Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Book Review: Peace Child

September 12, 2007

Phew! All I ever wanted to know about cannibalism and more is included in this true missionary story, which is part of Sonlight's Core 100 curriculum. In spite of the gore, this book by Don Richardson tells the amazing story of the Stone Age Sawi people of New Guinea and the Richardsons' adventures in the 1960s and 70s in bringing the gospel to this headhunting tribe. The Sawi people seemed impenetrable. In teaching the story of Jesus, the Richardsons kept running into obstacles. The people applauded Judas Iscariot for his treachery and laughed and believed that Jesus got what he deserved because he wasn't a master of treacher and betrayal. They were taught from an early age to kill, betray and cheat. But eventually the Richardsons figured out the key to the Sawi people using a redemptive analogy from the Sawi's own mythology: the Peace Child. With this breakthrough, the Richardsons were able to bring the gospel to the Sawi people. In addition, the Richardsons began preparing the Sawi for the tremendous changes that were to take place in the next decade in the jungle as the government began regulating the native peoples, stripping the land, and propelling them into the modern world. Gruesome reading. I wouldn't recommend this for kids younger than 12.

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