New Song in The Andes

Book Review.
Maust, John. New Song In The Andes. Gospel Missionary Union. 1992. William Carey Library, Pasadena, California.
Comment. Henry.
I have several rather personal ‘interests’ in this biographical resource. In 1951 I arrived at Briercrest Bible Institute as a student. The Klassens had graduated from this school and I heard them report about their work in Chimborazo province. In the mid fifties my wife and I were pursuing plans and doing correspondence with the Gospel Missionary Union as potential missionaries. In the early nineties we did a missions trip to South America and Quito was one of the places where we spent several days. A year later my son and I did a two month work mission in Shell which is not that far from Chimborazo province. In fact while we were there Henry Klassen came to Shell on some ministry related matters.
The Quichua are descendents of the mighty Incas. The first G.M.U. missionaries to the Quichua in Chimborazo province, Ecuador, were Julia Anderson and Ella Ozman. Their field director felt that the Quichua would be more accepting of ladies than men. This happened in 1902.
In Caliata, not far from the provincial capital, Riobamba, the ladies were offered a hut for their home which they shared with a Spanish speaking Quichua grandmother. Learning the Quichua language became their primary focus.
The Quichua were at the bottom of the social structure. Their poverty resulted in poor health. The mortality rate among young children was fifty percent. Any medicines that the ladies could give became an effective avenue to build relationships. The first Carnival that they experienced was very devastating. Drunkenness and resulting violence characterized the event which everyone was expected to attend. Mandatory contributions of liquor and funds for the Carnival fuelled their poverty, not to mention the pain brought on by brawls, etc.
It was not easy for the missionaries to explain the gospel to people who were following a religion that was a mixture of Catholicism and Quichua animism. During the second year of their missionary work the ladies experienced personal tragedy. Ella came down with pneumonia as a result of a difficult trip. There was no medical help for her and she lost her life. This left Julia alone with her very difficult ‘assignment’. Her health was impacted by an attack of small pox that left her disfigured. There were times when her failing health was so severe that she feared she was going insane. Added to these challenges she did not see any converts among the Quichua.
In 1915 Julia married William Woodward, another missionary . His health was poor and he could not tolerate the high altitude of Chimborazo. Their field director, George Fisher, insisted that the work with Quichua be carried on so Julia went back to Caliata by herself while William stayed in the coastal city of Guayaquil. It is baffling to see a missionary given such an assignment by a ‘responsible’ leader(s). In 1926 William died. Julia now focused most of her energy on translating the New Testament into Quichua. When she retired in 1953 this project was not completed but the next year the Quichua/Spanish N.T. reached the Chimborazo Quichua.
A new chapter of Quichua missions began with the arrival of Henry and Pat Klassen in 1953. They worked hard to address the cultural challenges which kept the Quichua from accepting the white man and his message. Henry kept telling these people that he was only a farmer with not much education and therefore not that different from them. The ministry of the Klassens focused on medical care (they established a medical clinic) and teaching these people how to read and write. There were a hand full of converts in the village of El Troje. These converts experienced persecution.
Colta became a centre for concentrated missionary work. The Klassens gave leadership. A school was built along with a medical clinic. The spread of the gospel was impacted by the establishing of a radio station. In the village of San Antonio opposition was overcome in miraculous ways and many were converted. The Quichua were actually being evangelized.
Some national and religious changes that happened during this time also contributed to the growth of Quichua believers. In 1964 political agrarian reform was passed which made it possible for the Quichua to own (buy) land and this did much to elevate their social status. The reforms of Vatican II created an environment in the Roman Catholic Church which was much more accepting of evangelicals. When Quichuas began to accept positions of leadership (pastoral) the movement took on a real indigenous characteristic.
In the early seventies the complete San Bernardo valley was evangelized. In less than ten years the number of Quichua believers went from some 250 to over 20,000. “The Chimbaroza Quichua story became part of a larger movement of God in the South American Andes” (113) touching people in Peru and Bolivia. By the 1980’s the Quichua believers had become a strong indigenous organization.
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Is God Still an Englishman? Cole Moreton

Book Review.
Moreton, Cole. Is God Still An Englishman? How we lost our faith (but found new soul). Little,Brown. 2010.
Comment. Henry.
In this resource Cole Moreton, an author, broadcaster and journalist, sets out his answers to the questions, Who are we?, What do we believe?, Where are we going?. He declares that the English have completely lost faith in Christianity, the Church has died, and a uniquely English spirituality has evolved that he identifies as a ‘new soul’. He is also presenting his own personal journey from being a teen-age fundamentalist to becoming a cynical atheist and subscribing to a pagan religion that predated the Christian era of Great Britain. He gives some interesting, accurate, explanations of movements and influencers who have been part of the spiritual scene in G.B. in this past century.
Cole begins his ‘story’ with a presentation of the fairy tale wedding of Charles and Diana which sets the stage for a broader assessment of English society that demonstrated a real lack of integrity and being out of touch with reality. Margaret Thatcher is presented as a supposed champion of “the English God” (56) concept but ended up doing more harm than any other person to kill that concept.
The British religious environment experienced a significant impact through the crusades of Billy Graham in the mid 80’s. Cole actually responded to the ‘altar calls’ at one of the services. He goes on to share his personal experiences as a fundamentalist who experienced it all; in your face evangelism, tongues, healings, etc.
Issues are raised that had national consequences. The British monarchy became an object of criticism and even disgust because of the (mis)behaviour of certain royals. On the Anglican Church scene homosexuality became a very divisive issue. Less controversial changes happened such as the introduction of Sunday shopping.
An imported version of the Toronto Blessing had quite an impact on a number of Anglican congregations. Alpha was something new and an effective method of introducing Christianity to ‘seekers’. The program spread world- wide. American ‘healers’ like Morris Cerullo and Benny Hinn created quite a stir.
Princess Diana’s tragic death became an event that shook the nation. Y2K marked the end of “the Decade of Evangelism”. (269) It was during this time that Cole went through an “anti-conversion experience”. (270)
In the closing chapters the author develops the process of exactly what followed when the nation lost its faith. There was a return to paganism “the ancestral religion of the whole of humanity”. (336) “We may have lost our faith in the old-fashioned God, but we have also found new soul.” (346)

Seeking God

Book Review.
DeWaal, Esther. Seeking God. The way of St. Benedict. Harper Collins Religious. 1996.
Comment. Henry.
Esther is a British historian who has been recognized with an honorary doctorate degree for her work in making the way of St. Benedict accessible to lay men and women. Esther’s religion comes from the Anglican tradition.
As a ‘compendium’ to my reading of this book, I also viewed a DVD done by a BBC film crew. It is called ‘The Monastery” and is made up of three ‘episodes’ each being around an hour in viewing time. Six men were selected from a large number of volunteers to spend 40 days at Worth Abbey, a St Benedict monastery in Sussex. They were non Catholics and represented a great variety of ‘life experiences’. Together, they experienced a crash course in Benedictine living. Anthony came from a life of publishing in London. Peter was a retired teacher. Gary came from Ireland, a committed Christian who as a young adult had spent twelve years in prison. Tony worked for an organization as a soft porn producer. Nicholas was a PhD student who had spent some time as a Buddhist monk. The personal and inter-personal conflicts that happened to these men during their time at the Abbey are explored in the episodes. The whole presentation becomes a very interesting explanation of Benedictine life from the point of view of an ‘outsider’ and from the monks. Apparently the reading of Esther’s book was an assignment given to the men before they arrived at the Abbey.
St Benedict was born around 480 in a family of high station. He left his studies in Rome to live in a cave as a hermit. He was never a priest himself. He received food from a monk who agreed to keep his whereabouts a secret. He was discovered by some disciples with whom he established monasteries. He settled in Monte Cassino with a group of monks. His sister, St Scholastica, lived nearby with her community of nuns. His life is described by St Gregory in the “Dialogues”. (3) For St Benedict the monastery became a community of love.
There are three Benedictine vows: “obedience, stability and conversatio morum”. (13) Followers of St Benedict are described as “recruits for the army, workmen in God’s workshop, pilgrims and disciples”. (13) The appeal is to ordinary people. The goal of the Rule (of Benedict) is to “put nothing before the service of Christ”. (19)
The Rule begins with listening, an essential of learning. It requires “every fibre of our being”. (27) Obedience and serving are always preceded by hearing and listening. These lead to serenity and freedom.
The standards of the vow of stability are presented without apology. The choice to enter (the order) comes with non-negotiable commitments. Enclosure (which may seem prison like) is fundamental to stability.
“St Benedict’s concept of conversatio morum can be interpreted as a commitment to total inner transformation of one sort or another.” (54) There can be no new life without change. Life in the monastery is built around a rhythm of prayer, study and work that accommodates body, soul and spirit. Benedictine monks are challenged with a life of moderation concerning material things. St Benedict was very much opposed to private ownership which he considered a vice. “Material things are sacramenta, symbols that reveal the beauty and the goodness of their creator.” (88) People are to be served as representatives of God, in whose image they are made, with love and humility. “St Benedict finds Christ in people.” (99)
Authority is explained as a responsibility of love, not a system to facilitate management and control. “Prayer lies at the very heart of Benedictine life.” (129) It is explained as “a continuing dialogue with Christ”. (131) The reading of Scripture is fundamental to this conversation.
Note: I want to make a few follow up comments about the DVD I referred to in my opening comment. Having ‘lay people’ spend time in a monastery was probably unique to everyone in the “experiment”. All the visitors spoke of their experience as being positive. It would be interesting to hear from the film crew regarding their observations. The book and the DVD are an effective resource