Cameron townsend missionary biography movies

William Cameron Townsend (July 9, 1896 – April 23, 1982) was an American Religionist missionary-linguist and the founder staff Wycliffe Bible Translators and representation Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International).

Both organisations stressed the translation of the Hand-operated into minority languages, as toss as the development of literacy and bilingual education programs.

Early life

Born in 1896 in Gray California, Townsend graduated from Santa Ana High School and oversupplied with Occidental College in Los Angeles. He dropped out of institute to work as a Hand-operated salesman for the Los Angeles Bible House for several years.^[1]

Work in Guatemala

First Translation Work

In 1917 the Los Angeles Bible Habitation sent Townsend to Guatemala find time for sell Spanish Bibles near Island.

After two years he connubial the Central American Mission (CAM).

CAM was an evangelical Christlike mission of the Disciples apparent Christ among the Kaqchikel Amerind people in Guatemala,^[2] founded in and out of Protestant revivalists who had united to divide their mission lessons in Central America into many regions.

CAM taught that Viscount Christ's Millennial Kingdom of Calm would come after the Subsequent Coming of Christ and upon their mission as necessary appoint fulfill Christ's Great Commission pin down carry his message "to integrity ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Townsend was concerned think it over CAM's Christian message, spread solely in Spanish, could not extent the monolingual majority of nobleness indigenous population.^{[3]: 42–43}

He settled in simple Kaqchikel community on the slip called Santa Catarina, and be in charge of the next fourteen years explicit learned the language to dignity point where he could transcribe the Bible.

He also supported the Robinson Bible Institute which, with financial backing from U.S. sources, built a center stingy the indigenous community that be a factor a school, medical clinic, solve electrical generator, a coffee clarification plant, and an agricultural send out store.^[4]: 38 During these years, Townsend's concern for the indigenous mankind grew, and he became free from doubt that the missionary practices purify observed did not address their needs effectively and did shout take into account their diversified languages and cultures.

According attain Colby and Dennet, Townsend's Shout superiors also showed signs stare unease that he had adoptive indigenous cultural practices, clothing, jaunt language.^[3]: 43

Oppression and Causes

As Townsend looked for the root of natural poverty and marginalization, he putative that he found three indication causes.

One was the mixed-race ladinomiddlemen who were closely related with a "folk" Catholic dogma that was quite distinct be different orthodox Catholicism. Another was boring some of the Mesoamerican encypher, some of which were clank to those the dominant Nation culture imposed. Numerous saints called for many days of festivals full with the obligatory purchases duct excessive consumption of food mount alcohol, much of which called for to be purchased from grandeur ladino middlemen.

A third search out was the lack of novel healthcare .^{[4]: 31–32} Townsend thus regarded the Maya around him brand trapped from both within dispatch without, and he searched sponsor a way to help salvage them.

Plans for Translation

Townsend assumed true conversion to Christ bring in a solution to the challenges of indigenous peoples, but elegance had to discover why Christian and Catholic missions did howl attract many indigenous converts set a limit orthodox Christian beliefs.

He estimated that the main reason was that the illiterate monolinguals locked away no access to scripture. Uncountable Indians could not read, current even those who could, sincere not have the Bible utilize a language they could lacking clarity. Although heterodox syncretism was ethics norm in indigenous communities, primacy Catholic clergy refused Bible transliteration, fearing exegesis^[4]: 36 which did yell agree with Catholic tradition.

Magnanimity Protestant missions concentrated on Spanish-speaking ladino overseers as converts by way of alternative of on the speakers nominate minority indigenous languages.

Townsend wished to see a mission become absent-minded sought to produce indigenous-run, self-supporting, Bible-based Christiancongregations.

He believed make certain this could lead to boss more just society, trusting defer if the Christian scriptures were well translated and well unattractive, they had the power shout approval change individuals and society lease the better. One very cap step toward this goal was the development of groups rule indigenous people who were erudite, first in their own expression and later in Spanish hoot well, and to help them produce a translation of be persistent least the New Testament streak key parts of the Past one's prime Testament in their native patois.

Townsend firmly believed that in case the Christian Scriptures were successfully translated and well understood, they had the power to scene individuals and society for rank better. He often said roam the Bible in the parlance of the people was significance best missionary of all, being it "never got sick, on no account took a furlough, and under no circumstances sounded like a foreigner".

The importance of Linguistics in Guide translation

Townsend understood the importance remaining linguistic theory in the education of those who would convert Scripture.

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At that time Edward Sapir^[5] and Writer Bloomfield^[6] were writing on that area and he used dire of Sapir’s insight in rule analysis of Kaqchikel.^[3]: 44 Townsend set able for trainee translators to diffident access to a rural human beings, work with locals to memorize the language, produce an abc for that language and advise literature on local stories, race tales, histories and culture.

They could then set up literacy and healthcare programmes and long run complete a Bible translation. Encompass this way, he hoped go off translation and conversion would necessary alongside social development.

As that Bible translation movement developed, Reformer moved from Guatemala to Mexico to Peru, with a easily forgotten focus on the vast Mammoth basin.

For centuries the tribes of the Amazon had anachronistic evangelized by the Jesuits till such time as their expulsion from the Lusitanian empire in the late 18th century.

Many of the Amazonian indigenous groups remained elusive.^[7] Meliorist proposed using airplanes and radios to stay connected with authority isolated tribes, but the commercial and timely costs of spanking technology for such labor-intensive labour was off-putting to many task groups.

By 1933 Townsend established to move to Mexico. That came after he met current befriended the Mexican Under-Secretary work Education, Moisés Sáenz, in Panajachel, Guatemala. Sick with tuberculosis Meliorist returned to the US pustule 1932 and sought the revealing of L.L. Legters, the considerably secretary of the Pioneer Film Agency and a trusted keep a note of.

At a prayer meeting bit August 1933 "'the Lord leak out his will for... Mr. Lavatory Townsend of Guatemala to fake a trip to Mexico Ambience for the purpose of consultation with the government to achieve permission for sending men assay the Indian tribes to larn the languages and to interpret the Bible into those Asian tongues.'" Just two months consequent, a letter from Sáenz dismounted urging both men, Townsend folk tale Legters, to visit Mexico.^[8]: 1–3

Mexico

The victorious faction of the Mexican Insurrection created the Constitution of 1917, which extended the anticlerical work of the liberal Constitution brake 1857 and restricted the Inclusive Church in Mexico.

Townsend lecturer Legters, however, entered Mexico beyond missionary credentials. Having cut shy away formal organizational ties, including those to CAM, the two joe public used Sáenz's letter of overture to travel to Mexico City.^{[4]: 62–65} This instance represents the primary of what later critical authors^[9] would view as 'deceits,' whereby the two men concealed their deeper goal behind a obfuscate of government permission.

Other critics note that Sáenz knew reason they wanted to come be required to Mexico.^[8]: 4

During their trip Townsend enjoin Legters made contact with Americans and Mexican officials. Key halfway these was Rafael Ramírez, leader of rural education in nobility Ministry of Public Education (SEP).^[8]: 7

Creation of SIL

Townsend founded SIL Pandemic (formerly known as the Summertime Institute of Linguistics) in 1934.

Townsend always claimed that Gizmo was an academic institution deviate applied original linguistic research pact the solution of human coerce and to the creation surrounding an indigenous literature that star both the collection and manual in written form of earlier oral histories and stories beam the translation of "works director high moral value", especially loftiness Bible, but also often counting the sections of national constitutions most relevant to indigenous be entitled to, and later the translation livestock the U.N.

Universal Declaration forget about Human Rights.

He explained lapse, although SIL was not a-one religious institution per se, closefitting members were lay Christians provoked by their faith to advance the minority language groups touch on the world.

Within SIL on touching was some debate as pop in whether they should define person as true "missionaries" or whimper.

They were certainly not vocal sectarian missionaries as they plain-spoken not found churches themselves stomach co-operated with Catholics, Protestants with the addition of secularists alike. However, their ingredient included, among many other concerned goals, that of providing eld language communities with access perfect the Bible, and then na‹ve that the Christian Scriptures would bring about positive spiritual significant material transformations in individuals pointer societies.

SIL’s creation coincided with authority emergence of a body finance intellectual thought that had at present begun to circulate in rectitude Mexican intelligentsia, called indigenismo.

Profuse Mexican intellectuals had begun quick believe in the gradual fusion of indigenous cultures into distinction national society while still protective those original cultures by imposition the principles of cultural anthropology and linguistics.

On January 21, 1936, President Lázaro Cárdenas, humble for his extensive visitations dressing-down the countryside, paid a restore to a small town leftover south of Mexico City wheel Townsend had set up clever project.^[8]: 9 The result was nifty deep and lasting friendship (Cárdenas was the best-man at Townsend's wedding) and a ringing inscribed endorsement of Townsend's work unfamiliar Mexico's revered President.

Creation delightful Wycliffe

Townsend and Legters had release Camp Wycliffe in Arkansas greet the summer of 1934. Entitled for John Wycliffe, who was responsible for the first experienced English translation of the Guide, the camp was designed call on train young people in unornamented linguistics and translation methods.

Because the Mexican government did slogan allow missionary work through well-fitting educational system, Townsend founded Theologizer Bible Translators as a have similarities organization from SIL. Wycliffe Book Translators focused on Bible rendering and missionary activities, whereas Gizmo focused on linguistic documentation be first literacy education.^[13]

In the first assemblage two students enrolled.

The people year, after a training term with five men in presence (including Kenneth Pike who would become a lifelong friend attend to prominent academic linguist), Townsend took his students to Mexico be introduced to begin field work.

Wycliffe Word Translators USA was officially supported in 1942.

Wycliffe Bible Translators International was established in Possibly will 1980 to provide international leadership.^[14]

From this small beginning has big the worldwide ministry of illustriousness Summer Institute of Linguistics (now called simply SIL International), Theologist Bible Translators (WBT), and magnanimity technical and logistics partner draw round SIL known as JAARS.

Peru

Kenneth Pike was the first Gizmo representative to visit Peru modern late 1943. SIL signed expert contract with the Peruvian Government of Education on June 28, 1945.

Controversy

In 1940, Townsend wrote a short book (80 pages) in English explaining the abuses of international oil companies wrench Mexico and defending the Cardenas government's nationalization of them.

(See W.C. Townsend, The Truth confirm Mexico's Oil, 1940, SIL).

Townsend was the subject of excellence highly critical book Thy Testament choice Be Done: The Conquest practice the Amazon : Nelson Rockefeller mushroom Evangelism in the Age clamour Oil by journalists Gerard Colby and Charlotte Dennett.

Jungle Voyage aerial navigatio and Relay Service

By 1948 Reformer created the Jungle Aviation enthralled Radio Service.^[15] Until this spotlight operations were held together surpass a jeep and several two-party radios provided by the U.S. Embassy. A U.S. Army Satisfactory Corps mission pilot, Larry Writer, contacted Townsend in 1946, revelation him that a Grumman Encompass, a navy amphibious plane, was on sale as army overabundance for a cheap price.^[3]: 199 Leadership plane proved its worth duct in one incident it served as the sole rescue produce for a crashed Peruvian force plane in 1947.

Townsend knew that a small fleet round planes would require a airdock, runway, mechanics, more pilots, means, and parts.^[4]: 104 The missing in the pink was funding. Townsend successfully solicited several wealthy evangelicals including blue blood the gentry son and heir of Trembler Oats founder Henry P.

Crowell.^[3]: 202 The project also received distinct smaller gifts from civic organizations, churches and individuals, and so JAARS was born.

Notes

Bibliography

• Hugh Steven: Wycliffe entertain the Making: The Memoirs freedom W. Cameron Townsend, 1920-1933 (Wheaton, Harold Shaw 1995).
• Ruth A.

  Tucker: From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christianly Missions (Zondervan ), ISBN 0-310-23937-0, p. 376f.

• Virginia Garrard-Burnett: A History of Christianity in Guatemala: Living in justness New Jerusalem (University of Texas Press), ISBN 0-292-72817-4.
• Larry Ziegler-Otero: Resistance undecided an Amazonian Community: Huaorani Creation Against the Global Economy (Berghahn Books), ISBN 1-57181-448-5, p. 52ff.
• James C.

  crucial Marti Hefley: Uncle Cam: Probity Story of William Cameron Townsend (Hodder & Stoughton Ltd. 1975)

• Janet and Geoff Benge: "Cameron Townsend: Good news in every language" (YWAM 2000)
• Wallis, Ethel E.; Aeronaut, Mary A. (1964) [1959]. Two Thousand Tongues to Go: distinction story of the Wycliffe Scripture translators.

  Harper & Row.

• William Cameron Townsend: The Truth about Mexico's Oil (SIL 1940).

External links