D.L.’s Comments (group member since Sep 29, 2017)

D.L.’s comments from the Dangerous Territory Discussion Group group.

Breanna wrote: "A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America
Really eye-opening read about some of the history of America from the perspective of the minority.

To Kill a Mockingbird also ca..."

Oh wow I haven't heard of that first one but it looks excellent. I was trying to think of good novels and TKAM certainly is up there as one of the best (and sadly, still relevant) examples.

There are so many different facets of America that it makes this such a hard choice! For people to get a sense of the width and breadth of evangelicalism in America I really like Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey Into the Evangelical Subculture in America. I am curious to hear other responses!

For me, I think the evangelical saints for women are mostly missionaries like Dangerous Territory mentions. Currently, people like Beth Moore might have such a place? And there are still so many discussions about whether or not she "should" be teaching/leading men . . .

The first book that comes to mind for me is When We Were on Fire: A Memoir of Consuming Faith, Tangled Love, and Starting Over. I feel like Zierman did such an excellent job of showing the futility of the short-term trip she went on (and she is an great writer).

I know there are other books that have dealt with this from a variety of standpoints--I would love to hear your suggestions!

I remember being shocked when the head of my Bible College's mission program told me he wished that The Poisonwood Bible could be required for every student in the Missions program (of which I was a part). When I was 19 I thought the book was terrible! Now, I see it how Peterson does--one view on how wrong western missions can be (and the hubris and pathos behind the motivations of the missionary in question). Another book that I think is vital for having a different view than the classic missionary books would be Silence (the penultimate scene haunts me to this day).

Breanna wrote: "My parents read us a lot of missionary stories when I was a kid (they weren't very enthused when I later moved overseas, but they blamed themselves because of all the missionary books they read to ..."

Whoa that is so interesting about Judson! I too remember reading about him (his time in prison was especially impressionable to me at a young age).

I grew up reading missionary biographies. I especially loved the stories of intense, awesome women like Gladys Aylward: Missionary to China and Amy Carmichael Amy Carmichael. I found them very thrilling, and like maybe there was a place for me in the world after all.

Two of the books that in retrospect might have been weird for a little kid to read and adore were Bruchko: The Astonishing True Story of a 19-Year-Old American, His Capture by the Motilone Indians and His Adventures in Christianizing the Stone Age Tribe and Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century. Why were Christians so obsessed with stories about jungle tribes and cannibals for awhile? And why was I so fascinated/horrified by them?