German TV Denounces Baptists in Iraq as Holy Warriors

(ANS) – The German TV magazine Panorama has denounced Southern Baptist missionaries in Iraq as “America’s Holy Warriors”. The program compared their spiritual and humanitarian activities with Islamic terrorist attacks. To underscore the allegations the magazine quoted Baptists saying they are prepared to die for their convictions. Panorama summed it up with the words: “Good times for a Holy War”. The program was shown on one of the major German TV networks June 24. Numerous Christians rang the station up in protest. The Baptist Union criticized the “one-sided” portrayal of Baptists. Friedrich Schneider, spokesman for the Union , pointed to the fact that not only American but also Arab Baptists have been active in Iraq for a long time. According to Schneider Arabs choose a more sensitive approach than the Americans. The German Baptist Union does not back an “insensitive missionary directness” or a lack of respect for Islam, Schneider pointed out. At the same time it was irresponsible to put politically and theologically conservative Christians on the same level with Taliban and Al Qaida terrorists. The former General Secretary of the European Baptist Federation, Karl Heinz Walter, said Panorama had shown Baptists in “bad light”. Walter also pointed to a factual error. The TV program described President George W. Bush as a Southern Baptist. He is in fact a member of the United Methodist Church , which was highly critical of the military campaign in Iraq . Yet Panorama journalist Volker Steinhoff still insisted that the report contained no factual error. It had focused on the Southern Baptists, not al Baptists, said Steinhoff. “There could be no doubt that their activities had caused much alarm and even hatred in Iraq ,” he claimed.