Blessing Beyond Boundaries is Truly Eternally in Our Hearts

SouthAmericaA while ago I read the book “Eternity In Their Hearts” by Don Richardson. Without a doubt this is one of the best books I’ve ever read, so that’s why I want you to read it, too.

Don Richardson is a former missionary who spent about 15 years living among the Sawi people of western New Guinea with his family. He wrote another book about his experiences with this tribe entitled “Peace Child”, although a brief summary of is also contained in “Eternity In Their Hearts”.

“Eternity In Their Hearts” is made up of two parts: First, how the nations are prepared for the gospel, and second, how the gospel is prepared for the nations. It is a mix of three different literary styles: scientifically sound research, edifying spiritual content directly from the heart, and fictional narratives of true historical events for illustration. The main point Don Richardson tries to get across, and he backs this up with scientific and biblical proof, is that every person and every culture has “eternity” set “in their hearts”.

What does this mean? Everybody knows there is some kind of purpose in life. Even if you don’t think there is a purpose, you are probably living as if there is. Everyone is hoping for a hereafter where we will live forever. Everybody is waiting for liberation and salvation. And God has not left any culture without a witness or indication of himself.310812_273187609387366_380757042_n

Looking at the best part first, the second part of the book, Richardson turns our attention to the Bible and shows plainly that this book has an undeniable “all peoples perspective”. Beginning with the “Abrahamic covenant” in Genesis 12, Don shows that God planned to make salvation possible for everyone right from the get-go! For in Genesis 12, God speaks to Abraham that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (verse 3). Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, God continually reinforces this promise to bring the Gentiles into his covenant with the Jews through prophets. But no Jew understood the full extent of God’s promise.

Jesus in the New Testament clearly teaches that the gospel is meant for all people (for example through healing the servant of a Roman centurion, telling a story about a good Samaritan, speaking to a Samaritan woman by the well, or preaching about Nineveh and the Queen of Sheba). At the end of his ministry he draws from all his previous teachings on the “all peoples perspective” and sends out his disciples to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Acts 1). We call this the “Great Commission”.

At the very latest Paul the apostle, as seen in the book of Acts, finally lives out this commission and is the first person to effectively bring the gospel to Gentiles. The other apostles take much longer to act upon the commission of their Lord Jesus Christ. Traditional, non-biblical accounts however tell us that every one of them finally also got out of Jerusalem and went to the farthest corners of the then known world, even as far as southern India. Over the next two thousand years missionaries like Paul have undeniably been one of the most important factors in world history.

Throughout the New Testament we read that God finally fulfilled his promise to Abraham and that the gospel has been made accessible to all people. The Bible even ends with the fabulous prospect of all tribes and all languages being represented in heaven (Revelations 7:9).

From beginning to end, the Bible teaches what Don Richardson calls the “all peoples perspective”.

In the first part of the book, Don Richardson recounts accounts of how the message of Jesus Christ came to different tribes and cultures over the last two thousand years. He starts out with the interesting story of the apostle Paul bringing the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection to Greek intellectuals (read it in Acts 17). In this chapter of the Bible, Paul claims that an altar the Greeks built to an “unknown God” was actually built to the one true God. Don Richardson fills us in on some Greek history and reveals that the Greeks in fact did build this altar to the God who created everything there is. They built the altar because this God saved them from a plague, but he didn’t reveal his name. Don narrates how Epimenides of Crete instructed the Greeks to sacrifice to God in the correct manner to be saved from this plague.

Richardson continues to give us accounts of missionaries who, over the next two millennia, brought the good news of Jesus Christ to various tribes and cultures by using the “witnesses” God already placed within those cultures. He emphasises one important thing: Christians shouldn’t (like many have sadly done over the centuries) try to impose our Western culture on other peoples. Rather, weshould adopt their culture while living among them, and try to recognise the parts within their own culture that God planted there to prepare them for the gospel. Missionaries who respect and accept the culture of the people they are living with will have: a) genuinely better relationships and more fun with those people and b) exponentially more people giving their lives to Jesus Christ.

It is a common belief that many tribal cultures are either animistic or polytheistic. This belief goes back to evolutionary thinking spreading from biology into all other areas of science (animism evolving to monotheism as the population becomes more advanced). But this couldn’t be further from the truth! Research over the years has shown time and time again that there is a monotheistic root to most primitive religions. This means that the original belief of most cultures was in one true God, the God who created them and everything else. Many tribes have stories that their own decisions separated them from this God long ago. Some of them have the hope that someday they will be reconciled with him. Some even have prophecies that someone from the outside will bring them a message or a book that will help them to be reconciled with their creator God.

It is also a common belief that missionaries aren’t effective. Most people can’t believe that “enforcing” a belief upon foreign cultures can produce a significant number of converts. Perhaps you are reading this now and believe that the average missionary sees maybe five to ten people convert to Christianity per year. This could not be further from the truth! Missionaries who make use of the “witnesses” that God planted in every culture have seen thousands of people come to Christ per year. Some have even brought entire civilisations to Christ! What is important to remember here is that we are not eliminating their culture and imposing Western values on them. The opposite is the case: we are honouring and, through Christ, giving them an even deeper understanding of their own culture. In many cases we are even restoring their original cultural values to them that have been destroyed by the Western influences of alcohol and drugs!

This first part of the book contains lots of information and is well-rooted in scientific research. I recommend this part to everyone who is remotely interested in anthropology, archaeology, or generally in the various beliefs of different tribes. Even if you’re not in the slightest a Christian, it will make for an interesting read.

But this book review is long enough. “Eternity In Their Hearts” has become one of my favorite books. Don Richardson is the man! His research, personal experiences as a missionary, and understanding of the Bible are amazing. I learned many new things that have completely changed my perspective on the different cultures and religions of this world. The book was both an eye opener and a heart opener. My heart for missions were renewed and rekindled. Please do me a favour and read it for yourself!