Coffee and Crucifix
As the description in the YouTube link says,
“Torch of Christ Ministries took to the streets of Kyiv, Ukraine to evangelize to the lost and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. On a day where the whole city was celebrating the orthodox easter holiday, it was only fitting that we were confronted by an orthodox religious woman.”
This video is painful to watch. The impression I get from this video is this man knows very little about the culture and beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox. I agree there are many people who claim to be religious who do not have a relationship with Christ, as Torch of Christ founder and preacher Philip Blair says. But when an American Evangelical preaches to Orthodox Christians in Ukraine during Easter about supposedly not having Christ in their lives, it comes across as extremely arrogant and offensive.
At the 3-minute mark, an Orthodox lady approaches the missionaries. Some would argue that she was being prideful and arrogant in how she addressed them. But I think she at least had the love and confidence to help them realize how ridiculous they were being (to put it mildly). Considering that the Eastern Orthodox have existed long before American Protestantism, this exchange is a textbook example of preaching to the choir.
I would encourage this young American to study the history and beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox. They have a different culture, different soul, different way of praying and a different way of life. There is so much beauty and rich theology in the Orthodox Church that I think Mr. Blair would be surprised to find how many of its members truly have a heart for Christ.
I pray this American man and his ministry will consider more carefully in the future where they choose to preach publicly.
And if there is another lesson to be learned here, you don’t want to mess with Baba!
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