754AD Christian Missions History Musings (CMHM). Death of Boniface

In 754 AD, St. Boniface died. He was killed by Frisian robbers. I must admit that, although there is much to commend him in terms of missional fervor and even in terms of innovation (such as supporting women serving in a missionary capacity), I find him rather unlikable. The main thing is his active support of what could be called “Power Missions.’ Two examples should suffice:

#1. He actively opposed the work of Celtic Missionaries. Celtic Missions honored Rome but did not necessarily see themselves as being under the full control of Rome. For Boniface this was unacceptable. He attempted to get the pope to excommunicate them. The pope declined this. This form of missions is using “ecclesiastical power.”

#2. In reaching the Germanic pagans, he was known to use a different form of power encounter. He was well-known for chopping down the Donar Oak (Thor’s Oak). It was apparently a sacred tree to the people in the region. When their god did not strike down Boniface, they converted to Christianity. I struggle to look at this in a positive way. It is pretty awful to destroy something that someone else values. Some may say that the end justifies the means. However, one must wonder what lesson one might take from the fact that pagans killed Boniface while facing no temporal consequence.

I am probably being too negative. Most missionaries are a strange mixture of complex beliefs, motivations, and actions. For me, however, I do tend to see in him what NOT to do… at least in terms of the role of power in missions.

A few posts I have done before:

Saint Boniface, Celsus, and Power Missions

St. Boniface and the Peregrini, Part II

St. Boniface and the Peregrini, Part III