American missionary John Allen Chau killed by Sentinelese
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https://www.instagram.com/johnachau/
Ends with a statement from his family
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https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/american-goes-protected-sentinele…
“He lived in Alabama, US. He is some kind of paramedic. He was on a misplaced adventure in prohibited area to meet uncontacted persons. People thought he is a missionary because he had mentioned his position on god and that he was a believer on social media or somewhere online. But in a strict sense, he was not a missionary. He was an adventurer. His intention was to meet the aborigines,” Andaman DGP Dependra Pathak told TNM.
….I’m leaning towards “well intentioned adventurer” at this point, as I don’t see any indications of any particular training, affiliations, and such that would make him effective as a missionary. Plus, what Joe notes about “does he realize that he could end up killing all these people with something that doesn’t particularly bother him?” Those who have been to developing countries, especially in Asia, are well aware that there are a lot of things that will “get” you, physically speaking, over there. (actual quote from a friend of mine in Malaysia when I noted I was taking antibiotics for a sinus infection—“Keep taking them, we see a lot of Americans getting really sick over here.” I did and did fine)
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.
“You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people. Please do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed.” - John Allen Chau
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/november/missionary-killed-…
David R. Brumbelow
I agree with my friend Joffre:
Do not expect the secular media to understand or appreciate the concept of Christian Missions. They don’t.
David R. Brumbelow
We do not know what was in this missionary’s heart.
Some may have considered Jonah a self-appointed missionary. Or maybe a thrill seeker. And he could have easily been tortured and killed.
Virtually every one of Jesus’ 12 disciples eventually died as a result of their missionary work. A missionary dying does not necessarily mean failure.
Perhaps God calls some to go and die. We should be careful to judge.
Sometimes we are to hide from danger, or protect ourselves from danger; sometimes not.
When a people are in danger of going to Hell, some are willing to take heroic measures to save them. Reminds me of – Jesus.
David R. Brumbelow
My criticism of this man isn’t in his heart; it’s in his methods. He died because of the way he chose to reach these people. The Indian government successfully established limited contact with these people for decades. It took time, patience and perseverance. This Christian had zeal, no doubt - but I don’t understand how anyone can applaud his methods. They were not prudent, and they resulted in his death.
I understand some will be upset by these sentiments. Christians are often reluctant to criticize evangelistic methods. Some Christians may point to the Apostle Paul, and note that he returned to the city to preach to the folks who stoned him. I respond in all honesty - I wouldn’t have done that. I’m glad some people could. I can’t. I would have left, and washed my hands of them, in the spirit of Mark 6:7-13.
Does this mean I shouldn’t be a pastor? Does this mean I’m not a decent Christian? I’m not sure. I don’t think it does. I wouldn’t have done what Nate Saint did, either. To each his own.
Here’s an example:
- We’re planning to put on a “What is Christianity About” class at a public library in the Olympia area around Easter. We’ll take 45 minutes to explain the story of the Bible, and allow 45 minutes for any questions. We’ll also distribute Bibles and literature to everyone who comes.
- In this area, in a state as blue and secular as Washington, this may be an equivalent kind of foolishness, to some people. We’re going to do it anyway.
- Most churches around here seem to take the passive, “let’s do events just to show people we’re nice” approach. There is often no Gospel and no literature distributed. I don’t like that approach, and think it’s well-meaning cowardice with a pious gloss. The only other church in this area I’ve ever seen do deliberate evangelism is a KJV church, and good for them!
- My point is that we’re all a bit “mad” in our own way, I suppose!
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
Full disclosure; our church gave away several hundred Gospels tracts yesterday in Olympia’s annual Christmas parade, so this doesn’t apply to me! Our church was behind the “City Pride” float …
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
Click link and fill out the formAs the police investigation unfolds, The Times would like to better understand the views and efforts of missionaries today.
Despite the need for effective entry methods to a people group, Eitel said, sometimes a missionary may be called to attempt bold evangelistic campaigns that imperil their lives.
“If you can’t contact anybody” in the group you’re trying to reach, Eitel said, “then try to only venture in when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that even if it costs you your life, that this is what God wants you to do.”
If God called Chau to make such a sacrifice, Eitel said, his death may inspire other missionaries to reach the Sentinelese and other uncontacted UUPGs for years to come.
http://www.bpnews.net/52019/crazy-or-called—missionarys-death-debated
David R. Brumbelow
PS – Glad to see the NYT interested in contacting missionaries about this subject.
John Allen Chau: ‘Incredibly dangerous’ to retrieve body from North Sentinel
Indian officials should abandon efforts to retrieve the body of an American missionary reportedly killed by an endangered tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, a rights group says. Survival International says any attempt is “incredibly dangerous” for both the Sentinelese tribesmen and officials.
Opinion: John Allen Chau: A martyr and a fool
But perhaps one of the strongest arguments for the truth of Christianity are the martyrs who keep dying. Stephen was stoned. John Huss was burned at the stake. Nate Saint died at the end of a tribesman’s spear. All are martyrs for Christ and their deaths, a testament to the truth of Christianity. Add to the list John Allen Chau. That 27-year-old missionary tried to make contact with tribesmen on North Sentinel Island and convert them to Christianity. The tribe is primitive, cut off from the rest of the world, and hostile. He was not successful. … Chau’s body is moldering somewhere on a tropical island as a result of his efforts. He didn’t make much of a plan. He didn’t have a support team. He couldn’t even speak the language, shouting instead a few lines of Xhosa, a South African dialect spoken thousands of miles away, upon first contact. In short, he needed a miracle that never came. Sentinelese have a reputation of hostility toward outsiders. A fisherman was killed in 2006 when his boat accidentally ran ashore there. For the better part of a century, outsiders met similar fates. Chau is only the latest. Of course, it didn’t have to be this way. Chau could have followed the example of Saint and company, for instance, as told in the book Through Gates of Splendor. Those more rational missionaries slowly and incrementally made contact with the Waodani tribe of Ecuador, learning the language before sharing the Gospel. They ended up martyrs, yes, but they did not throw away their lives. Chau, on the other hand, was dead the moment he stepped on shore. Now the international community struggles with whether or not they should recover the remains. Initial efforts have faced resistance on and off the island. The tribesmen have rebuffed a recovery team and experts warn that further contact could actually doom the tribesmen because their immune systems are not equipped to rebuff modern microbes. Chau’s example is still inspiring. He was wrong to risk everything so recklessly. He was right to love the Sentinelese tribe, men and women he had never met. Chau believed the Scripture. In a way, he was crazy. Perhaps his body should remain on the island as a testament to that fact.
I wrote an article for PJ Media about John Chau.
https://pjmedia.com/faith/why-are-christians-ganging-up-on-missionary-j…
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