Missionary Conquest: A critical analysis
It is often said that there is nothing so dangerous as a convert or a missionary. Although many take this idea as a kind of "tongue in cheek" characterization of the excesses of those "blinded by faith," there remains a sinister truth in the statement. George Tinker's book, Missionary Conquest: The Gospel and Native American Cultural Genocide, clearly illustrates the dark side of missionary work, and the damage that can, and has been done to Native American cultures and peoples as a result of the inherent coupling of colonialism/ethnocentrism and religion -- what he calls, "religion in the service of evil." However, although Tinker does a wonderful job in pointing out the unfortunate "Anglo-centrism" of the missionaries he discusses, as well as the horrible price Native Americans would pay as a result of their efforts, he does not acknowledge the difficulty his position as a Christian pastor contributes to the effectiveness of his argument, nor does he reconcile the reader's doubt concerning the common problem with "reconstructive" thinking, namely, can one use the values of today to judge the values of history?
From the beginning of the book, Tinker makes it clear that his main point in writing Missionary Conquest is "that the Christian missionaries -- of all denominations working among the American Indian nations -- were partners in Genocide" (Tinker, 1993: 4). Of course, this assertion is no small thing. The term "genocide" is hardly a trifling term -- especially when coupled with an institution as supposedly benevolent (to those who support its existence) as Christian mission work. Indeed, Tinker mentions several times throughout the book the supposed "good intentions" of the very genocidal missionaries he discusses -- missionaries that, despite the very real damage they helped perpetrate against an entire people, are on the verge of "canonization:"
It is important to my thesis that my selections are among the most remembered and most revered missionaries, who have been the subjects of countless hagiographies and continue to serve as models. They have, I would argue, been elevated implicitly to the level of sainthood. My examples include John Eliot in Puritan New England, Pierre-Jean De Smet in the Northwest, soon to be officially "Saint" Junipero Serra in California, and Henry Benjamin Whipple, Episcopal bishop of Minnesota during the later part of the nineteenth century (4).
The point that Tinker wants to make in using four of the highest respected missionaries in American history, is that even at its highest, and supposed most successful level, the unavoidable mixture of the supposed, lofty ideals of Christian faith merged with cultural ethnocentrism to produce a genocidal effect on the societies of the Native American peoples. Indeed, he writes, "I intend to expose the illusion, the covert 'lie' of white self-righteousness as it was internalized and acted out by the missionaries themselves" (5).
Because Tinker is so blunt in his accusation of genocide (cultural contributing to general), he uses a strident supporting methodology to back up his claim. Not only is his research backed up by solid historical example, but he uses the words, writings, and letters of the men he critiques, themselves, to prove his thesis. However, time and again, these very words bring up questions that Tinker is not prepared to answer.
Perhaps if the author were not a Christian pastor himself, the reader might be able to understand his position more easily, however, as a Christian, one imagines that Tinker accepts many of the assumptions that the missionaries he critiques embraced. This is especially true when one considers that Tinker brings up the problem of the abolition of practices contrary to Christian doctrine.
The best example of this problem is in the problem of polygamy, which Tinker returns to several times throughout the book (pages, 26, 76, 77, 106, 135, 152), the suppression of which he charges with the "breakup of Indian families, and economic turmoil within the tribe (77). The problem with this...
Christianity in the Modern World Modern Christians looking back into history may find it hard to comprehend the various atrocities that have been committed in the name of Christianity. While religion has consistently been an excuse for one group to claim superiority over another, nowhere was this more apparent than when the Puritans came to America. While the lens of time reveals the Puritan actions against the native population to
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