Peace Child
Do ethical values originate in the opinions of particular societies? If a society agreed that treachery was to be considered a virtue, would treachery then become truly ethical? If not, where do true ethical values originate? If all ethical systems are equally valid, can one culture rightly judge the values of another culture?
Peace Child, by Don Richardson, shows the conflict that arises when a group of cannibalistic tribes in New Guinea are confronted by the message of Jesus. In the Sawi culture, treachery is celebrated as an ideal. "The Sawi child is trained to obtain his will by sheer force of violence and temper," Richardson writes. From childhood, the people have learned to carry out "retaliation against everything that offends them." The author observes that "when treachery is philosophically justified, true peace is impossible."
In the book, two ethical systems clash: Treachery versus Love.
posted by Paul B. at
4:54 PM
3 Comments:
sounds like an interesting book.
By
Pamela, at 7:37 AM
Lenny says "we got to let love rule!"
By
Anonymous, at 8:11 PM
I stumbled upon your blog, and I hope you don't mind me leaving a comment. I recently just read Peace Child for my Early Christian History/Acts class. I never heard about it before than, and now after I've read it, I'm seeing pop up everywhere. Strange how that works. Anyways, I think this book give a powerful example of how God instills redemptive analogies in every culture, even those that have been so secluded from the world for thousands of years. It really is a huge testimony to the awesomeness of God and shows His hand in every aspect of life.
By
Amandalynn, at 9:57 AM
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