Quakers in Russia…? Protestant Missions in Orthodox Countries

You ask, will the heterodox be saved… Why do you worry about them? They have a Saviour Who desires the salvation of every human being. He will take care of them. You and I should not be burdened with such a concern. Study yourself and your own sins…

…I will tell you one thing, however: should you, being Orthodox and possessing the Truth in its fullness, betray Orthodoxy, and enter a different faith, you will lose your soul forever.(St. Theophan the Recluse… gleaned from Jim’s blog)

I’m currently doing a press release for George Fox on the Northwest Yearly Meeting. The NWYM is kind of like the yearly “ecumenical council” for Quakers (only with picnics, hootenannies and crafts). I’m looking at the brochure and reading about at all the workshop presentations. One workshop caught my eye:

Team Russia United—Quaker 1, Quaker 2 and Quaker 3 are about to begin a new ministry in Russia. Come hear how God has been working to prepare them for what lies ahead.

Hmm… Time to bring Christ to those heathen Russians.

I feel a great sadness for Orthodox Christians who are converted to other faiths-- particularly by Protestant missionaries who, no doubt, see the “icons and the incense” and call Holy Tradition “dead ritual.” On the other hand, I can imagine these missionaries will need MUCH preparation for “what lies ahead” as they humorously expect their Russian projects to abandon the fullness of the Faith for the bare-bones and sacrament-free Quakerism. However, I’m sure they’ll “win a few souls” in the process, despite my deepest regrets.

If you ask me, missionaries of any faith background ought to do their homework and study the culture they are approaching. If Protestant missionaries even took the time to study Orthodoxy in an unbiased way, they might see that the very people they are trying to reach are already Christians. Sure, they might lack the visible zeal, the devotion, the “on-fire” nature that so many evangelicals possess… but aren’t there lackadaisical Baptists, Quakers, Methodists, Lutherans, Quakers present in every branch of Christianity-- in all Protestant denominations? Sure Orthodox Christians are not always perfect—but I’m not afraid to be bold when I say: Back off missionaries, yours is the soul at stake, and you’re not ‘saving’ anyone.

So, is God really preparing these individuals for their mission? Or are they listening to some other “Inner light”?

One story gives me some comfort. Last summer a man named Jon was filling in as supervisor for my then-custodial job. He was and is still a very kind man. But during our break, I mentioned that I was Orthodox. He seemed a bit surprised, and told me that the only encounter he had with Orthodoxy was when he was doing door-to-door evangelism a few years back. When he came to one home, a tall, robust bearded man answered the door. Jon told him he was there to share the Gospel when suddenly the man boomed in a thick accent: “I am Russian Orthodox!!!!” -- and suddenly shut the door.
That takes care of that!