopt an island. During the Olympics they want to evangelize the Greek Orthodox and bring them the Gospels!

Operation Gideon [operationgideon.org]

They claim,
Hellenic Ministries [hmnet.org.gr] state,

they go on further to state,

I contacted them and told them it was an offense, that they should rather work with the GOC for a renewal.
Stephanos I

Dear Father Stephanos,

Working WITH the Greek Orthodox Church in Greece is EXACTLY what they should be doing.

Instead, the ping pong game of 'our way is the only RIGHT way to worship and believe' continues back and forth...oh, if only Christians could work together for His sake.

Oh, if we could only be ONE again, appreciating the strengths and different approaches of different traditions and cultures within what could be the one Church, and acknowledging that there will be some traditions that will appeal to some and others that will appeal to others...without triumphalism, ego, competition and judgmentalism.

Well, I can dream, can't I? :rolleyes:

In Christ,
the Lord and Saviour of us all,
Alice

It sounds to me like one of those Protestant non-denominational or pan-denominational organizations which reject many of the most basic teachings of the faith and operate on the basis of "sola scriptura" (= each one's one take on what the Bible means), "sola gratia" ('by grace alone', denying human responsibility), etc.

I think that the best response to those people is to ignore them and to strengthen the weak areas of the Church, which IS the pillar and ground of the truth.

Porter (actual name)

I just sent this message off to them....

Dear Brethren in Christ Jesus,

I am a devout Greek Orthodox, very respectful and aware of other faith traditions of Christianity. While I think that Evangelicalism has many merits well suited to today's fast paced world, I am deeply hurt by your assertions that centuries of darkness have prevailed over the home of my ancestors.

During four hundred years of Islamic Ottoman occupation, it was the deep abiding faith in our Apostolic tradition, and in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that carried us through. It was the love for Christ and being Christian that saw many lay, clergy and hierarchs brutally tortured and martyred for His sake. It was the belief in life eternal as promised to us in the New Testament by our Messiah that helped my ancestors endure the tragic daily suffering of their lives.

Fast forward these very same beliefs in Christ and eternal life into World War II, with starvation and even more suffering for the Greek people. My father's family knew well of this suffering. What do you and I, or even my mother and her family, who lived in the United States during this time, know of ANY of these sufferings? How do you think that people endure the tragedy of death, starvation and suffering, if not with their abiding love and belief in Christ and life eternal???

As for Greece (and Europe) today, its ease of living, affluence, materialism and worldly pursuits have let go of Christianity. Does it need evangelizing? Absolutely!

Is the lack of understanding of the most ancient church tradition born out of the lands of the Apostles, and of other cultures, the way to do it? NO!

Is triumphalism, with its 'my faith tradition is the way to Truth and the only correct way' , practiced by some overly zealous and fundamentalist Christians of all faith traditions the way to do it? NO!

Love, charity, humility and appreciation for other's traditions is the way to do it.

Evangelical Christianity beautifully offers a simple message which can indeed be the birth, or awakening of a love for Christ in those baptized Christians who haven't thought much about it. After that, however, you should follow in the footsteps of one of the greatest Evangelical leaders, and saints living today, the Reverend Billy Graham, and send those persons who have heard the good news you brought them, back into their own houses of worship. I assure you, as I am a very ecumenically hearted person, that they will get what they want in the Orthodox Church. It is biblically rooted and most profound in the depth of spirituality one can attain within its loving and ancient arms. People have a great affinity for their cultures, including us Americans, and often prefer to worship in the style which is comfortable to them. Inevitably there may be those who will want to try something new and switch, perhaps as a novelty, perhaps for a while, or perhaps for good, but only then should you prosletyze and tell them to worship with you in your culturally American way.

Let go of the ego. Do what you know how to do best, and of which I give you due credit, but NEVER make the sinfully arrogant assumption that the Orthodox way of worship is devoid of grace and is shroud in darkness.

One of the most beautiful intrinsically Christian virtues which Orthodox Christianity teaches is that of humility. That is why we repent and confess over and over again...trying to attain the godly humility and love which Christ desires of us. We also revere the image of Christ which is in every man. I urge you to try to do the same, even when you don't understand their culture.

Humbly and lovingly, as a sister who has tried to follow the tenets of our common Lord and Saviour, and who greatly loves Him and His message, I ask you, please to consider all that I have said...for the greater good of He who calls us... our Lord Jesus Christ.

Humbly,
With love in Christ,
Alice ****

Dear Alice,

I love your passion for Christ's Church to be one. Since I don't type very fast, I'll leave my response to +Josef Cardinal Suenens, "Blessed are they who dream dreams and are willing to pay the price for them to come true."

Christ is our peace.

In Jesus and our blessed mother Mary,

Paul

Dear Alice:

If all of us had at least a small part of your fervent love for Christ and His Church, we would have been United a long long time ago. I admire your faith and charity.

God bless you.

In Christ
Bernardo

AMEN Alice, an awesome sermon. You go girl!

Pani Rose

Dear Alice,

Beautiful letter. If only a Greek Orthodox could be right there to give a copy of it to everyone Operation Gideon tries to "evangelize".

Bill