Fifty years after five missionaries were murdered in Ecuador, their story still inspires.
Kathryn Long and Carolyn Nystrom | posted 3/10/2006 12:00AM
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The Waorani themselves, who number about 2,000 today, have faced numerous challenges brought by increasing encounters with the outside world. Some have rejected Christianity as they understand it, others have accepted the limited version of "thou shalt not kill," and still others are seeking a vital, meaningful faith based on their understanding of God's Word.
But the seed has been planted, and there are Waorani who live the faith for which, a half-century ago, the five missionaries died.
Kathryn Long is associate professor of history at Wheaton College and is writing a book on the history of the Waorani/missionary contact. Carolyn Nystrom is a freelance writer living in St. Charles, IL.
Christianity Today also covered the anniversary of the martyrdom.
Out Cast: The Chad Allen Controversy The Wrong End of the Spear | Is Christian passion for purity blinding us to our missionary impulse? (Feb. 08, 2006)
Out Cast: The Chad Allen Controversy 'I Feel Betrayed' | A son-in-law of one of the murdered missionaries says the casting was a mistake. (Feb. 08, 2006)
Readers Affirm Decision to Hire Gay Actor | Most Christianity Today Movies readers say End of the Spear's filmmakers were right to honor their commitment once they had offered the lead role to Chad Allen, a homosexual. (Feb. 1, 2006)
Christian Studio Explains Hiring of Gay Actor | The makers of End of the Spear didn't find out about co-star Chad Allen's homosexuality until after they offered him the job, and then they felt obliged to honor the contract. (Jan. 26, 2006)
Reviews: End of the Spear The story has been told in Christian circles for 50 years. In 1956, five missionaries were brutally murdered in the Ecuadorian jungle by members of the Waodani tribe they went to serve. And then something amazing happened; the killers became Christians. (Jan. 20, 2006)
Death Worked Backwards | End of the Spear, a new film about the 1956 missionary martyrs in Ecuador, is similar to the Narnia story in some ways, says Steve Saint, son of one of the murdered men. (Jan. 18, 2006)
The Rest of the Story | Half a century after killing five missionaries, the 'Auca' find themselves on the cutting edge of modern missions. (Jan. 18, 2006)
End of the Spear Big Winner at Heartland | Film about 1956 missionary martyrs in Ecuador wins Film Festival's $50,000 Grand Prize; others also lauded at Crystal Heart Awards Ceremony. (Oct. 17, 2005)
More Christian history, including a list of events that occurred this week in the church's past, is available at ChristianHistory.net. Subscriptions to the quarterly print magazine Christian History & Biography are also available.
Previous Christian History Corners include:
Physicians of the Soul | J. I. Packer discusses the English Puritans, their quest for holiness, and why they are still worth remembering. (Feb. 24, 2006)
Blessing the Church with its History | Douglas Sweeney argues for an evangelical movement that welcomes diversity and repents of its blind spots. (Feb. 10, 2006)
Erasmus's Revolutionary 'Study Bible' | The spiritual father of so many English Reformers died at the hands of the church he refused to leave. (Jan. 13, 2006)
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