Harvest Mission
International, Inc.
International, Inc.
Equipping you for the mission field
in your own backyard
in your own backyard
©
Discover YOUR place in God’s mission!SM
Our Mission: To equip and mobilize God’s people
to spread the Gospel across all cultures.
Harvest Mission International, Inc. PO Box 5430, Ft. Wayne, IN 46895
Tel: 260-
Rev. Dr. Larry Merino, Executive Director
© 2006 Harvest Mission International, Inc.
There are approximately 11 million Gypsies in the world today. Over 6 million live in Europe, and
around 1 million live in North America. The remainder are dispersed throughout India, South America, and Asia. Among the people groups who have been least touched by the Gospel, Gypsies, also known as Roma, rank near the top. Most Gypsies interact only within their tribes, and won't listen to white people. Because of the secretiveness of their culture, typical outreach methods do not work to reach them with the gospel. It is difficult for Gypsies who are thinking of becoming Christians to talk to other Christians. They don’t want their families to know, because they could be kicked out of the family.
around 1 million live in North America. The remainder are dispersed throughout India, South America, and Asia. Among the people groups who have been least touched by the Gospel, Gypsies, also known as Roma, rank near the top. Most Gypsies interact only within their tribes, and won't listen to white people. Because of the secretiveness of their culture, typical outreach methods do not work to reach them with the gospel. It is difficult for Gypsies who are thinking of becoming Christians to talk to other Christians. They don’t want their families to know, because they could be kicked out of the family.
Brief History: Gypsies abandoned their lands in northern India in the 9th and 10th century, and traveled across Persia, Armenia, and Asia Minor. Some Gypsies settled in these areas, but many kept moving northwest and by the 11th century they appeared on the European continent. The majority of Gypsies traveled across the Balkans and the Danube region, with some of the earliest records of their presence recorded in Spisska Nova Ves, in the eastern territory of Slovakia in 1322. The term “Gypsy” comes from the assumption of Europeans that they were Egyptians, because these peoples said of themselves that they were exiles from a country known as Little Egypt in order to maintain favor in the eyes of the Europeans.
Gypsy Religion: It is difficult to
categorize the religion of the Gypsies, but it's helpful to remember that their religion is an “an underlay of Hinduism with an overlay of Christianity or Islam [depending upon] the host country relig-ion.” For the everyday Gypsy, being ass-ociated with Christianity, Hinduism, or Islam, is of little importance. His main religious concern is to intercede with God to remove prekaza (bad luck or
jinx) and to plead for baxt (good luck
and prosperity).
Fortune-telling: Perhaps the most difficult thing in communicating the Gospel to Gypsies is getting beyond the idea that fortune-telling is a practice that is approved by God. Gypsies have relied on this practice for at least 600 years. Gypsies have a high regard for Christian baptism, but understand it as a ritual and a blessing to preserve the baby’s earthly life, rather than as a means of salvation for the soul.
categorize the religion of the Gypsies, but it's helpful to remember that their religion is an “an underlay of Hinduism with an overlay of Christianity or Islam [depending upon] the host country relig-
jinx) and to plead for baxt (good luck
and prosperity).
Fortune-
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