to every tribe - spring 2011

7/28/2019 To Every Tribe - Spring 2011

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The

Undercover World of AnimismBy: David Sitton

Animism is the most widely practiced religion in the world. A vast majority of theworlds nearly seven billion inhabitants are actively involved in some variety of thisspiritualistic worldview. Animism 1 may also be the most subtle aspect within themajor world religions, reshaping itself into countless mutations and blending(aka syncretism) into virtually every religious expression across the planet,including North America.

Consider these examples from various world religions:

Hindus and Muslims in Central and Southeast Asia, and most Buddhists in China,intermingle their religion with various animistic spirit beliefs and practices. Hindusbelieve in karma and reincarnation. Folk Hindus pray to a variety of spirits.

Japanese Shintoism and ChineseConfucianism emphasize ancestralveneration.

Folk Muslims attempt to harness the power of baraka which is an impersonal, but friendly(hopefully) spiritual force. An example of Folk Islam would be one who prays fivetimes a day to Allah, but may also be asorcerer who seeks power from the five evilspirits written about in Arabic script. 2

Voodoo in Haiti encompasses bizarre beliefsof spiritual metamorphosis where demonicspirits change into different animal forms(lycanthropy), including the ability toreanimate human corpses (zombies).

Melanesian cargo cults regularly seek tomanipulate ancestral spirits to reveal thetrue source of the white mans wealth.

Modern Neo-pagans describe themselvesas animists, meaning they respect thediverse community of living beings and spiritswith whom humans share the world.

1. Animism is not a religion, strictly speaking. However, it is a signicant facet ofvirtually every religion.

2. Loren Entz. Challenges to Abous Jesus. Evangelical Missions Quarterly. Jan,1986, page 46


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Animism also permeates North America. Consider these elements of animism:

More than 50 million Americans seek the counsel of astrological charts to determinehow the alignment of the stars will affect their day.

Catholicism is rife with idolatry (icon veneration) and animistic practices, such asthe reverence of saints and the worship of Mary, the Mother of God.

Wiccans may use the term animist to refer to the concept that a Mother Goddessand Horned God are within everything that exists.New Age philosophies embrace animism in the form of the existence of naturespirits, divination, and (attempted) communication with the dead (necromancy).

Traditional Native American religions are fundamentally animistic. There is a Native American Indian shaman with an office in the downtown section of the city whereI live who is eager to assist those with a need to know the future.

Television clairvoyants (sance

mediums); fortune tellers;ridiculous good lucksuperstitions; naivet in regardto Halloween witches andgoblins; and the mystical ritualsof transcendental meditation,yoga, channeling and breathprayer (which all seek an alteredstate meditative consciousness)

are examples of North Americanpreoccupation with animisticobservances.

I am compelled to blow a trumpet of alarm for North American believers. If animismis principally a search for power sources by which man may manipulate the spiritworld to execute his own will, we must be alert to the tendency of carrying animisticbelief and practice into Christianity. Tribal peoples are not the only ones affected byharmful syncretism. The Western world is also immersed in a culture of false gods.

Melanesian cargo cultism (mentioned above) is little different from health andwealth, blab it and grab it religious scams that attempt to manipulate God andmaterially exploit their followers. Your Best Life Now is not the biblical gospel(Mark 10:17-45). In Jesus name is not a tribal chant that will wake up God inorder to get fleshly wishes granted. This is prostitution of the genuine power of theHoly Spirit that God demonstrates through his people for the spread of the gospelthroughout the earth.

The demonic objective is to deceive humanity and to lead them away from God.Satans plans are never for our good, but always for destruction (John 8:44; 10:10;Hebrews 2:14). So it is with the nations of the world that are enslaved by the spiritualcesspit of animism. Satan has detained them for millennia, and hell not let his slavesgo without a fight. Yet, he will release captives through the gospel.

In this issue of our magazine, we will spotlightanimism as it is commonly understood in the contextof the religious worldview of indigenous peoples.

Animism is the search for and discovery of powersources by which man may manipulate the spirit world to execute his will.

Philip Steyne (Gods of Power)

President, To Every Tribe


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The World of

A N I M I S M! ! By Dr. Patrick Zukeran

From Genesis to the present, the biblicalworldview has clashed with the worldview ofanimism. Animism is a religion that sees aspirit or spiritual force behind every event,and many objects of the physical world carryspiritual signicance.

The animistic worldview contains both thephysical world and the unseen spirit world.There is no sharp distinction between the tworealities; what happens in one affects theother. The seen or physical world consists ofwhat we can see and experience. It includesforces of nature and physical beings. In theseen world, the earth plays a prominent rolebecause it is viewed as a living entity and isoften worshipped as Mother Earth. Nature isbelieved to be alive. Hills, caves, mountains,and lakes are often revered as sacred places.

Animals may be embodiments of spirits andare worshipped as sacred, such as the cowand monkey in India.

The hierarchy in the unseen world of animismbegins with the belief in the Supreme God.Following him are a host of lesser gods, thenthe spirits (nature deities), and then the spiritsof the ancestors who continue to play a rolewith the living.

There also exist unseen forces that includesupernatural powers like fate, the evil eye,magic, and witchcraft. There are alsoimpersonal energy forces in objects thatempower them. These objects are believedto give a person power to do good or evil.

The Mudmen of Asaro images were taken by photographer Betsey Norton in the Highlandsof Papua New Guinea.


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Themes in Animism

Ancestors: The rst of the themes is a community-centered life. Theancestors, the living, and the unborn are all part of on-going communityrelationships.

Supernatural beings and forces: Humans live in a world surrounded bysupernatural beings and forces, most of which are hostile to humans. Forthis reason, animists spend their time seeking to appease the gods, thespirits, and the ancestors with offerings or bribes. Extreme care is taken tomaintain the harmony between the two worlds. Since all created things areconnected, a simple act like eating a fruit from the wrong tree may bringdisaster.

Power: Animistic peoples view themselves as constantly struggling againstspirits, other humans, and supernatural forces. Everything that happens isexplained by spiritual powers at war. The goal is to attain power to controlthe forces around them. Animism is obsessed with invoking good luck andavoiding bad luck in every aspect of life.

Fear: In a world full of spirits, omens, and spells, life is rarely secure. Manysee the world as a hostile and dangerous place lled with spirits and forcesantagonistic to people. Seemingly mundane activities such as moving thewrong rock can bring potential disaster. People turn to their ancestors,gods, and spirits for protection

Gods in Animism

It may surprise you that most animistic religions teach that there is oneSupreme Being. He is the creator and is often described as omniscient,eternal, benecent, omnipotent, and righteous. However, this being hasdistanced himself from man and cannot be known personally. Legendsabound that he was once near, but was angered with man and removedhimself far away.

Following the Supreme God is a host of lesser gods. These beings mediatebetween man and the Supreme Being, but must rst be paid homage.

Gods possess specic powers and are localized to a geographical area.The gods inhabit places such as rivers, mountains, forests, and oceans.Some gods exercise power over human affairs (business, marriage, death,etc.). Other gods exercise powers over nature (storms, rain, etc.). Amongthe Hawaiians, Lono is the god of the oceans and controls the clouds andstorms. Pele, the re goddess, dwells in the volcanoes. Many still honorthese gods in Hawaii today.


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Spirits and AncestorsCan the dead communicate with the living? Animism holds to a belief thatnumerous spirits exercise their power over places where they once dwelled,such as mountains, streams, and rivers. For example, some South Sea

islanders ask forgiveness of the trees they cut down for canoes so that thespirits of the trees will not harm them.

Essential in animism is the remembrance of the ancestors. Animismteaches that people possess immortal souls. At death, the soul is free towander near the grave, travel the earth, or enter the world of the spirits.The spirits of the ancestors participate in the daily lives of family members.Neglecting to honor them has severe consequences. Souls of the departedwho did not live fullled lives or died tragic deaths become ghosts. Ghosts

search for bodies to inhabit and often bring harm. At death, one enters the realm of the ancestors who maintain a relationshipwith the family. Ancestors remain deeply interested in their family. Theycare for, protect, and punish those who seek to do harm.

Ancestors are revered forseveral reasons. First, theyare the founders of the

family. Second, they haveanswered the question ofwhat follows death, so theycan help the living throughdreams, necromancers,and visions. Third, someancestors haveaccomplished greatachievements, which must

be celebrated. Fourth,animists believe thatancestors protect thefamily and function asmediators between Godand the family.

One's happiness in theafterlife depends on the

care given by one'sdescendants. Anyonebanished from a family ortribe in essence becomesextinct with no one toremember or care for them.


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Basic Practices in AnimismTaboos. In animism there arenumerous taboos and prohibitionsintended to preserve the harmony

between the spiritual and physicalworlds. Myriads of taboos exist,and violation of them can result incursing of a community and mustbe atoned for by sacrices.

Sacred Places. Sacred places ofworship exist to commune with thespiritual world. These are places

where sacred power isconcentrated. In Haiti, there is asacred tree where a pact with thedevil was signed over 200 yearsago by animistic witch doctors.The descendants of these witchdoctors were most displeased whenChristian pastors recently prayedover the tree and successfully

commanded the spirits to leave it.

Sacred Things. Stones, forexample, are often believed topossess sacred power. This is onereason you can easily nd crystal

jewelry and other semi-preciousstones for sale in catalogs andstores. Certain plants and insects

are believed to be sacred andtaboo. Carved images are believedto possess the spirit of divinities.

Sacred Actions. Worship includesthe sacrice of animals or plants tothe deities. The shamans perform

the sacred rites. Omens play anessential role; this is the origin ofsaying "God bless you" after

someone sneezes, to protect thespirits from jumping into thesuddenly vulnerable person. Signsin the heavens and certain reptilesor animals encountered in a day(such as a black cat crossing one'spath) may predict one's future.

Sacred Words. Oaths, curses,

blessings, and the spells of bothwhite and black witchcraft aresacred words which are chargedwith sacred power if uttered by awitch doctor.

Sacred Persons. Witches use theirpowers for good and evil. They canuse their powers to protect

communities from enemies andcommunicate with the gods andspirits. In most societies, witchesare believed to travel greatdistances in short periods and cankill from afar. Witches havesupernatural powers to inict harmon others. They cast spells whichcause illness; communicate with

dead spirits; and transformthemselves into animals. Theshaman (medicine man) can curesickness; direct sacricial rites; andescort souls into the afterlife.


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Overcoming AnimismFear is the overriding emotionamong animistic peoples becauseone is never really sure if a taboo

has been broken and whether thegods, the spirits, or the ancestorshave been angered. If not properlyappeased, these spirits may inicthorric punishments. Animismincludes some of the most fearedpractices known to man. Themesof sorcery, magic, and voodoostrike terror in the hearts of millions

of people. Because of these fears,even new converts out of animisticcontexts are often tempted to bothpray to God, but also seek helpfrom their animistic religion.

However, God forbids the animisticpractices of witchcraft, necromancy,magic, and worship of spirits.

Deuteronomy 18:10 commands "Letno one be found among you whosacrices his son or daughter in there, who practices divination,sorcery, interprets omens, engagesin witchcraft, or casts spells, or whoconsults the dead." Those whopractice these things areentertaining spirits who are

opposed to God and seek thedestruction of all people.

Animistic fears will be displacedonly when Believers aretransformed by the renewing ofGods Word. Transformation takes

place when we begin to understandthe Sovereign God. In contrast tothe temperamental gods in

animism, the Bible teaches thereis only one true God. Isaiah 43:10states, "'You are my witnesses,'declares the Lord, 'so that you mayknow and believe me andunderstand that I am he. Before meno god was formed, nor will therebe one after me.'"

Christians do not need to live in fearof hostile spirit beings and spells.Christ, who loves His people, hastriumphed over them all.Colossians 2:15 declares that He(Christ) "disarmed the powers andauthorities, [making] a publicspectacle of them, triumphing overthem by the cross."

Christ has brought all spiritualauthorities under His rule. Nothingenters into our lives until it rstlters through His loving hand.God's hand of protection sheltersHis people.

He who dwells in the shelter of

the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God whom I trust. Psalm 91:1


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! ! !

Three wood carvings lieundisturbed beneath generations ofdust and cobwebs deep within thebelly of a large slit-gong garamutdrum in the manhouse of a SepikRiver village in Papua New Guinea.

An old tribal leader carefullyremoves one of the crumblingpieces and explains that no one inthe village knows who carved it orthe legend it represents. Yet, it is aserious taboo to tamper with thesesacred objects. Handling onewrongly will rile the spirits of thedead who would then cause terriblecatastrophe. Not only would thelocal villagers be destroyed, but, itis strongly emphasized, peopleworldwide would be severelypunished. Themanhouse itselfseems to trembleat the thought ofanything happening tothese old soggy pieces of ancestralwood.

The animistic concept of indwellingspiritual power within certainobjects or people is almostuniversally referred to as mana .

Among the rst to comprehensivelystudy and document thisphenomena was R.H. Codringtonback in 1891. Codringtondescribed mana as a supernatural

force which operates behind allhuman activity in the world. Mana is a force altogether distinct fromphysical power which acts in allkinds of ways for good and evil andwhich is of the greatest advantageto possess and control. 1

Mana is considered the power behind success or failure.Insufcient mana is thought to bethe cause of failure; great mana thecause of success. A man is

successful at ghting not merely because of powerful arms,quickness of eye, and innovativeweapons; he is successful becauseof mana. The mana may have been

received from an ancestor, from awarrior killed in battle; from an

amulet that once was in contact with a mana-lled person or spirit;or from a distinctive tooth or rock that when worn, placed in one's

house, or planted

inone'seld has

power to bring success. Likewise,the speed of a well-madecanoe does not depend upon itsdesign, but on the mana it

possesses. Without mana, an arrowcannot inict a mortal wound, nor can a net catch many sh.

Theodore Ahrens, in describing present-day Melanesia, comments,The main religious question inMelanesia is how to gain access to

power and control it in order to make life successful.

Garamut dr


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Foundations of Ani! ! ! ! ! ! ! By David Sitton

Mana provides the animist with power to be successful; the absence of such power explainsfailure. Inuential people hold their

positions due to mana. Ancient Hawaiian kings were thought to be

so charged with mana that thecommon man would die if he came

into contact with what the king had touched. His touch automatically

made things taboo to thecommoner. Codrington writes that

a son in northern Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides) does not necessarily

inherit his fathers chieftainship since such a position is due to

powerful mana. However, the father will attempt to pass on to his sonthe mana that has made him chief

by the use of charms, magical songs, mana-laden stones, and secret knowledge.

Objects are assumed to possess mana because of their distinctiveness. For example, a man

may nd a stone resembling somefruit of his garden. He says to

himself, This stone is so unusual

that it must possess power to make my garden productive. Let me put it to the test. He lays it at the foot of

a tree or plant whose fruit it resembles. An abundant harvest proves that the stone possesses mana. 2

Cannibalistic tribes in New Guinea

believed eating enemy warriors wasthe way to gain their power ( mana ).The very personality of the personwas thought to be contained withinthe bodily parts. Hair, nger-nails,esh, blood, and sex organs are allconsidered to be rich in mana . It isstill common to visit villages inPapua New Guinea where human

bones and skulls are coveted fortheir mana .3

This impassioned belief in thepower of mana posed a problemfor the government of Papua

New Guinea when they tried toestablish a blood bank. No one

would give blood! The peoplefeared once their blood wascollected and stored away that thegovernment would have spiritualpower over them. Even afterextensive teaching, only a fewvolunteered blood.

The scientic and secular mind setof the West may scoff at suchbeliefs and practices. Yet, it isinteresting to parallel the concept of

mana with our ideas aboutcoincidence and luck. A businessman may consider hispromotion to chairman as a result ofhis hard work and intellectualabilities, but he may also recognize

m from Chambri Island, Papua New Guinea.


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he was lucky to be at the rightplace at the right time. A personwho has just won a lottery willreckon himself to be lucky.Similarly, a person who is

successful in growing plants mayhappily say he has a green thumb.Touching or knocking on wood forluck remains part of English folkmagic. 4

R.H. Codrington rightly recognizedthat without a thoroughunderstanding of mana the

outsider could not understand thereligious beliefs and practices of theMelanesians. 5

This concept of spiritual power, orenablement, is prevalent throughoutthe world and is dominant withinanimistic societies. It may be calledToh in parts of Indonesia, Baraka inthe Muslim world, or the Universal Life Energy among New Agefollowers. However, whatever thelabel, the concept is much thesame.

The Controlling Emotion of Animistic PeoplesTribal peoples are physically tough,but spiritually tormented. I have

seen Papua New Guineans performalmost superhuman feats, carryingmonstrous loads up perpendicularmountains, and chasing wild pigsand cassowaries all day longthrough some of the worldsthickest jungles with hardly a dropto drink. They routinely displaysuperb courage in tribal warfare and

endure incredible pain from everyimaginable disease and mishap. 6

Spiritually, though, these samewarriors tremble at the thought ofwitches, ghosts, and spirits. Theymay refuse to walk through a forestalone or sleep in a room unless

there is someone to keep themcompany. I have had guides leadme hours out of the way over roughterrain simply to avoid walkingthrough an ancestral burial ground

or through areas known to beinhabited by spirits.

Animistic peoples believe theirtroubles in life are generally due totheir inability to keep the spiritssatised. They live their livesfearfully looking back over theirshoulders wondering if every ritual

was performed adequately enoughto keep the spirits happy. Constantfear everywhere dominates tribalpeople. Where did fear originate?

The early chapters of Genesisdocument the entrance of sin intothe world. Fear was the immediateconsequence of that sin. Fear isthe result of the break in mansrelationship with God because ofrebellion. We are alienated fromGod; we are not at peace; there isunrest, uneasiness, and dread.Fears and phobias of every kindabound. Animists fear the power ofan ancestor to take revenge uponthem for some past grievance; theyare terried of the power of the evileye to kill a newborn or even ruin aharvest; they tremble whenconfronted with the power of spiritswho possess mediums; they dreadthe power of magic that controlshuman events; and on and on itgoes...

It is worthy of note that many

creation myths among tribalpeoples describe a time when therewas no separation betweenmankind and God, when humanswere immortal. 7 But, the time camewhen there was a separation


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between God and man. Some triballegends say the separation came asa result of man breaking a taboo; inothers, it is explained as anaccident beyond human control.

The gruesome result is that humanshave become mortal and die.Tragically, no real solution forreconciliation with God is foundwithin tribal mythologies.

Controlling the SpiritsOne tribal assumption about life isthat spirits are evil, unpredictable,

and must be approached withextreme caution. From the breast,children are taught about the power,presence, and danger of the spirits.Their existence is one of constantfear and never-endingsubmission (worship) toa variety of spirits.Great energy is

expended intheir pitifulattempts tosatisfy thespirits throughmagic andsacrices.Thesedemonic

entitiesaggressivelyparticipate inall of theaffairs ofvillage life,and the peopleare endlesslyseeking to

settle accountswith them.

Much of life is anattempt to discoverwhich spirits are dominating them atthe moment, and then nding theright magic rituals to temporarily

satisfy them. The whole emphasisis upon gaining power (over spirits)in order to live a successful life. A few examples of how animistsattempt to manipulate spiritual

powers are:1. by seeking secret knowledgethrough mediums;2. by approaching their ancestorsfor help through elaborate dancesand festivals;3. by employing the power ofsorcerers to take care of a

specic problem.Spiritual Warfare in Tribal ContextsIt is unfortunate that many people inour 21st century humanistic and

secular oriented society denythe existence of anything

beyond the reach oftheir ve natural

senses.Evangelicals areoften ridiculedbecause theybelieve in aliteral livingdevil, who hasdemons underhis control, andwho is activelydevisingdetailedstrategies todestroyChristians andkeepunreachedpeoples in

bondage. To ourdetriment, the

post-EnlightenmentWestern worldview inwhich most of us live

has ltered out much of what theBible reveals about the spirit world.

Ceremonial Mask from the Sepik River Region.


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Most amazing is that manyChristians are alsoincredibly unaware of thiswarfare in the spirit world.Since they cannot see

demons, hear theshrieks of the rulers ofdarkness, or physicallyfeel the ery darts ofwicked spirits, they

convince themselvesnone of this really exists.If one adheres to secularworldview assumptions

that deny spiritualrealities, then itfollows the demonicdimension will bevirtually ignored.

This warfare iscalled spiritual because it is

normally unseen.It is a conictthat takes placein an unseenrealm with

hostile, wicked,and invisible

forces. WhetherWesterners believe

it or not, thisspiritual war is asnear to us as the air

we breathe.

In fact, the entirebiblical record of Godsredemptive activity (orsalvation history) is setin the context ofwarfare between thetwo kingdoms. The

story of Elisha and histroops in 2 Kings 6:8-17

is a great illustration ofthe spiritual war that is

constantly being fought

behind the scenes. Thoughinvisible, this encounter in thespirit realm is more importantthan the conicts we see withour natural eyes. Therefore,

whether facing a jungle witchdoctor or a big city bureaucrat,theologians and missiologistsagree we are up against farmore than merely a esh andblood foe.

Satans PowerThere are no rules in this

warfare. Satan is not limited toa single plan of attack, but willtake every advantage to bringpeople under his control.Though defeated at the cross,Satan remains an extremelypowerful foe. He still prowlsaround like a roaring lionlooking for someone to

devour (1 Peter 5:8). He stillhas the ability to destroypeople, just as a rattlesnakewith a crushed head can still bedangerous.

Spiritual Counter-AttackSpiritual warfare is whathappens when believersaggressively take the Gospelinto a situation where Satanhas a stronghold. There is aninevitable spiritualconfrontation between God andthe forces of evil that holdpeople in bondage. God alwayswins. Through the process ofspiritual warfare captives areset free.

Deliverance is the demolishingof Satanic strongholds (2 Cor.10:3-4). This is done throughthe proclamation of the Gospel,accompanied by ademonstration of the Spirits

Wooden Carving from Chambri Island, Papua New Guinea.


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power (1 Cor. 2:3-5). Deliveranceoccurs when God breaks thedemonic power over a persons lifeand enables him to establish arelationship with Christ.

In ConclusionThere has never been a time of easyadvance for the kingdom of God.We cannot expect to come againsta powerful enemy and quickly drivehim out of his heavily fortiedstronghold where he has beenentrenched for centuries. Satan will

and must give them up. But, therewill be a ght, and there will becasualties as we come under theres of Satans attack. Thefollowing word of the Lord isimperative in the mission context totribals: On this mountain the Lordwill destroy the shroud that enfoldsall peoples, the sheet that covers all

nations; he will swallow up deathforever. The Sovereign Lord willwipe away the tears from all faces;he will remove the disgrace of hispeople from all the earth. The Lordhas spoken. (Isaiah 25:7-8)

Throughout Scripture, the devilsdomination over the nations isrepresented as darkness. Isaiahdescribes it as a shroud thatenfolds all peoples, as a sheet that

covers all nations. Spiritualdarkness is not merely a passiveabsence of light, as on a peacefulsummers evening. Instead,spiritual darkness is an aggressive,

attacking, oppressive strongholdthat is duty-bound to strangle allthose within its grasp.

Satan is incredibly powerful. As afrail human being, I sometimesmarvel at the enemys ability tokeep tribal peoples in the grip offear and unbelief. On earth is not

his equal is how Martin Luther putit. But I disagree with those whoperceive the conict between Godand the devil as a toss-up, and thatwe are waiting in limbo to see whowins the nal round. We must beclear about one thing. It is a truththat will come in handy when youare slugging it out in the trenches of

evangelism and missions: TheDevils every breath is inhaled onlyby the permission of God. Satancannot exist in the brilliance ofGods glory any more than anameba can survive on the surface ofthe sun. Our God reignsand Hereigns right now. He will reign inevery tribal people group in all the

earth!

1. R. H. Codrington. The Melanesians. 1891, p. 119.2. The above three paragraphs are an abbreviated quote from Gailyn Van Rheenen's excellent book, Communicating

Christ in Animistic Contexts , pp. 208-210.3. New converts in the Solomon Islands came to perceive communion as a Christian ritual which gave them power

(mana), in much the same way as eating the esh and drinking the blood of their deposed enemies had once done.The symbolic signicance of communion is not the primary meaning these Melanesians derived from this form ofworship. Darrell Whiteman, Point (Series No. 5, 1984), An Introduction to Melanesian Cultures .

4. David Burnett. Unearthly Powers (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988), p. 26-27.5. Codrington, ibid.6. I have personally witnessed men pulling arrows out of their thighs with hardly a whimper. The most gruesome thing

was a young man who accidentally pierced completely through his own foot with a steel axe as he was choppingdown a tree. He maintained complete composure through what must have been excruciating pain. He endured thiswithout pain killing medications of any kind.

7. Excerpts of A Creation Myth from the Abaluyia People of Kenya .


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Missionary Biography

J a m e s O . F r a s e r

At the age of 20, James Fraser had a very promising future. Soon tobecome an honors student in engineering, a eld of study which at thebeginning of the 20th century held immense prospects world wide, andwith the gifting to become a concert pianist, Fraser's career plans seemedclear. However, the words contained in a small booklet given to him by afellow student challenged his life-plan assumptions down to the core.

A command has been given: Go ye into all the world and preach theGospel to every creature. It has not been obeyed. More than half thepeople in the world have never yet heard the Gospel. What are we tosay to this? Surely it concerns us Christians very seriously. For we arethe people who are responsible...

If our Master returned today to nd millions of people un-evangelized,and looked as of course He would look, to us for an explanation, Icannot imagine what explanation we should have to give...Of one thing Iam certain, that most of the excuses we are accustomed to make withsuch good conscience now, we should be wholly ashamed of then.

Total Surrender

As Fraser read these challenging words from a little booklet with a strange

title, Do Not Say, he found that the attitude of mind called into question wasthe very one he was taking, albeit subconsciously, by the way he was livingand planning his life. What followed was not so much a call to China, buta simple, wholehearted submission and dedication of his life to be a truedisciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. There were to be no divided allegiancesbut a total giving of himself to the One who gave his all. Clearly, thesacrice involved was real as Fraser knew he had good prospects, but the

By: Stuart Simpson


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ambitions he had dreamed about gave way to a much greater ambition ofliving his life unreservedly for God.

Growing up, Fraser had developed his powers of perseverance through avariety of ways. His passion and love of music was clearly seen by his

ability to play without any scores the best classical music, hour after hour.He once walked 44 miles in one day to London and back, and on anotheroccasion rode 199 miles on his bicycle without dismounting. He wasequally persevering in his studies, excelling in mathematics and passing theLondon University Matriculation, twelfth in all England. Little did he knowthat this strength to persevere was to be sorely tested during the next 30years of his life in a remote part of China reaching out to the Lisu people.

After graduation, Fraser wasted no time in applying to the China InlandMission, founded by Hudson Taylor, for training to prepare him for overseasmissionary service. In 1908 he set sail for China.

Drawn to the Lisu

Fraser was selected to work in Yunnan province, a neglected rural area insouthwestern China. Fraser was in his element as he loved the outdoorsand mountain climbing. While immersing himself in the Chinese languageand culture, Fraser noticed different tribal groups in the Chinesemarketplace including the Lisu. These people did not speak Chinese, woretheir own traditional costumes, and had never heard of the Lord JesusChrist. It was to these people that Fraser was drawn.

The ensuing years of his life saw many hardships, both physical andspiritual. He established the beginnings of a small church in the city ofBaoshan and then, traveling on horseback over rugged mountainous terrain,he took the gospel to the Lisu and other tribes in villages scattered over theSalween Valley. Living in hard conditions and often on meager food, hesuffered with bouts of loneliness and depression, passivity, near death anddiscouragement as nally the rst Lisu family turned to the Lord, only to

then turn back to ancestral worship.

For years Fraser had been praying for a spiritual breakthrough among theLisu, especially after he realized that they needed to be set free frombondage to demon worship. But during a period of intense spiritualoppression he received a copy of The Overcomer, a magazine he hadnot heard of before. Through these articles by Jessie Penn-Lewis, Fraserrealized afresh that Satan was indeed a conquered enemy. Satan hadattempted to destroy him as a missionary as he had dared to invade

territory the enemy had controlled for ages. However, through Christsdeath and resurrection the victory was assured.

"I read it [The Overcomer] over and over...What it showed me was thatdeliverance from the power of the evil one comes through deniteresistance on the grounds of the cross. I am an engineer and believe inthings working. I want to see them work. I had found that much of thespiritual teaching one hears does not seem to work. We need different


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truth at different times. Look to the Lord, some will say. Resist thedevil is also Scripture (James 4:7). And I found it worked. That cloudof depression dispersed. I found that I could have victory in the spiritualrealm whenever I wanted it. The Lord Himself resisted the devil vocally:Get thee behind me, Satan! I, in humble dependence on Him, did the

same. I talked to Satan at that time, using the promises of Scripture asweapons. And they worked. Right then, the terrible oppression beganto pass away."

Such revelation did not bring immediate results with seeing a breakthroughamong the Lisu, whom he saw trapped in bondage to fear and given overto alcohol and gambling. Fraser was learning that only through intimacywith God and a life of prayer could the powers of darkness be overcome,both within himself and in those to whom he was reaching out.

Prayer of FaithFraser learned the importance of the prayer of faith and realized much timehad been wasted through ineffective praying, believing God would answerinstead of knowing that he had answered already and therefore receivingthe answer when the prayer was offered. With this revelation Fraser askedin faith for hundreds of Lisu families to give their lives to Christ. When thetransaction was done, he rose with the deep restful conviction that he hadalready received the answer. Some years later when the Lisu started

coming to faith, Fraser remarked that some may now say that his prayer hadnally been answered but that this was incorrect. He had received theanswer to his prayer the day he had prayed on January 12, 1915. As Godtaught him about prayer and faith, he shared these truths with his prayerpartners in England.

Having others praying for him and his work among the Lisu was a key factorto seeing the breakthrough among the Lisu. Started by Frasers mother,over time a prayer team developed back in Letchworth, England. Fraserwrote to them,

I will not labor the point. You will see from what I am saying that I amnot asking you just to give help in prayer as a sort of sideline, but I amtrying to roll the main responsibility of this prayer warfare on you. I wantyou to take the burden of these people upon your shoulders. I want youto wrestle with God for them.

Six years after arriving in China, the breakthrough occurred. Within a fourmonth period, 600 Lisu representing 129 families had turned away from

Satan and followed Jesus Christ! An indigenous church planting movementwas ignited with Lisu believers leading scores of other Lisu villages andfamilies to Christ.

The conversion of the Lisu is one of the greatest stories in mission history.Today, there are an estimated 300,000 Lisu Christians in China, with moreamong the Lisu living in Myanmar and Thailand. Before his untimely death


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at only 52 from cerebral malaria in 1938, Fraser devised a written script forthe Lisu nationality (recognized by the Chinese government in 1992) andwas instrumental in translating the Christian New Testament into Lisu.

For some years Fraser oversaw the whole work of the China Inland Mission

in Chinas Yunnan Province. His missionary views were not always received.For example, he felt indigenous methods must be adopted, he did not wishthe Lisu to expect or become dependent on nancial support from outsidesources, and he believed in missionary wives being equal partners in thework. He married late in life, aged 41.

Spiritual Dissatisfaction

Towards the end of his life, Fraser became increasingly dissatised withwhat some considered successful ministry and longed for a powerfulvisitation of the glory of God and Holy Spirit revival, both among thoseserving as missionaries and among the Chinese and Lisu Christians. He

was impacted through the ministry of missionary-revivalist Jonathan Goforthand found some kindred spirits in Andrew Gih and John Sung of the BethelBand in China. He had also seen great blessing and revival come to thechurches in west Yunnan through the ministry of Anna Christensen fromDenmark. Fraser had seen God work among the Lisu, but a desire to seea far greater and deeper demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit, asevidenced in the Book of Acts, led Fraser to shut himself away and spendhours in prayer. Within weeks, this apostle to the Lisu was gone.

Today, Fraser is remembered as one of the most successful Christianmissionaries in East Asia in modern times.

Article used with permission from OMF International. The author, Stuart Simpson, played the role of James O. Fraserin the documentary entitled Breakthrough: The Story of James O. Fraser and the Lisu People. More information aboutJames O. Fraser and OMF International can be found at www.jofraser.org.

The Chronic Fear of the Spirits: ! They (evil spirits) dog his footsteps, dazzle hissenses, enter into him, harass and deceive and torment him in a thousand freakish

and mischievous ways.!

The mishaps that befall him, the losses he sustains, the painshe has to endure, he commonly sets down, if not to the magic of his enemies, to thespite or caprice of the spirits. ! Their constant presence wearies him, their sleeplessmalignity exasperates him; he longs with an unspeakable longing to be rid of themaltogether, and from time to time, driven to bay (desperation), his patience utterlyexhausted, he turns ercely on his persecutors and makes a desperate effort to chasethe whole pack of them from the land, to clear the air of their swarming multitudes,that he may breath more freely and go on his way unmolested, at least for a time.

James O. Fraser, 1886-1938, Missionary to China


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N O N - P R

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to every tribe - spring 2011

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