Adoniram Judson

 

If I had a son, I would have named him Adoniram. Thankfully, at least for my mum, she didn’t have to figure out how to call her grandson. Although the name of her second granddaughter, Theophilia is equally challenging, she just called her Mei Mei as she was the younger sister to my elder daughter.

Adoniram Judson is my hero. American pioneer missionary. The apostle to Burma. One can safely say that the church in Burma was established due to his labour. Like the other famous missionary, William Carey, Judson was also a first class linguist. His translation of the Burmese Bible is still in use today. In the 1950s, when there was a discussion on the possible need for a new colloquial translation of the Bible, U Nu, the Buddhist prime minister then, declared, “Oh no, a new translation is not necessary. Judson captures the language and idiom of Burmese perfectly and is very clear and understandable.” After much consultation, the Christians agreed and Judson’s version remains the most popular version till this day. Furthermore, every dictionary and grammar written in Burma in the last two centuries have been based on the ones that Judson originally created.

Judson was born in 1788 into a Christian family. His father was a pastor. However, he became wayward during his teenage years until one night while staying in an inn, he overheard the dying groans of a man next room. The next morning, he discovered the man had died and he was none other than his college friend who led him to reject the faith of his father. It shook him to the core to consider the fate of his unrepentant friend.  Within a year after much reflection, he formally confessed his faith and joined his father’s church. Not too long afterwards, he resolved to be a missionary setting aside his earlier ambition to make it in the literary or political arena.

I’m always fascinated by the letter he wrote to his future father-in-law asking for his daughter’s hand in marriage. No one in his right mind would have written such a letter. But it just shows how realistic he was on the prospect of a missionary career and his devotion to his task no matter the cost. It is worth quoting it in full here.

“I have now to ask, whether you can consent to part with your daughter early next spring, to see her no more in this world; whether you can consent to her departure for a heathen land, and her subjection to hardships and sufferings of a missionary life; whether you can consent to her exposure to the dangers of the ocean; to the fatal influence of the southern climate of India; to every want and distress; to degradation, insult, persecution, and perhaps violent death. Can you consent to all this, for the sake of him who left his heavenly home, and died for her and for you; for the sake of perishing immortal souls; for the sake of Zion, and the glory of God? Can you consent to all this, in hope of soon meeting your daughter in the world of glory, with crown of righteousness, brightened by the acclamations of praise which shall redound to her Saviour from the heathens saved, through her means, from eternal woe and despair?”

Any father who can consent to the above must be equally mad! Providentially, he left the decision to his daughter, Ann. Ann proved to be a great help mate to Judson and many agree that without her intervention during Judson’s imprisonment later in Burma (being American but white he was caught in the middle of the British-Burmese War at that time), he wouldn’t have survived the ordeal in Burma’s notorious prison. While pregnant with their third child (the first died stillborn while at sea, the second died when he was seven months old and this one  would also die six months after the death of her mother), Ann would bring food and clothing to the prison and bribed the guards to make life a little better for the prisoners. All the hardships proved too much for Ann who died shortly after Judson was released from the prison.

After Ann’s death Judson went through a period of deep depression. He wrote, “There lies, enclosed in the coffin, the form of her I so much loved – the wife of my youth, the source and centre of my domestic happiness. Her death deprived me of the one of the first women, the best of wives.” He was to marry another two times in succession. Both were equally capable women who greatly helped Judson in his ministry.

To read some of the current writings produced by Asian and African missiologists, it would seem that the white men can do not right. No doubt, the missionary enterprise during the 18^th and 19^th centuries seem to co-exist with colonialism and in fact, may have taken advantage of the western military power. Many missionaries may have intentionally or unintentionally taken a condescending posture when dealing with the locals. But many also have made great sacrifices to bring the gospel to those who have never heard it before. They leave their country’s shores knowing that it may be the last time they were seeing their families and friends. Wives, husbands and children die young in a foreign land and sometimes under violent circumstances. We are indebted to them whatever their faults may be.

By today’s standards of the mega-churches, many of them would have been considered failures. Judson baptised his first convert after labouring for six years. Even at his death there were only a handful of Burmese believers, though there were greater success with the tribal people e.g. the Karens.

Another interesting point to note was in 1823, Brown University granted Adoniram Judson the honorary degree of “Doctor of Divinity”. Judson was in Burma at the time and so was unaware of his new title. Five years later, however, he declined the honour: “I beg to be allowed the privilege of requesting my correspondents and friends through the medium of your magazine, no longer to apply to my name the title which was conferred on me in 1823 by the corporation of Brown University, and which, with all deference and respect, I hereby resign… I am now convinced that the commands of Christ and the general spirit of the gospel are paramount to all prudential considerations.” How different is Judson’s spirituality compared to some Christian leaders nowadays who chase after titles and who even go to the extent of misleading people into thinking they have an “earned degree” instead of an “honorary degree”.

This short article cannot do justice to Adoniram Judson. If you are interested to find out more here are my suggested readings.

For a good biography, read Courtney Anderson’s “To The Golden Shore”. To read about Judson’s spirituality go to Evan Burn’s “The Supreme Desire to Please Him”. Sharon James’ book on Judson’s wife, Ann (from where Judson’s letter to his future father-in-law is found) is worth reading. It contains selections from Ann’s memoir and letters (My Heart In His Hands: Ann Judson of Burma). The Christian History & Biography magazine Issue 90 (Spring 2006) has a good write up on this pioneer missionary couple.

We need Heroes, we don't need Celebrities

 

Of late we would have heard in response to the Ravi Zacharias scandal, that we shouldn’t hero-worshipped anyone or put our leaders on the pedestal or succumbed to the celebrity culture. I would suggest that there are differences between a hero and a celebrity although it may be a fine line we are treading.

Firstly, a hero may not necessary be a public figure. He or she may be someone who is only known within a small circle. For many people their greatest hero may be their dad and/or mum. In fact, it should be and ought to be. A celebrity is only celebrity because he/she is known publicly. The more that a celebrity is known or greater the fame, the higher the status of a celebrity.

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The same is true for some heroes. Their heroism may not be appreciated by everybody. They may come across as very ordinary. Not so with a celebrity. There are no ordinary celebrities. Ordinariness doesn’t make one a celebrity. Everyone sees a celebrity as extra-ordinary. Extra-ordinary in terms of appearance or capabilities/competencies.

Instead of extra-ordinary, some heroes may even be less than ordinary. Of the Suffering Servant it was said “…. he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.”(Isa. 53:2b). Of Paul, it was said, “his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account” (2 Cor. 10:10).

We tend to accept and recognize the flaws in our heroes. The term “a flawed hero” is not considered an oxymoron. They remain our heroes despite their flaws. But usually not so with our celebrities. We are either unconsciously or intentionally oblivious to their flaws. The day we see those flaws, the very same day they cease to be our celebrities. Our celebrities have to be impeccable and flawless.

That brings me to my last point. We then worship our celebrities. After all, don’t they deserve our worship if they are impeccable and flawless, so much larger than the ordinary human. Interestingly, we can talk about our sports or entertainment celebrities (actors, actresses or singers) as our idols. We dare not use the same terminology with our Christian celebrity preachers or teachers. But we are only deluding ourselves if we think there is no difference just by avoiding the term. It’s not merely a word or a term but a whole culture. To succumb to the celebrity culture is to be idolatrous.

Although we may face the same pitfall with our heroes, we look to our heroes as someone we can emulate. We draw lessons from their lives as to how to behave or act. Our heroes teach us. Our celebrities put us into bondage of idolatry or more often than not we put ourselves in bondage.

Well, some people may say, “We don’t need either heroes or celebrities. We just need Jesus.” That sounds pretty pious. But I think it’s misguided piety. Why do you think Paul told Christians to imitate him (I Cor. 4:16, 11:1; Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:7,9) instead of imitating Jesus? (Paul did say he imitated Christ, 1 Cor. 11:1) I think God in His providence has provided us with godly examples. Godly examples who at the same time may be flawed as we are. With such knowledge, it also increases our appreciation of God’s grace.

One more point. If you need to choose a hero, choose one who is preferably dead. The longer the better. Dead people cannot disappoint us though historians may yet uncover uncomfortable truths about your hero. But the impact will not be as great compared to a living person. If at the outset, you have accepted the fact that your hero is not perfect, you probably be able to live with it.

In my next post, I hope to introduce you to one of my heroes.