Posted on 11/30/2018 11:49:12 AM PST by OddLane
What are Christians to make of the recent controversy regarding the death of John Allen Chau? Should we look down on him as one guilty of foolish presumption, or commend him as one who it appears trusted God and gave his life for the sake of Christ?
False dichotomy, as I conclude you know from the way you framed your post.
If Jesus gives him a crown of glory, I will not complain. I suspect he deserves it. But as a pastor myself, I understand the temptation that it is, to think that more human effort will do the trick. I cannot say what was in his heart, I can only imagine myself in his shoes.
“How long must I wait?” I think to myself. “I have to try something, and if I perish, I perish.” Years go by and I am no closer to winning them than I was at the start. Then some voice seems to say, “Just go!” But whose voice is it? Is it the voice of my own impatience?
Anyway, would any Christian would make so bold as to say that God calls him a fool?!
>>>>If he knew that he was taking a great risk and might die then it wasn’t presumption.<<<<
That does seem to be the case. His support team gave an interview to Christianity Today. He had 2 years of training. He received over 15 immunizations and spent time in quarantine prior to traveling to the island.
Up until the day before, Chau and another unidentified missionary were both planning on visiting the tribe. Chau then told the other to stay with the fishing boats, because of the danger and “if things go bad it is just me.”
His first attempt to get on the island resulted in an arrow into his Bible (God may have been trying to speak to him). The next day was when he returned, got on the island and that was that.
By all accounts, he had known for 5 years that he was prepping for a potential suicide mission. I don’t agree with his choice in mission field, but I’m certain people that I know thought I was nuts for going to Swaziland as often as I did.
I didn’t realize he had a team of Christians training and supporting him for two years. I thought he just did it on his own. Well, if church elders agreed that God was sending him, and he was seriously preparing, it would be hard for me to say he was being foolish. Hopefully, some good will come out of his death.
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,
The young man had spent 12 years preparing for missions; 8 years preparing for THIS particular mission.
As another poster pointed out, the name of Chau and Jesus is getting spoken of around the world...
We have no idea what particular shore will get watered from the ripple this young man’s death made in the “pond of the world”.
For the most part, very successful. Not sure about what was known about those people, whether there was prior knowledge of their cannibalism or if he walked in blind.
But Jesus gave a pretty good guide of how to approach folks in his interaction with his own hometown. Basically, he said that if people are not open to hear the good news, shake your boots off and leave. Does not appear at all to me that the cannibals were open to his message.
Got to close out the month at work.
Just like Jim Elliot and the four other missionaries who were martyred Huaorani people. A people that is now not only peaceful, has a sacramental view of marriage, but is worshipping the living God because of the work of those men preaching the Gospel.
There is no one size fits all. God is the sovereign Creator and the world revolves to his direction, not ours. Sometimes good folks meet death to His honor and glory and the benefit of His kingdom. The martyred death of nearly all of the apostle stands as testimony to the world that Jesus and the Gospel message was worthy of giving their lives. But there are times when well-meaning, committed Christians act in a foolhardy way. I am not placed to know all the facts, but the admonition that we will know them by their fruit often has application to these circumstances.
Many have lost their lives at this place over the centuries. Some, like this recent guy, for religious intent, others for scientific exploration. Some, just by unfortunate chance, got shipwrecked there and one individual even made a daring prison escape only to end up on this isle and be killed.
One family of these people were kidnapped in the 1800’s and taken to another island where they began to get deathly ill from exposure to things they were not accustomed to. Parents died and four surviving children were returned home.
I understand the curiosity, this being one of the last groups of people basically untouched by the modern world, but clearly they just want to be left alone and maybe the world should honor those wishes.
Chau posed a mortal threat to these people because he could have introduced lethal diseases to them.
He was a fool and these people killing him was nothing less than self defense.
May he RIP.
Every last one.
Which is why this young man went there in the first place.
To ensure that they could have life.
He spent years training for this mission , including being immunized, before setting off to North Sentinel Island.
He was reckless and a fool, from the point of view of the world.
I wish he had not done what he did.
But, as a Christian, I know that people and nations have been brought to Christ by similar reckless foolishness.
I pray for him.
“I wonder how many martyrs of old were idiots?”
They were all fools. Fools for Christ, that is.
BTTT
Not knowing his deepest thoughts and beliefs, we are not qualified to judge him .... at least not without the presumption that he was exactly like each one who criticizes (or praises). Wouldn’t it be refreshing if the Pope and his minions would try to preach Jesus to folks......
You can’t convert anyone if you’re dead.
***********************************
Can’t convert anyone if you’ve slaughtered them all with the microbes you brought to them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.