Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century
In 1962, Don and Carol Richardson risked their lives to share the gospel with the Sawi people of New Guinea. Peace Child told their unforgettable story of living among these headhunting cannibals who valued treachery through fattening victims with friendship before the slaughter. God gave Don and Carol the key to the Sawi hearts via a redemptive analogy from their own myth...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
August 8th 2005
by Regal
(first published 1974)
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For years, I have been fascinated with the question of how undiscovered, isolated groups of people would held accountable for their decision to accept or reject God. How could uncivilized people understand how God's message related to their lives? After reading this book, I found my answer! I realized that through what Don Richardson calls "redemptive analogies," God makes a way for ALL people to understand his loving message. Just as he ably used analogies that were particularly meaningful to t...more
Dec 22, 2010
Skylar Burris
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Skylar by:
Jennifer Eppley
Shelves:
christianity,
biography
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Even if treachery is a culture's highest ideal, the Creator has planted within that culture a "key" to "unlock" such seemingly "closed" minds to at least consider the fact that the Creator actually may have visited this planet. We just have to find that "key" within each culture, so that people will at least listen and consider the "story" of Jesus. This is an amazing story. I first heard it first-hand, humbly told by Don Richardson to me and just 5 others, around 1975. I had no time in my sched...more
The argument goes like this(though it is told in a narrative story) in each culture God places keys, redemptive analogies, to aid in the communication of the Gospel. Analogies which are made evident are then appropriated by the missionary. For example Paul in Athens appropriated the unknown god to proclaim the true God.
In the Sawi people the Peace Child was a redemptive analogie Don and his wife used to communicate Christ. Hearts which admired Juda's betrayal more then Jesus' sacrifice were tran...more
In the Sawi people the Peace Child was a redemptive analogie Don and his wife used to communicate Christ. Hearts which admired Juda's betrayal more then Jesus' sacrifice were tran...more
Peace Child is the exciting true story of Don Richardson, the first missionary to the cannibalistic Sawi tribes of New Guinea. After an education at Prairie Bible Institute in Canada, Don and his wife Carol entered the primitive jungle atmosphere by dugout canoe, and began their ministry for Jesus Christ to the curious Sawi people.
Or were the Sawi tribes merely fattening Don, Carol, and their infant child for a final meal? Regardless of the manifold risks, Don was the first to break the Sawi lan...more
Or were the Sawi tribes merely fattening Don, Carol, and their infant child for a final meal? Regardless of the manifold risks, Don was the first to break the Sawi lan...more
This true missionary story is such an excellent picture of how the Gospel can come in to even the most morally backward culture and transform it from the inside out. It seemed Don and Carol Richardson were up against impossible odds; indeed they were. How can a stone-age tribe who valued treachery more than sacrifice possibly comprehend, let alone believe the sacrificial message of Christ's redemption for sinners? Only the Holy Spirit alone could make this possible. And at the same time, the Hol...more
After finishing End of the Spear, I was inspired to read more biographical stories of people who have devoted their lives to God's call. My son read Peace Child earlier this year as part of his history curriculum and really enjoyed it. He said that I should read it. So, since I've now found time to get some reading time in, this book was my next choice. This story is similar to End of the Spear in that missionaries enter a world totally different from their own. The two stories begin around the...more
Most books about missionaries that I've read start with the missionary: his call, his preparation, his arrival among people with an unfamiliar culture and language, his painstaking efforts.
In "Peace Child," as in "Lords of the Earth," Don Richardson starts with the people the missionary is trying to reach, in this case the Sawi people of what then was Netherlands New Guinea (now Papua Indonesia; Irian Jaya in the interim).
The missionary in this case is Richardson himself, along with his wife, C...more
In "Peace Child," as in "Lords of the Earth," Don Richardson starts with the people the missionary is trying to reach, in this case the Sawi people of what then was Netherlands New Guinea (now Papua Indonesia; Irian Jaya in the interim).
The missionary in this case is Richardson himself, along with his wife, C...more
I read this book last year. I am fascinated in the lives of missionaries and in other cultures, but I'm usually put off by the often weak writing that is put out by Christian publishers. I remember reading this book though and finding it quite poetic in places and well written. The choices and the faith that brought this man and his family to live in such a remote area were inspiring to read about. I would like to read this one again.
I read this book a long time ago, perhaps not long after it came out. At the time I was very impressed with the way it beautifully conveyed how every culture has myths/legends/traditions that point to the story of redemption, restoration, and healing. Though I have since read or heard other similar stories, I still consider this book to be a valuable read.
This is a fascinating book about a missionary couple reaching out to the tribal Sawi people of what was then the Netherlands New Guinea (now Papua New Guinea, a part of Indonesia?). As they learned about and experienced the Sawi culture and language, they found that a concept had been built into their culture that served as an effective "redemptive analogy" that helped explain the good news of Jesus, the ultimate "Peace Child."
Don Richardson posits that most, if not all, cultures have embedded i...more
Don Richardson posits that most, if not all, cultures have embedded i...more
Oct 23, 2010
Rebecca
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
High school, adults
Peace Child is about a missionary who shares the gospel with a hostile tribe in what is now an Indonesian island. These cannibals think of Judas as a hero for 'fattening Jesus with friendship for the slaughter'. The missionary is finally able to explain the truth when he finds out about the custom of giving a peace child. When two villages make peace with one another, they exchange peace children to ensure that the other village isn't planning to betray them. He explains how Jesus is God's peace
...more
Great story that demonstrates Gods creativity in creating diverse cultures; his self-disclosure and unique pursuit of this remote tribe in Papua New Guinea. The missionary in this book lived with the tribe, learned their worldview and discovered the key to explaining the gospel in a culturally relevant way.
Peace Child is the story of Don and Carol Richardson’s experience living among the headhunting tribes of the western half of New Guinea. In sharing the gospel with them Richardson discovered they admired Judas and his betrayal rather then Jesus and his sacrificial love. They viewed deceitfulness and betrayal as qualities to be emulated. They befriended their victims before taking their heads!
Peace Child is a spellbinding account of how Don and Carol Richardson and their young children lived thro...more
Peace Child is a spellbinding account of how Don and Carol Richardson and their young children lived thro...more
While some of the content was a bit too violent/graphic for my usual tastes, the premise behind this book is beautiful, something I never considered before. God has put into every culture and people on earth a means of connecting withe the gospel, the good news that Jesus indeed is Saviour for our sin. With the tribe in this book, it was hard to see that - they were brutal and deceptive and prided themselves in their evil. And yet, Don Richardson found a motif, a story, within their debased cult...more
The book opens with from the point of view of a man trying to establish an alliance with another village, with the risk that they might be fattening him up to eat him. Then the Richardsons came, the first white people the cannibals had ever seen. Within the first few days of moving into the area, arrows flew between warring factions. Don Richardson wanted them to peace, but they knew he didn't understand what that would take.
The plot matches fictional thrillers at times, and The Peace Child is o...more
The plot matches fictional thrillers at times, and The Peace Child is o...more
Missionary biography and powerful story. The title comes a cultural practice within tribes in Papua New Guinea that provides a redemptive analogy to communicate the Gospel to these people. Missionary biographies open our minds to different times, places, and peoples. This is a good thing for Christians in particular who are to be concerned about the Glory of God to the uttermost parts of the earth.
We did this as a family read-aloud. Missionary biographies form a crucial part of our family readi...more
We did this as a family read-aloud. Missionary biographies form a crucial part of our family readi...more
Read this year's ago when my beliefs matched the writer's. Fascinating read about a very, very different culture and the experiences of a missionary couple trying to reach then with their message.
I'd love to read an anthropologist's perspective on this culture. But looking back, the impression I have is that Richardson was a genuine and honest person driven by compassion. The story isn't one of signs and wonders but of struggle and searching.
For a different perspective I recommend the fascinati...more
I'd love to read an anthropologist's perspective on this culture. But looking back, the impression I have is that Richardson was a genuine and honest person driven by compassion. The story isn't one of signs and wonders but of struggle and searching.
For a different perspective I recommend the fascinati...more
Jun 24, 2011
Desiree
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Shelves:
read-and-reread,
true-stories
Don Richarson gives an intriguing look into the dark, inner workings of the cannibal Sawi tribe in New Guinea, 1962. I appreciate that he didn’t just gloss over the details – they are essential to impart the complete miracle of this story. He handled it all in a tasteful manner. I cannot remember how I came across Peace Child originally, but I first read it when I was 12 years old (that was more than 15 years ago :P ) and it is *still* on my list of top ten AMAZING books. Since then I have read...more
Years ago, I heard about a book called, “Peace Child.” The people who talked about it spoke very highly of its author. So I acquired the book and it’s been sitting on my shelf ever since. The book is a first-hand account of the Richardson’s missionary work among the tribal people of Western New Guinea, Indonesia. As soon as I began reading, I was captivated! The writing is full of color, and overflows with rich spiritual truths. One can’t help but be in awe of God’s power to transform the most p...more
I found this story interesting but very difficult to read. The theme is not easily visible while reading and very hard to follow the threads of the various individuals. I read a lot and on a wide variety of subjects; this book was extremely slow going for me.
Peace Child was required reading for a class on identity, culture and conflict and I believe the story could have been told more effectively in half the time. Having said that, I respect that this is the authors' account of their time as mi...more
Peace Child was required reading for a class on identity, culture and conflict and I believe the story could have been told more effectively in half the time. Having said that, I respect that this is the authors' account of their time as mi...more
To be called by God to a foreign country as a missionary of the Gospel is a privilege and an awesome undertaking. But to be called as a missionary to a culture that is virtually untouched by the modern world, has no written language, and is based on violence and treachery as a lifestyle is almost unimaginable. This is exactly the kind of people that Don and Carol Richardson, with their eight-month old son, went to live among for the purpose of bringing them Christ. Richardson’s book, Peace Child...more
Suffice it to say that it's been a long time since I picked up any book and read it entirely in just one day. This was a book that I'd read in the past at university and I was looking for something biographical to read with the other books I'm reading right now and I thought, why not? I didn't imagine when I picked it up this morning and started reading it that not only would I thoroughly immerse myself in the book but I would do so to the point of finishing it in just one day.
This book has the...more
This book has the...more
Cannibals! I first heard of them in Robinson Crusoe but now here they are again, in 1962, in a non-fiction missionary story. These cannibals are real, they hang around longer than a mere chapter or two, and there is no “my man Friday”.
Peace Child opens with the whistle of a spear and the rattle of bones. Everyday village life in the jungle makes for fascinating reading but you might not want to leave this book lying around where your impressionable ten-year-old can reach it. They will have night...more
Peace Child opens with the whistle of a spear and the rattle of bones. Everyday village life in the jungle makes for fascinating reading but you might not want to leave this book lying around where your impressionable ten-year-old can reach it. They will have night...more
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. If you would like to hear a first-hand account from what it is like to be a Christian missionary to a jungle people who may kill you, this is it.
At times it tells the story from the viewpoint of the Sawi people, how they interpreted the world around them, and what the arrival of the missionaries meant to them. It is told in a way in which you can understand their amazement. At other times the missionaries relate their thoughts about their experiences --...more
At times it tells the story from the viewpoint of the Sawi people, how they interpreted the world around them, and what the arrival of the missionaries meant to them. It is told in a way in which you can understand their amazement. At other times the missionaries relate their thoughts about their experiences --...more
Peace Child by Don Richardson - this one was recommended to me by Bethany when we hiked Timp in the summer. It is a first-hand account of a protestant missionary effort to preach the Gospel to the cannibalistic and head-hunting Sawri tribe of New Guinea in 1962. Their culture is the type of culture that has spawned all of our stereotypes of cannibals and our stereotypes aren't all that far off! At that time, unbelievably, the tribe had only seen whites once before. What makes this an incredible...more
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DON RICHARDSON, author of Secrets of the Koran, Lords of the Earth and Eternity in Their Hearts, has been studying the Muslim world for more than 30 years.
He and his wife, Carol, spent 15 years among the Sawi, a Stone Age tribe of Irian Jaya. Don designed an alphabet suited to the Sawi language, authored 19 primers, taught the tribesmen to read in their native tongue and translated the entire New...more
More about Don Richardson...
He and his wife, Carol, spent 15 years among the Sawi, a Stone Age tribe of Irian Jaya. Don designed an alphabet suited to the Sawi language, authored 19 primers, taught the tribesmen to read in their native tongue and translated the entire New...more
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