As the World Tries to Make Sense of John Chaus Death, the Media Turns to the Center for Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell
On November 17, John Chau was killed while attempting to introduce Jesus Christ to the “unreached people group” on the remote North Sentinel Island. While his sponsoring ties are not entirely clear, he identified as a Christian missionary. The world at large is now trying to make sense of his actions and their consequences. However, many are attempting to construct a story without an appropriate context or even vocabulary. What is an “unreached people group?” What does it mean to be a missionary? What does it mean, for that matter to “introduce” or “share” Jesus Christ? Do Chau’s actions reflect the general pattern of missionary behavior in history?
Increasingly, the news media is turning to The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary to assist them in providing context for the actions of Christians worldwide. The Center for the Study of Global Christianity is an academic research center that monitors worldwide demographic trends in Christianity, including outreach and mission. The Center provides a comprehensive collection of information on the past, present, and future of Christianity in every country of the world. At the time of this writing, the Center has been cited by academic, religious, and media sources over 40 times in 2018.
Since Chau’s death on November 17, Dr. Todd Johnson and Dr. Gina Zurlo have been cited by over a dozen news agencies as they piece together a coherent story. The Center for Global Christianity is honored to serve the media both inside and outside the Church as we collectively make sense of this unfolding story.
Recent Media Citations
BBC
John Allen Chau: Do Missionaries Harm or Help?
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New York Times
American’s Death Revives Evangelical Debate Over Extreme Missionary Work
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New York Times
John Chau Aced Missionary Boot Camp. Reality Proved a Harsher Test.
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Sydney Morning Herald
John Chau Aced Missionary Boot Camp. Reality Proved a Harsher Test.
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Seattle Times
John Chau Aced Missionary Boot Camp. Real World Proved a Harsher Test.
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Times of India
John Chau, latest in long line of American Christian missionaries
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Channel News Asia
John Chau, latest in long line of American missionaries
AsiaOne
John Chau, latest in long line of American missionaries
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Australia News
Anthropologist who met lost tribe and lived said John Chau “made a mistake”
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Kuwait Times
John Chau, latest in long line of American missionaries
France Soir
John Chau et la tradition des missionaires chrétiens américains
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F3News
‘He persisted and paid with his life’
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