Recently the death of John Chau has been in the news. He is the foolish individual who ventured onto the North Sentinel Island in the Andaman Sea in a misguided attempt to convert the people living there to Christianity. He was killed. We do not know why-perhaps for his fashion choice: he was wearing only a pair of black underwear at the time of his approach, as he thought this would make him seem less threatening. Perhaps b/c he came bearing the gift of religion, and these folks had read Christopher Hitchens. Or perhaps because he was inordinately blinded and/or arrogant enough in his Western mentality to ignore the danger and think HE could be the savior who brings JESUS to these people.
Ok, look. These islanders had BIG “NO TRESPASSING” signs up. They were pretty much “NOT EVEN GIRL SCOUTS SELLING COOKIES!!!” There was a backstory here: in 1880, a British Naval officer kidnapped several tribal members and took them to nearby Port Blair, home to a large prison. The islanders since then no longer traded or communicated with the other islands in the island chain and indeed have resisted contact for as long as there have been written records.
So what does our bright Christian Girl Scout do? He thinks, “Hmmm, these people REALLY need cookies! I’m going to make sure they get them!” So off he traipses against best advice to this island. Once he gets there, he encounters the BIG SIGNS. But does he care? Nope! He’s got COOKIES!!! And the islanders, to give them their due, didn’t kill him straight away. They gave him warning shots and attempted to get him to leave. But, no. He had his COOKIES to sell!!! The rest, well….it’s been written up in article after article.
Christians don’t appear to be sorry about this . Is there a sense that this is wrong? (Answer: Of course not.) Here are some quotes: “I don’t question his motivation. I question his methods,” said Richard Albert Mohler, Jr., then the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. “He Had a higher calling that he was following. I don’t have any regrets.”-John Ramsey, best friend from college. And finally, I will let John Chau speak: “Remember, the first one to heaven wins.” Guess he got his (death)wish. Hope you get to enjoy your cookies now, John!
Source for quotes: WaPo article: John Chau Aced Missionary Bootcamp.
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