Response: “What reflections and connections can you make with this novel?”

Response to the question, “What reflections and connections can you make with this novel?”

My response to this question likely comes from my Christian perspective. A general response is, I can see God's work in the world and also see a story of people who worked for God. The conversion and the transformation of the Sawi seems to demonstrate for me something I believe as true, that a true conversion to becoming Christ's disciples result in a transformation of the person. I think I can also connect with Don Richardson's experience in the manner of looking at a predecessor and senior in the walk of faith and work for Christ. For example, I can see how I can shake off fear when I have to enter an unfamiliar unfriendly looking place because I am called to go there in a manner similar to Don Richardson's when he though, “This swamp also is part of my Father's creation. His providence can sustain us here as well as anywhere else. Then the peace of God descended on me and suddenly this strange place became home” (Richardson 83).

Another thing I can see from this book is a quite interesting matter, that sometimes the incorporation of locality can help understand something else, which, in this book, was the gospel. I believe that biblical truth should not be watered down, but I also realize that forms of communication might change to communicate those biblical truths soundly. For example, Bible translations for the English speakers already involved the translation of original language into the English language, and thus a change in the form of communication. But ideas aren't always easily understood even if the original words have been translated into another language, as was the case initially with the Sawi, who were impressed by Judas Iscariot and did not really grasp Christ's significance. Eventually, though, through the Sawi understanding of a peace child, the Sawi were eventually able to understand better the importance of Christ and, at least for some, no longer see Judas as the hero. So, in short, this book allows me to see that sometimes biblical truths can be more effectively communicated when understanding the ideas and the already established understandings of the audience, while the biblical truth nor the Bible itself does not and should not be compromised.

Work Cited

Richardson, Don. Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century. 4th. Regal, 2005. 83. Print.