From standing where the Apostle Paul grieved over the idolatry of Athens to seeing the stark reality of human trafficking in the modern city, Bryan College students experienced an up-close look at life in Greece and Turkey during a trip. The study tour had academic and missional aspects for the students.
Dr. David Morgan, assistant professor of Biblical Studies, said the tour combined elements of art, archeology, culture, history, and Scripture. “Students were really taken back when they realized that they were really visiting the same places where Paul, Silas, Luke, and even Constantine walked,” he said.
“A surprising experience was the realization for many on the trip that Turkey, rather than being a developing nation, is actually an advanced, industrial country, while Greece is struggling with many economic and social struggles,” he added.
Part of the purpose of the trip was to introduce students to national Christians in the two countries, which helped them understand the challenges of living as believers in countries very different than the United States. “In Istanbul, we shared dinner and conversation with a missionary couple who have a significant ministry to Muslims. They serve the people of Turkey in a variety of ways. In Greece, the Greek Orthodox Church is not evangelical-friendly. We saw some of that persecution when we listened to the stories of Greek believers, and we understand better what it costs believers to follow Christ. The students were exposed to national and international Christians, and this both challenged and changed many of their perspectives.”
Their guide in Turkey was a secular Muslim who “was great to us. In Greece, our guide was an evangelical, so we got two different perspectives.” Having two different national guides who knew the history and culture of their countries was a great benefit.
One of the more sobering moments came in Athens. “A couple of people I know at the Greek Bible College have a ministry to women in the brothel district. They took us through these streets, and the students got to see men streaming in and out of the brothels. This experience so impacted the students that some are now talking about the possibility of doing an internship to help women get out of that life with the Greek ministry Nea Zoi (New Life).”
Equally sobering, he said, was to realize that “Turkey, home of the first-century seven churches of Asia Minor in Revelation 2-3, is today 99.8 percent Muslim.”
Dr. Morgan is planning a return visit in 2013, after a trip to Israel and Jordan in December 2012.