1960's A.D.:  The Peace Child Concept

     In the course of compiling the accounts which are listed so far here on the Deeds of God website I have several times noticed that God has planted certain beliefs or at other times prophecies in the lore of certain pagan peoples which made them particularly able to receive the Gospel's good news.  Sometimes peoples or tribes that seemed particularly dangerous and fierce were so struck by something that the Christian missionaries did, said, or read that they were pierced to their heart and very eager to hear more.....God, who loved them despite their ancestors long ago rebellions (of which nearly every people is guilty) had planted a seed in their culture that would eventually open like a door for the Christian missionaries He intended to one day send them.

      I particularly like a true account that is called 'the Peace Child'.  You can watch it in movie form on You Tube.  The short movie was made in 1972.  There are lots of places on the internet to read about it, and the missionaries involved wrote a book which ought to be very good reading, though I haven't read it myself yet.  I heard the story of the 'peace child' concept at a church, and how it affected certain cannibal tribes such that they were able to begin to accept Jesus and soon were filling a large church they built there in the jungle of their river. 

     In their unusual group of same-language but frequently warring tribes, any sort of particularly treacherous betrayal of your enemy was highly admired.  It was the highest form of war though they often battled with weapons.  Yet there was a thing they did sometimes when they legitimately wished peace with another enemy tribe.  They would give them one of their children to raise.  So long as that child lived it was truly and mutually agreed that the two tribes must never war against each other or double cross each other.  So when the missionary finally learned their language and told their host tribe about the story of the Gospel he was shocked when they laughed uproariously when Judah betrayed Jesus.  They had to truly admire Judas for that one!

     But when the missionaries learned about the rarely held 'peace child ceremony' they saw the open door.  They then explained how mankind betrayed the kindness and love of their Holy Father over and over for centuries.   So, finally the Father sent His own deeply loved child Jesus as a Peace Child to humans so there could be peace and love again between God and His human children.  But humans were so wicked that they even killed God's Peace Child, the holy son named Jesus.  When the missionaries told this to the host tribe they stayed with it truly busted them up hard inside; they keenly hurt inside to learn that the Peace Child had been slain.  It changed their hearts toward everything.  It's an amazing movie to watch, really. 

     So, maybe take some time to watch 'the Peace Child' on You Tube, or where ever you may find it.    

  I hope you'll find it somewhere, and read it or watch it. It's a little slow at the start as they set the scene, but it is good to see how it ends.  Enjoy!