DALLAS (ABP) – Spanish evangelicals are feeling an increased urgency for evangelism in the aftermath of terror attacks that killed almost 200 people March 11, according to a Baptist leader in Spain.
Spanish Baptists, though still recovering after four explosions rocked three commuter trains in Madrid, are looking to end terrorism, said Manuel Sarrias, general secretary of the Union Evangelica Bautista Española. Ignorance, poverty and injustice lead people to hate established authority and push them to resort to violence, he said. Evangelicals are working to alter lives before they turn to terrorism.
“The church has to have a principal role in changing the lives of people,” he said through a translator during a recent visit to the United States. “The message is for everyone.”
The atmosphere in Spain is similar to the post-Sept. 11 United States, Sarrias said. Some do not feel safe. Awareness of uncertainty has increased. Spaniards are looking to religion for answers.
“People in general realize no one is in charge of their own lives,” said Sarrias, who also serves as the vice president of the evangelical representative body to the government.
This is a prime opportunity for Spanish evangelicals to convert a nominally Roman Catholic nation, he said. But Spanish Baptists must seize the opportunity. The terror attacks “have really encouraged us as evangelicals to double our efforts,” Sarrias said. “Spain is a mission field. Secularism is rampant.”
Spanish Baptists are facing a new world on several fronts. A nation that has long had friendly relationships with Muslims now sees increasing skepticism toward them.
Though Sarrias sees fundamentalist Islam as the major threat to the Western world, Spanish Baptists are encouraging people to stop associating terrorism with all Muslims. Baptists are against terrorism but love people, he said.
“As evangelicals in Spain we're trying to help people understand the difference between fighting terrorism and xenophobia,” he said. “We're really trying to make it work. It's a very difficult subject.”
Spain also is facing a new political reality. Shortly after the attacks, the nation elected Rodriguez Zapatero as new prime minister.
Sarrias said he is hopeful the new leader will create a more equitable environment for evangelicals. Traditionally, the Roman Catholic Church has been favored by the Spanish government. Specifically, evangelical congregations have to pay taxes the Catholic Church does not. The Catholic Church also receives a large sum of money each year from the national budget.
Spanish Baptists have a partnership relationship with the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Sarrias said he would like to see more evangelism teams come to the nation. Music and choral groups also are effective means of reaching Spaniards, he said.
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