I wonder how many children have been sacrificed… sacrificed to preserve the reputation of the Catholic Church, Southern Baptist, or New Tribes Mission.

If you look up “child sacrifice” – “Got Questions” answers you with this:

Question: “What does the Bible say about child sacrifice?”
Answer: The horrific practice of child sacrifice has been committed throughout the world for thousands of years. Generally, the sacrifice of a child was intertwined with the worship of a pagan deity, often a fertility god. Worshipers sought to obtain a blessing from their god(s) or to confirm or complete a vow taken in the name of the god.

https://www.gotquestions.org/child-sacrifice.html

Today, I’m asking myself if churches and Christians haven’t sacrificed their children to confirm or complete a vow taken in the name of God. And for me, at least, I’m asking if this isn’t what New Tribes Mission did to its children. Are you willing to sacrifice your children in order to save other people’s children? Why even have children then?

Thursday, NBC reported on the cases of 5 women, formerly children with New Tribes Mission in Senegal & Philippines – all sexually abused by their dorm dad while at boarding school (separate cases).

In the same report, other boarding schools of New Tribes Mission were also mentioned – such as those in Panama, Bolivia, & Paraguay.

I realise, these victims are no longer children. Now, they are adults. Adults that are hurt and angry. They have carried this hurt with them for years, and now it’s all at the surface and they want answers. Someone needs to pay.

New Tribes Mission changed their name, in 2017, to ethnos360. As found on their website, their founders had a vision for reaching the world: “By unflinching determination we hazard our lives and gamble all for Christ until we have reached the last tribe regardless of where that tribe might be.” (Brown Gold magazine, Issue 1, May 1943)

They gambled it all… including the safety of their children.

Ethnos is the “nations” that Christ referred to when He commanded His followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) 

Growing up, I had it pounded into me that the purpose of preaching the good to “all nations” was that the second coming of Christ could not happen until all nations had been reached with this gospel.

“The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

Mark 13:10

And so, the objective of New Tribes Mission was to reach “all nations” with the gospel, as quickly as possible, to ensure that Jesus would return as soon as possible. The way it was pounded into me then, it was not about God’s love or really reaching all the nations as a sign of God’s love, but rather the sooner we reach all the nations, the sooner Jesus returns and everyone gets to go to heaven.

So let’s hurry up and make sure we reach all those nations as soon as possible.

And we were sacrificed upon that altar!

Got Questions finishes their answer about child sacrifice with this:

Unprecedented numbers of children have been “sacrificed” … for the sake of convenience, immorality, or pride. Hundreds of thousands of babies have been killed so that their parents can maintain a certain lifestyle. God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17), and we can be sure that God will judge this horrendous sin.

https://www.gotquestions.org/child-sacrifice.html

What about all the kids that were abused in the name of God on the mission field so that their parents could maintain a certain lifestyle – and be free of childcare responsibilities to dedicate themselves to “preach the Word of God”? It was made abundantly clear to me, at least, during those years in boarding school, that we were sent away to boarding school so that we would not get in the way of our parents’ misison.

The culture of silence ensured that we would not get in the way.

Apparently, preaching the Word was much more important than raising their own children. Reaching those nations, so that Jesus could come again, took precedence over the safety and wellbeing of the children.

Somehow, this particular version of the Word, and this particular interpretation of the Word, was actually more important than God. Somehow, missionaries went from serving God to serving this particular interpretation of the Message.

From the site of Ethnos360, I find the following statement of values:

We value:

The Word of God as our final authority
A Spirit-controlled life
Dependence on God
The role and responsibility of the local church in the Great Commission
Readiness to sacrifice for Christ and His church
Godly relationships and interdependence in ministry
The potential of all believers to be used by God in the Great Commission
Excellence and urgency in all we do to finish the task

https://ethnos360.org/about/what-we-believe

Perhaps I am not understanding their values – but it seems that the Bible (Word of God) is actually a bigger authority than God and the leading of Spirit. They still value the readiness to sacrifice for Christ and His church.

How many children of missionaries are they willing to sacrifice for Christ & His church? How many broken lives will they simply continue to ignore, because they have a mission?

And since when does God no longer talk that the final authority has to be a book? Did God die 2,000 years ago, and now we only have the Word of God to rely on, because we no longer have a living God? Have we replaced idols made of bronze with a book? And based on one verse in that book – translated correctly or not from the original manuscripts – we are now sacrificng children for the sake of making Jesus come again sooner?

As a kid on the mission field, I went to a whole lot of prayer meetings. I saw a lot of talking TO God and AT God.
I never saw a whole lot of silence and listening to any response from God!
I saw a lot of “let’s find a Bible verse” on this – but never an openness to just sit in silence and listen to what God might have to respond. Prayers were basically a list of demands or needs – not a quiet communion.

When did the priorities and beliefs get so messed up?

Since when does a book replace the living God?

More importantly, back to my original question: How many will be sacrificed simply to protect the reputation of a man-made organisation that has simply gone into survival mode, rather than accepting responsibility for what was done under its watch?

• How much prayer and silent meditation went into the decision to leave all decision making in the hands of the lawyers, to preserve the organisation, rather than to compassionately deal with the wounded?
• What attempts were made to truly reach understanding and loving grace for the abused, rather than simply to circle the wagons and protect the system?
• Did they listen for the still, small voice of compassion – or simply respond with their human strength and decision making processes?
• Where was Spirit and living in presence in all of this debacle?

Many continue today to pay the price of the damage done by men and women of the mission, all in the name of God.

That’s not the God I believe in. My God doesn’t need lawyers.