Poland
Poland has been considered the most actively Roman Catholic nation in Europe, possibly the world. The Polish people have their identity and national pride firmly entrenched in these religious roots. The church has not only been a haven for Catholicism, but has historically been its cultural protecter during invasion from non-Catholic nations, such as Lutheran Germany or Orthodox Russia. This religious identity, however, makes these people some of the hardest to reach with the Gospel since their spiritual security lies with their relationship with the church instead of their relationship with Christ.
World War II brought devastation to much of the country. The country was set upon by Germany from the west and the Soviet Union from the east. At its defeat, Poland was carved up between the two, but eventually fell entirely into German hands after the German attack on the U.S.S.R. Under Nazi rule, 6 million Poles were killed in extermination camps – Poland was the site of infamous death camps Auschwitz and Birkenou – and 2.5 million more were deported to work camps in Germany. The Jewish population, which had been above 3 million, was decimated to a mere 100,000. However, Poland was also the site of much resistance against the Nazi regime, it was the home of Oskar Schindler and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. As punishment for its rebellion, the Germans leveled the capital city of Warsaw during their retreat in 1945.
The war changed the ethnic make-up of the country significantly. Before WWII, Poland was an ethnic hodge-podge, with millions of Ukrainians, Jews, Belorussians, and significant amounts of Germans in residence. The vast majority of the Jews were either killed in the Holocaust or emigrated not long afterward. Many Germans left the country at the end of the war. Also, the areas containing most of the Ukrainian and Belorussian populations were incorporated into the territory of the U.S.S.R. Poles now make up a full 98% of the population.
As the nation recovers from past atrocities, a desire for spiritual matters has intensified within the people. Church attendance has increased, including membership in Baptist Churches in the country. However, the influence of the Catholic Church has made the majority of the people suspicious of the Baptist “sect”. The people’s hearts have become hardened to the message of the Gospel as they have largely turned to the traditions of the Church for wholeness and answers. Missionaries in Poland have seen God moving especially among the disillusioned youth of the country, who are searching for more fulfilling answers in their lives, the kinds of answers that can only be provided through the Gospel of Christ. Regardless of the barriers in the hearts of many Poles, the churches in the country are continuing to spread and grow and hope is spreading through the lives of the people.
If you would like to adopt the Polish people group and help spread hope among them, contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.