The Peace Child’s Legacy: From Treachery to Peace
- Olive Qin
- 3月19日
- 讀畢需時 2 分鐘
Mar 19, 2025 Wednesday
AAM Editorial Team
In 1962, missionary Don Richardson, his wife Carol, and their infant son arrived in New Guinea to share Christianity with the Sawi tribe, a people who revered betrayal as an honorable trait. Upon arrival, they were met by warriors, but the sight of the baby ensured their peaceful reception. The Richardsons faced linguistic barriers, slowly learning the Sawi language and culture. However, they were stunned when the tribe praised Judas, seeing his betrayal of Jesus as admirable, aligning with their customs of deception.
Complicating their mission, inter-tribal violence erupted around them. Desperate to stop the bloodshed, Don told the Sawi that they would leave if the warfare continued. The Sawi, valuing the Richardsons' presence, sought peace through an ancient custom—the peace child ceremony. Warring chiefs exchanged infants, symbolizing trust; as long as the child lived, peace endured. Seeing a parallel to God offering His Son, Don shared that Jesus was the ultimate, eternal peace child. This analogy resonated deeply, leading many Sawi to embrace Christianity, abandon violence, and share the Gospel with neighboring tribes.
Fifty years later, when Don and his son returned in 2012, they found the Sawi still devoted to their faith, having flourished in peace. Don’s experience, detailed in his book Peace Child, influenced modern missionary work, advocating “redemptive analogies” to bridge cultural gaps. However, some critics argue this approach risks distorting Christian doctrine by merging it with local beliefs. Despite the debates, the Peace Child story remains a powerful testament to cross-cultural empathy and transformation, showing that even those who once glorified treachery could become ambassadors of peace.
View the short film, Never the Same: Celebrating 50 years since Peace Child