For unto us...

So, I know I'm probably the last person - certainly the last 'cross-cultural worker' - to have read this book, but I just finished reading Peace Child by Don Richardson. I borrowed it from our neighbors, who are currently on home assignment in the US. It's the story of Don and his wife Carol's life with the Sawi people of New Guinea. It's incredibly gripping, and very, VERY well-written. (The first short section is like an ethnography of the Sawi people, in fact.)

The Sawi were an isolated, warlike, dangerous people, who practiced headhunting and cannibalism. Their language was extremely grammatically complex, with nineteen tenses, numerous ways to express mood (subjunctive, etc.), and an amazingly specific set of verbs to describe actions we might use one verb to describe, such as "open". Okay, all that sounds a little bit cliche, maybe, if you've read any missionary stories. But there was another facet of Sawi culture that made the Richardsons' work much more difficult: the people idealized treachery above all things. To "fatten with friendship" - to lull a friend into a false sense of security before betraying and murdering (and then eating) them - was the ultimate heroic act. Those Sawi who accomplished this in new or more shocking ways were those that went down in legends.

So when Mr. Richardson tried to communicate the gospel to these people, they listened with interest for the most part - but they decided Judas Iscariot was the hero of the story! But of course, since he performed the ultimate act of betrayal.

Here's where the redemptive analogy comes in: the key concept that brings the gospel into the culture of the people in a way they will truly understand. I'm not going to explain it all here; you should read the book if you haven't already. Let me just say, I happened to be listening to Fernando Ortega's beautiful instrumental version of "Of the Father's Love Begotten" while I read the climactic scene about the Peace Child. Cue tears. (I don't normally listen to Christmas music before December, but it's on the CD with other hymns and it's too gorgeous of a track to skip.) Amazing, breathtakingly perfect soundtrack.

Redemptive analogies: the Lamb, the Word, the Peace Child. I love reading stories about them.

Oh, Switchfoot.

I don't think my love for Switchfoot will ever change.

Their newest album, Vice Verses, came out today, and it is glorious. As expected for a band that has been existence for a while, they have tried new things on this album while keeping what makes them essentially them - and it works very well. And as usual for Switchfoot, there are songs that call emphatically for us to wake up from our apathy, achingly beautiful worship songs, and songs where Jon Foreman and his bandmates grapple with the difficulties of this life.

Though every track is excellent, my favorites are probably "Afterlife", "Dark Horses", "Vice Verses", and "Where I Belong."

I've already listened to all twelve songs twice today, and I may well listen to a few more again. So good.

"Join Us"

So, They Might Be Giants has* a new album out, Join Us.


If you are a fan of TMBG, I highly recommend it. It is completely delightfully them, as well as being new and hilarious and awesome. I haven't had a chance to listen through it many times yet, but some of my favorites include "Can't Keep Johnny Down", "Old Pine Box", "When Will You Die", and also "The Lady and the Tiger", for sheer TMBG bizarreness. If you aren't a fan of TMBG (or even if you are), give this song a try! And then try some of their other hits, like "Particle Man" or "Birdhouse In Your Soul."


*Frequently, I like the UK convention of pluralizing the verb after band names, etc. (e.g. "They Might Be Giants have a new album out"), but it feels weirdly pretentious of me to adopt it, since I'm not from the UK. Also, I wouldn't use it in all the environments where they do, anyway. [/linguistic sidenote]