Most American Indians are either, survivors of Christian or BIA boarding schools, or know someone who is. We have heard of the abuse: physical, sexual, mental, spiritual abuse, destruction and death – all in the name of God and Country. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, the experiences of the children of evangelical Christian missionaries, educated in boarding schools in Africa and South America are not so different from those of American Indian children educated in Christian or BIA boarding schools. Vivian Palmer Harvey, in her book The Missionary Myth: Through the Eyes of a Missionary Kid, exposes a system and theology ordering the sacrifice of children, of family, of all relationship for the sake of “God’s call.”
Read The Missionary Myth, and you will weep for the little ones who feel abandoned by their parents, by their own guardian angels and by God himself. Yet, this book does not just expose problems, it offers solutions to any with eyes to see, ears to hear, hearts to feel and minds to think. Vivian Harvey courageously shares both her pain and her vision.
American Indian people, whether traditional, Christian or somewhere in-between will appreciate this book for the parallels it draws and the causes it uncovers of abuses and destruction of indigenous peoples as well as of the innocent children of missionaries sent to convert them. This book may be a bitter pill for some to swallow, but if widely read, it will precipitate great healing. I sincerely believe, The Missionary Myth should be required reading in all Christian colleges.
Robert Francis
RR 3 Box 194A
Butler, MO 64730
(660) 679-4014
maif77@earthlink.net