The King of the Cannibals - The Story of John G Paton (Missionary to the New Hebrides)

The King of the Cannibals
The story of John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides
By Jim Cromarty
Evangelical Press. 288 pages.
ISBN 0 85234 401 5

Jim Cromarty is to be congratulated in writing a book which will inspire those who read it, especially younger people. I deliberately tested parts of it on my oldest son who is ten years old, and he was captivated by the sense of action drama and survival which pervades each chapter. It is also a story which is such a powerful reminder to every Christian of our supreme calling to preach and live out the good news of Christ wherever he sends us.
The story in essence is of the calling of a boy from Scotland to serve his Lord overseas and of his total dedication to that calling. John Paton was a man determined to speak of his faith in Christ even with those who openly hated Christianity. This he showed very clearly in his work with the Glasgow City Mission. It was to be fitting preparation for the supreme challenge of his life to be a missionary to the New Hebrides, in the South Pacific. There he encountered terrible cruelty and savagery and also suffered the heartbreak of losing both his wife and child.
There is a very powerful section in the middle of the book which speaks of his battle with the sacred men of the island who claimed they could kill him with their spells. The battle reminds one of Elijah and Mount Carmel and is told with vigour and passion. Many questions have been asked in recent years about the dangers of missionary activity where the preaching of the gospel has been allied to a tacit assumption that those being evangelised must accept a form of cultural imperialism. Such an approach seems to be entirely foreign to John Paton. He is respectful of those he ministers to whilst being uncompromising with the demands of the gospel.
Buy it and read it - you will not be disappointed!

Ross Terranova
Rector of Ditton

© Evangelicals Now - June 1998
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