Missionaries Urged to Halt Chicago Plans

CHICAGO — Religious leaders are asking Southern Baptists to reconsider a plan to bring thousands of missionaries to Chicago next summer.

Members of an interdenominational group say they fear the campaign could set off violence against Jews, Hindus and Muslims, whom the Southern Baptists hope to convert to Christianity.

“While we are confident that your volunteers would come with entirely peaceful intentions, a campaign of the nature and scope you envision could contribute to a climate conducive to hate crimes,” said a letter from the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago.

The letter, sent Saturday to Southern Baptist Convention president Paige Patterson, cites vandalism in May at a mosque in suburban Villa Park and a shooting in July in which six Orthodox Jews were wounded outside a North Side synagogue.

A Southern Baptist spokesman, Herb Hollinger, would not comment on the letter, saying he had not seen it, but he said the missionaries would not specifically seek out Hindus, Jews and Muslims.

“We’re not going there with antagonism in our hearts--in fact the contrary,” Hollinger said.

Seeking converts is one thing, “but bringing in 100,000 outsiders changes everything,” said Rabbi Ira Youdovin, executive director of the Chicago Board of Rabbis and chief author of the letter.