Like many American Christians, I have held a long-time admiration for Jim Elliot and his companions, missionaries who were killed by people to whom they wanted to extend friendship and the gospel. His story made such an impression on me that I named by eldest son Elliot. So I was eager to read Ellen Vaughn's new biography of Elisabeth Elliot, Jim's wife, who bravely continued their work in the jungles of Ecuador.
Becoming Elisabeth Elliot fully met my hopes and expectations. Vaughn covers Elisabeth's life from her childhood, to boarding school in Florida, to Wheaton and courtship with Jim, and to mission work in South America. There were several points about which I was surprised and appreciated Vaughn's insights.
Vaughn clearly has the greatest admiration for Elisabeth, but doesn't make her out to be a superhero or saint. For example, I was not aware of the simmering rivalry she had with Nate Saint's sister Rachel. (Nate Saint is the pilot who was with Jim Elliot when they were killed.) The two ladies lived among the Waodani, befriending the people responsible for Jim and Nate's murders. Rachel was a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators/SIL (Summer Institute of Linguistics), while Elisabeth was basically independent, under the auspices of the Plymouth Brethren. They ended up butting heads over the New Testament translation work, with Rachel excluding Elisabeth from her work, and ultimately damaging their friendship and working relationship.
For this and related matters, Vaughn describes Elisabeth's frustration with Christian leaders and institutionalism. She grew weary of hierarchies that stifle the gospel and lack the ability to reach other cultures, not to mention the hypocrisy she observed among some Christian leaders. Elisabeth was very concerned about cultural imperialism. She wanted to be careful about introducing the Waodani to Jesus without their understanding being corrupted by Western culture and modern amenities and prosperity. Even with her deeply engrained personal modesty, she was comfortable with their nudism and lack of privacy about sex. She became troubled when they started wearing clothes, feeling guilty that she and the other missionaries were guilty of tearing down Waodani cultural norms and traditions.
As anyone who knows anything about Elisabeth's story and writings knows, she led a remarkable life and deserves a place among the heroes of the faith. Vaughn writes about Elisabeth's frustration when, for years after her husband's death, well-meaning people would ask whether it was worth it, entering into a calculus of how many lives were saved or impacted because of his sacrifice. Elisabeth felt they were asking the wrong questions. It's not a matter of results, but a matter of obedience. Whether he became a famous hero of the faith or a martyr forgotten in obscurity didn't matter; what mattered was his obedience to follow where God directed him. That is the choice we Christians face day by day, and, if you are looking for a guide, Elisabeth is one who has gone before. I'm grateful to know more about her example thanks to Becoming Elisabeth Elliot.
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