Indian authorities trying to recover body of US missionary

John Allen Chau was twenty-six years old. A native of Vancouver, Washington, he led missionary trips around the world for Christ.

This month, he traveled to the North Sentinel Island in India’s Bay of Bengal to share Christ with the Sentinelese tribe. Its members have been isolated for centuries, rejecting all contact with the larger world and reacting with violence when outsiders have attempted to interact with them. Their island is off-limits to visitors under Indian law.

Chau hired local fishermen to transport him within half a mile of the island. He then used a canoe to reach the island’s shore, returning later in the day.

On his second trip, the tribespeople broke his canoe, forcing him to swim back to the boat. On his third trip, he did not come back. The fishermen said they later saw tribespeople dragging his body around.

Indian authorities have now begun the arduous work of trying to retrieve Chau’s body without triggering a conflict with the islanders.

Before he left the boat for the last time, Chau wrote a note to his family. “You guys might think I’m crazy in all this but I think it’s worthwhile to declare Jesus to these people,” he said.

Then he added: “Please do not be angry at them or at God if I get killed–rather please live your lives in obedience to whatever He has called you to and I will see you again when you pass through the veil.”

“When necessary, use words”

John Chau’s story raises numerous questions. Among them: Was it ethical to risk exposing the North Sentinelese to diseases for which they have no immunities? How did Chau expect to communicate with them if he did not understand their language or culture? Was it appropriate for him to seek contact with people who clearly did not want him on their island?

Here’s the larger theological question: Do the North Sentinelese need to hear about Jesus?

Our secular culture would answer loudly in the negative. “Live and let live” is the mantra…