Case 208
John Chau
Mission work has been part of Christianity since its inception. Verses in the Gospel of Matthew quote Jesus Christ as telling his apostles to make “disciples of all nations”. These passages are known as the “Great Commission” and have led some Christians to believe they must save souls through conversion.
In 2018, American missionary John Chau sailed out to North Sentinel, a forested island off the coast of India. He intended to spread the word of God to the Sentinelese, a small population of indigenous people considered the most remote tribe in the world. Yet, the Sentinelese have made it very clear to outsiders that they desire isolation above all else. How would they respond to John Chau?
CREDITS
EPISODE:
Research & writing – Erin Munro
Creative direction – Milly Raso
Narration – Anonymous Host
MUSIC:
‘Flatline intro’ and ‘Come play with me’ intro and outro – www.dl-sounds.com
Audio production – Mike Migas
Scoring – Mike Migas and Andrew Joslyn
OTHER:
Logo and website design – Paulina Szymanska
RESOURCES
ARTICLES
The life and death of John Chau, the man who tried to convert his killers – The Guardian
The last days of John Allen Chau – Outside
John Chau aced missionary boot camp. Reality proved a harsher test – New York Times
John Chau’s death on North Sentinel Island roils the missionary world – The New Yorker
Was the missionary killed on a remote island trying to end the world? – The Outline
The story of John Chau’s death in Andaman Islands is still unfolding – The Kansas City Star
The American missionary and the uncontacted tribe – GQ
Explorer Spotlight: John Allen Chau – The Outbound
Andaman Police to summon American nationals over missionary John Allen Chau’s death – Op India
DOCUMENTS
WEBSITES
The Sentinelese – Survival International