THESCOPI OF MISSIONS
Edited by Oran H. Smith Chairman, Dept, of Missions, Biola Bible College
Gospel Witnessing in Greece B y N icholas Simponis, B io la ’ 31
( ' reece is a country with a long and I eventful history. The pages of its life-story are filled with daring ex ploits of the human spirit in the dif ferent realms of life, in the fine arts, music, literature, philosophy, archi tecture, the science of medicine and others. Its geographical position at the junction of three continents has made her the object of marching armies throughout the centuries of human strife and has subjected her to foreign occupation many times with the ac companying suffering. Not only in vading armies but also the forces of nature have contributed their part to make life miserable. Earthquakes, malnutrition and often starvation with tuberculosis have been her con stant companions. It is estimated that nearly one fourth of the population is tubercular, due in many respects to malaria and malnutrition with no adequate means of combat. Early Attempts at Reformation Long before the 16th century Ref ormation took place in Western Eu rope, an attempt was made to bring about a reformation in Greece and Asia Minor. Unfortunately the forces of superstition opposing this valiant
attempt to lift Christendom from its moribund condition were too strong and the attempt failed, with the re sult that the darkness of the middle ages followed and finally the subju gation of the country by the forces of Islam under the Turks. The 19th Century Evangelical Movement A little over 100 years ago and shortly after the Greek liberation from Turkey in 1828, the Rev. Jonah King, a New Engländer, went to Greece and worked for a few years. Jonah King was expelled from the country, but the seed had been sown and began to germinate. In King’s expulsion from the country one can discern the hand of God mercifully guiding in the evangelizing of this land. It was God’s purpose that this enterprise was, from the very begin ning to be on a strictly indigenous basis. God had chosen a vessel for this very purpose, the Rev. Michael Kalopothakis, a learned, pious and at the same time tenaciously aggressive man. He, with others from Asia Mi nor laid the foundation on which the Greek Evangelical Church is built. The magazine which he began more than 80 years ago is still published
and is now edited by Rev. Michael B. Kyriakakis. The Evangelical Movement in Asia Minor At about the same time that Jo nah King' went to Greece a movement was begun among the Greeks living in Asia Minor, the Holy Spirit using different men and agencies. Thou sands came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, some of them through the simple reading of the Word of God. Several churches were formed, chief among them the church at Smyrna, shepherded by the scholarly Dr. M oschou for many years, and the church at Urdu, in Pontus, on the Black Sea. The Refugee Evangelical Influx of 1923 In 1922 the Greek armies attempt ing to drive into the interior of Asia Minor were defeated by the Turks under Kemal Attaturk. The Greek (and Armenian) population, living in Turkey, was mercilessly slaughtered by the Turks. Those who escaped came to Greece as refugees. Among them were thousands of Greek Evan gelicals. This influx of evangelicals brought new blood into the small already existing evangelical commun-. ity. New churches were formed and some church buildings erected, the p r in c ip a l ones being the Second Evangelical Church of Athens and the church at Katerini, in Macedonia. Persecution The early believers were persecuted and there were frequent arrests and imprisonments. The church built at Katerini by the refugees was burned soon after its completion by fanatical enemies who hoped that it would dampen the spirit of the evangelicals and cause the destruction of the work. The enemy of souls oversteps himself at times, for they did not know that the building had been insured. So a much bigger and better one was soon erected. However today there CONTINUED ►
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