There are things about Chau’s story that raise questions worth our consideration.
As we continue in our series on the implications of John Chau’s life and death on North Sentinel Island (see Part 1 here and my Washington Post article here), I think we can look favorably on his passion and also analyze some of his methodology.
We’re going to do that here.
Let me first begin by saying that Chau's death is tragic and grieves me personally as a missiologist and a catalyst for missionaries. We learn from his social media, journals, friends, family, and preparation that John had a genuine passion for unreached people groups, and he was seeking to share the love of Jesus with people around the world. This is commendable and brave, especially all of his preparation in the many years leading up to this encounter.
I wish that so many Christians sitting at home unengaged in God’s mission would be a lot slower to criticize.
His passion is a key factor of his story that is important to note, highlight, and celebrate. It takes a brief moment of bravery to do one extraordinary action, but it takes deep conviction and heart character honed over time to labor, study, and prepare for years prior to a missionary endeavor.
Some Background on Chau and Media Reporting
It is clear now, contrary to earlier media reporting, that John Chau was not completely unprepared. That does not mean he was fully (or even rightly) prepared, but he was doing what he thought was right, he prepared, and it cost him his life.
His actions are rightly causing a global conversation about missions, and they should. I would imagine that if John was here he might even have been encouraged at the level of attention that has been generated when it comes to missiology.
And, it is worth noting that the media coverage has been horrific. The ...
from Christianity Today Magazine https://ift.tt/2E2gkvS
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