As the killing of a US missionary by members of an isolated tribe in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands continues to make headlines in India and abroad, John Allen Chau's associates recall his love for Jesus Christ and describe him as a “martyr”.
Chau was thought to have been killed by members of the isolated Sentinelese tribe on North Sentinel Island on November 17 after he was taken there by fishermen.
Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Covenant Journey, a group that worked among Christian college students, described Chau as a “courageous martyr for Jesus”, who “loved Jesus more than life”. Chau was associated with Covenant Journey during his time as a student at the Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma. In a media release by Covenant Journey, Staver described Chau's commitment to reaching the Sentinelese.
"Ever since high school, John wanted to go to North Sentinel to share Jesus with this indigenous people," said Staver. Staver also dismissed reports that Chau was an adventurer. “His purpose in visiting North Sentinel was not for sightseeing. He took gifts to them and carried his Bible because he wanted to befriend the Sentinelese to share Jesus with them.”
“John’s life and his love for Jesus, to the point of giving his own life to bring the gospel to others, will be remembered and will echo throughout eternity. I know that God will bring good out of this loss,” said Staver.
Covenant Journey took issue with the Indian government's approach of keeping the Sentinelese isolated, noting the government has “gone to the extreme of allowing them to murder outsiders”. “This is not right,” said Staver. “His family deserves to bring John’s body back home where he can be buried.”
Chau was a missionary of All Nations, a Christian organisation. In a press release after his death, All Nations said Chau had joined the organisation as a missionary in 2017 and had travelled to conflict-hit Kurdistan and South Africa. All Nations described Chau as a “seasoned traveller who was well-versed in cross-cultural issues” and a “gracious and sensitive ambassador of Jesus Christ”.
All Nations announced it was cooperating with the US State Department on the issue of Chau's murder and cooperating “fully” with all international, national and regional officials.
Meanwhile, late on Wednesday, the family of John Allen Chau posted a message on his Instagram account. The post mentioned Chau had “nothing but love for the Sentinelese”. Chau's family also said it had forgiven those responsible for his death and requested that the fishermen arrested for helping him reach North Sentinel be freed as he had ventured into the area on his own free will.
