John Allen Chau: Difference between revisions
Rock200514 (talk | contribs) m Corrected information Tags: Reverted Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
Rock200514 (talk | contribs) m Deleted wrong information Tags: Reverted Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
Chau was born on December 18, 1991 in the U.S. state of [[Alabama]], the third and youngest child of Lynda Adams-Chau, an organizer for [[Chi Alpha (Christian Fellowship)|Chi Alpha]], and Patrick Chau, a Chinese-American [[psychiatrist]] who left China during the [[Cultural Revolution]].<ref name="Perry">{{Cite web|last=Perry|first=Alex|date=July 24, 2019|title=The Last Days of John Allen Chau|url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2400030/john-allen-chau-life-death-north-sentinel|access-date=2020-03-24|website=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]]}}</ref> |
Chau was born on December 18, 1991 in the U.S. state of [[Alabama]], the third and youngest child of Lynda Adams-Chau, an organizer for [[Chi Alpha (Christian Fellowship)|Chi Alpha]], and Patrick Chau, a Chinese-American [[psychiatrist]] who left China during the [[Cultural Revolution]].<ref name="Perry">{{Cite web|last=Perry|first=Alex|date=July 24, 2019|title=The Last Days of John Allen Chau|url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2400030/john-allen-chau-life-death-north-sentinel|access-date=2020-03-24|website=[[Outside (magazine)|Outside]]}}</ref> |
||
Throughout his childhood, he loved camping, hiking and travelling, and excelled at various club, charity, and other extracurricular activities. He admired numerous explorers and missionaries including [[David Livingstone]] and [[Bruce Olson]]. He later attended [[Oral Roberts University]] in [[Oklahoma]]. Prior to his last and fatal journey to North Sentinel Island, Chau participated in missionary trips to [[Mexico]] |
Throughout his childhood, he loved camping, hiking and travelling, and excelled at various club, charity, and other extracurricular activities. He admired numerous explorers and missionaries including [[David Livingstone]] and [[Bruce Olson]]. He later attended [[Oral Roberts University]] in [[Oklahoma]]. Prior to his last and fatal journey to North Sentinel Island, Chau participated in missionary trips to [[Mexico]] and [[South Africa]]. |
||
==Contact with Sentinelese and death== |
==Contact with Sentinelese and death== |
||
In 2017, during the year when Chau participated in boot camp missionary training by the evangelical organization All Nations, Chau reportedly expressed his interest in preaching to the Sentinelese. Chau then traveled to and established his residence at [[Port Blair]] in October of 2018, where he prepared an initial contact kit including picture cards for communication, gifts for Sentinelese people, medical equipment, and other necessities.<ref name="Conroy" /> |
In 2017, during the year when Chau participated in boot camp missionary training by the evangelical organization All Nations, Chau reportedly expressed his interest in preaching to the Sentinelese. Chau then traveled to and established his residence at [[Port Blair]] in October of 2018, where he prepared an initial contact kit including picture cards for communication, gifts for Sentinelese people, medical equipment, and other necessities.<ref name="Conroy">{{Cite web|last=Conroy|first=J. Oliver|date=February 3, 2019|title=The life and death of John Chau, the man who tried to convert his killers|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/03/john-chau-christian-missionary-death-sentinelese|access-date=2020-07-01|publisher=The Guardian}}</ref> |
||
In November, Chau embarked on an expedition to North Sentinel Island, which he considered to be "[[Satan]]'s last stronghold on Earth",<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gjelten|first=Tom|title=Killing Of American Missionary Ignites Debate Over How To Evangelize|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/11/27/671285330/killing-of-american-missionary-ignites-debate-over-how-to-evangelize|access-date=2020-07-16|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> with the aim of contacting and living among the Sentinelese.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2018/12/08/john-allen-chau-is-no-jim-elliot-the-story-of-john-chau-illustrates-the-dangers-of-indoctrination-in-evangelical-culture-and-being-naive/|title=John Allen Chau is No Jim Elliot. The Story of John Chau Illustrates the Dangers of Indoctrination in Evangelical Culture and Being Naïve|last=Bonner|first=David |date=December 8, 2018|website=Wondering Eagle|access-date=2020-03-24|via=WordPress}}</ref><ref name="NewsComAu">{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/police-faceoff-with-sentinelese-tribe-as-they-struggle-to-recover-slain-missionarys-body/news-story/a88d3780059939a5e11ebcfb556327ac|title=Police face off with Sentinelese tribe as they struggle to recover slain missionary's body|date=November 26, 2018|website=News.com.au|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> He expressed a strong desire to preach Christianity to the tribe.<ref name="Stetzer">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/11/28/slain-missionary-john-chau-prepared-much-more-than-we-thought-his-case-is-still-quandary-us-missionaries/|title=Slain missionary John Chau prepared much more than we thought, but are missionaries still fools?|last=Stetzer|first=Ed|authorlink=Ed Stetzer|website=The Washington Post|date=November 28, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> In preparation for the trip, Chau was vaccinated and quarantined,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/november-web-only/all-nations-john-allen-chau-north-sentinel-island.html|title=What John Allen Chau's Missions Agency Wants You to Know|website=Christianity Today|date=November 28, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> and also undertook medical and linguistic training.<ref name="Stetzer" /> However, he did not seek permission from the Indian authorities before embarking, making his trip illegal under Indian law,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/john-allen-chau-detailed-efforts-convert-islanders-christianity/story?id=59401238|title=John Allen Chau detailed efforts to convert islanders to Christianity in final diary entries: 'You guys might think I'm crazy'|last1=Osborne|first1=Mark |last2=Joglekar|first2=Rahul |publisher=ABC News|date=November 26, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> as foreign citizens must obtain a permit to visit the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], with nobody being allowed on North Sentinel.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Chatterjee|first1=Tanmay |last2=Lama|first2=Prawesh |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/american-national-john-allen-chau-violated-every-rule-in-the-book-to-meet-the-sentinelese/story-AuB0stXyIR7AY1c2XCNkfN.html|title=American national John Allen Chau violated every rule in the book to meet the Sentinelese|date=November 23, 2018|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> Instead, Chau paid two fishermen [[Indian rupee|₹]]25,000 (equivalent to $333.50) to take him close to the island.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Banerjie|first=Monideepa |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/us-tourist-john-chau-paid-fishermen-rs-25-000-for-fatal-trip-to-sentinelese-island-1951387|title=American Paid Fishermen Rs. 25,000 For Fatal Trip To Andamans|publisher=NDTV|date=November 22, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> The fishermen were later arrested.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2018/11/23/cops-arrest-suspects-believed-to-help-us-missionary-on-fatal-trip/|title=Cops arrest suspects believed to help US missionary on fatal trip|last=Eustachewich|first=Lia|date=November 23, 2018|website=New York Post|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> |
In November, Chau embarked on an expedition to North Sentinel Island, which he considered to be "[[Satan]]'s last stronghold on Earth",<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gjelten|first=Tom|title=Killing Of American Missionary Ignites Debate Over How To Evangelize|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/11/27/671285330/killing-of-american-missionary-ignites-debate-over-how-to-evangelize|access-date=2020-07-16|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> with the aim of contacting and living among the Sentinelese.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wonderingeagle.wordpress.com/2018/12/08/john-allen-chau-is-no-jim-elliot-the-story-of-john-chau-illustrates-the-dangers-of-indoctrination-in-evangelical-culture-and-being-naive/|title=John Allen Chau is No Jim Elliot. The Story of John Chau Illustrates the Dangers of Indoctrination in Evangelical Culture and Being Naïve|last=Bonner|first=David |date=December 8, 2018|website=Wondering Eagle|access-date=2020-03-24|via=WordPress}}</ref><ref name="NewsComAu">{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/police-faceoff-with-sentinelese-tribe-as-they-struggle-to-recover-slain-missionarys-body/news-story/a88d3780059939a5e11ebcfb556327ac|title=Police face off with Sentinelese tribe as they struggle to recover slain missionary's body|date=November 26, 2018|website=News.com.au|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> He expressed a strong desire to preach Christianity to the tribe.<ref name="Stetzer">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2018/11/28/slain-missionary-john-chau-prepared-much-more-than-we-thought-his-case-is-still-quandary-us-missionaries/|title=Slain missionary John Chau prepared much more than we thought, but are missionaries still fools?|last=Stetzer|first=Ed|authorlink=Ed Stetzer|website=The Washington Post|date=November 28, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> In preparation for the trip, Chau was vaccinated and quarantined,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/november-web-only/all-nations-john-allen-chau-north-sentinel-island.html|title=What John Allen Chau's Missions Agency Wants You to Know|website=Christianity Today|date=November 28, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> and also undertook medical and linguistic training.<ref name="Stetzer" /> However, he did not seek permission from the Indian authorities before embarking, making his trip illegal under Indian law,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/john-allen-chau-detailed-efforts-convert-islanders-christianity/story?id=59401238|title=John Allen Chau detailed efforts to convert islanders to Christianity in final diary entries: 'You guys might think I'm crazy'|last1=Osborne|first1=Mark |last2=Joglekar|first2=Rahul |publisher=ABC News|date=November 26, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> as foreign citizens must obtain a permit to visit the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], with nobody being allowed on North Sentinel.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Chatterjee|first1=Tanmay |last2=Lama|first2=Prawesh |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/american-national-john-allen-chau-violated-every-rule-in-the-book-to-meet-the-sentinelese/story-AuB0stXyIR7AY1c2XCNkfN.html|title=American national John Allen Chau violated every rule in the book to meet the Sentinelese|date=November 23, 2018|website=Hindustan Times|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> Instead, Chau paid two fishermen [[Indian rupee|₹]]25,000 (equivalent to $333.50) to take him close to the island.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Banerjie|first=Monideepa |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/us-tourist-john-chau-paid-fishermen-rs-25-000-for-fatal-trip-to-sentinelese-island-1951387|title=American Paid Fishermen Rs. 25,000 For Fatal Trip To Andamans|publisher=NDTV|date=November 22, 2018|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> The fishermen were later arrested.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2018/11/23/cops-arrest-suspects-believed-to-help-us-missionary-on-fatal-trip/|title=Cops arrest suspects believed to help US missionary on fatal trip|last=Eustachewich|first=Lia|date=November 23, 2018|website=New York Post|access-date=2020-03-24}}</ref> |
||
Revision as of 14:21, 29 November 2020
John Allen Chau | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 18, 1991[1] Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 2018 (aged 26) |
| Education | Oral Roberts University[2] |
| Occupation | Christian missionary |
John Allen Chau (December 18, 1991 – November 17, 2018) was an American protestant Christian missionary who was killed by the Sentinelese, a self-isolated uncontacted people, after illegally travelling to North Sentinel Island in an attempt to preach Christianity to them.[3]
Early life
Chau was born on December 18, 1991 in the U.S. state of Alabama, the third and youngest child of Lynda Adams-Chau, an organizer for Chi Alpha, and Patrick Chau, a Chinese-American psychiatrist who left China during the Cultural Revolution.[4]
Throughout his childhood, he loved camping, hiking and travelling, and excelled at various club, charity, and other extracurricular activities. He admired numerous explorers and missionaries including David Livingstone and Bruce Olson. He later attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. Prior to his last and fatal journey to North Sentinel Island, Chau participated in missionary trips to Mexico and South Africa.
Contact with Sentinelese and death
In 2017, during the year when Chau participated in boot camp missionary training by the evangelical organization All Nations, Chau reportedly expressed his interest in preaching to the Sentinelese. Chau then traveled to and established his residence at Port Blair in October of 2018, where he prepared an initial contact kit including picture cards for communication, gifts for Sentinelese people, medical equipment, and other necessities.[5]
In November, Chau embarked on an expedition to North Sentinel Island, which he considered to be "Satan's last stronghold on Earth",[6] with the aim of contacting and living among the Sentinelese.[7][8] He expressed a strong desire to preach Christianity to the tribe.[9] In preparation for the trip, Chau was vaccinated and quarantined,[10] and also undertook medical and linguistic training.[9] However, he did not seek permission from the Indian authorities before embarking, making his trip illegal under Indian law,[11] as foreign citizens must obtain a permit to visit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, with nobody being allowed on North Sentinel.[12] Instead, Chau paid two fishermen ₹25,000 (equivalent to $333.50) to take him close to the island.[13] The fishermen were later arrested.[14]
Chau paddled a kayak from the boat to the island and attempted to communicate with Sentinelese upon their first contact, but left the gifts and retreated when the villagers began stringing their bows at him. He later paddled back to the island and walked up to the beach this time while attempting to communicate with the natives. Chau abandoned his kayak and swam back to the boat in panic when one of the villagers shot an arrow at him and struck the Bible he was holding. On November 16, the date when Chau was last seen alive, he asked the fishermen to drop him off alone on the island after thinking that the Sentinelese might feel more comfortable if they did not see the foreign fishing boat nearby. Prior to being left on the island alone, Chau admitted in his diary that he was scared, but it was "worth it to declare Jesus to these people."[5]
Aftermath
Despite efforts by Indian authorities, which involved a tense encounter with the tribe, Chau's body was not recovered.[8] Indian officials made several attempts to recover Chau's body but eventually abandoned those efforts. An anthropologist involved in the case told The Guardian that the risk of a dangerous clash between investigators and the islanders was too great to justify any further attempts.[15] A murder case was opened following his death.[16]
Chau was the subject of significant public criticism for visiting the island despite the possibility of introducing pathogens to the native Sentinelese, which could have been deadly since it was likely that the natives had not been exposed previously to diseases from outside the island.[17][4][18][19] All Nations, the evangelical organization that trained Chau, was accused and criticized for describing Chau as a martyr when it stated "...the privilege of gospel has often involved great cost. We pray that John's sacrificial efforts will bear eternal fruit in due season," while expressing condolences for Chau's death. Chau's father also blamed his son's death on the missionary community for inculcating an extreme Christian vision within Chau.[5] According to a report by The New York Times, the missionary training by All Nations included navigating a mock native village manned by missionary staff members who pretended to be hostile natives, wielding fake spears.[20]
References
- ^ "Christian Martyr: John Allen Chau". Covenant Journey. November 21, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey; Kumar, Hari; Schultz, Kai (November 23, 2018). "A Man's Last Letter Before Being Killed on a Forbidden Island". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ McKirdy, Euan (November 22, 2018). "'You guys might think I'm crazy': Diary of US 'missionary' reveals last days in remote island". CNN. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Perry, Alex (July 24, 2019). "The Last Days of John Allen Chau". Outside. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c Conroy, J. Oliver (February 3, 2019). "The life and death of John Chau, the man who tried to convert his killers". The Guardian. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ Gjelten, Tom. "Killing Of American Missionary Ignites Debate Over How To Evangelize". NPR.org. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ Bonner, David (December 8, 2018). "John Allen Chau is No Jim Elliot. The Story of John Chau Illustrates the Dangers of Indoctrination in Evangelical Culture and Being Naïve". Wondering Eagle. Retrieved March 24, 2020 – via WordPress.
- ^ a b "Police face off with Sentinelese tribe as they struggle to recover slain missionary's body". News.com.au. November 26, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ a b Stetzer, Ed (November 28, 2018). "Slain missionary John Chau prepared much more than we thought, but are missionaries still fools?". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ "What John Allen Chau's Missions Agency Wants You to Know". Christianity Today. November 28, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Osborne, Mark; Joglekar, Rahul (November 26, 2018). "John Allen Chau detailed efforts to convert islanders to Christianity in final diary entries: 'You guys might think I'm crazy'". ABC News. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Chatterjee, Tanmay; Lama, Prawesh (November 23, 2018). "American national John Allen Chau violated every rule in the book to meet the Sentinelese". Hindustan Times. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Banerjie, Monideepa (November 22, 2018). "American Paid Fishermen Rs. 25,000 For Fatal Trip To Andamans". NDTV. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Eustachewich, Lia (November 23, 2018). "Cops arrest suspects believed to help US missionary on fatal trip". New York Post. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
- ^ Safi, Michael; Giles, Denis (November 28, 2018). "India has no plans to recover body of US missionary killed by tribe". The Guardian. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "John Allen Chau: 'Incredibly dangerous' to retrieve body from North Sentinel". BBC News. November 26, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
- ^ Elonai, Maisha (November 28, 2018). "John Allen Chau was brave. He was also reckless". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Survival International statement on killing of American man John Allen Chau by Sentinelese tribe, Andaman Islands". Survival International. November 21, 2018. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Missionary claims that John Chau did not pose a threat to the Sentinelese - Survival responds". www.survivalinternational.org. Survival International. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Gettleman, Jeffrey (November 30, 2018). "John Chau Aced Missionary Boot Camp. Reality Proved a Harsher Test". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
