Karl's Reading List

Published by Golden Press: Auckland, Christchurch, Sydney, 1975. First published 1845. This abridged edition (by Joan Stevens) first published 1955. This book is part of the New Zealand Classics series, which I have several of. It also has the distinction of forming the basis for a recent historical novel, Jerningham, which creates a fictionalised version of the author's life.  As the title suggests, Adventure in New Zealand tells the story of Edward Jerningham Wakefield's adventures in New Zealand. Jerningham was the son of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, and nephew to both William Wakefield and Arthur Wakefield, the former of whom was one of the founders of Wellington, and the latter of whom was notably killed during the Wairau Affray.  All of the Wakefields were involved in the New Zealand Company, an organisation that today is viewed with much suspicion. Jerningham, of course, paints a much rosier picture of the NZ Company's dealings, putting any fault over land-sale controver...

Published by Bridget Williams Books Ltd: Wellington, NZ, 2017. This book is the life story of Tuai, a now-obscure Māori chief who lived in the era of early European missionary work in New Zealand. As a young man Tuai, along with another young Māori named Tītere, travelled to England, living with missionaries in both London and the district of Madeley and learning much about European culture and beliefs (he often wore European clothing), before returning home and acting as a go-between for his tribe in their dealings with Pakeha. Tuai's ability to speak English made him quite an important and well-known figure in his day, with his death even announced in some English newspapers. Not a lot is known directly about Tuai; what he did is now mostly determined through reading European letters that happen to mention him in passages. The fact that the authors have managed to reconstruct his life from these is quite impressive, although in order to 'pad out' his life to full book len...

Published by Paul Brand Publishing: Seattle, WA, 1976. Granny Brand is a missionary biography with a bit of a difference. This is the life story of Evelyn Brand (nee Harris), who went to India as a missionary, fell in love with and married fellow missionary Jesse Brand, and then carried on working in India following Jesse's death from blackwater fever. What makes Evelyn so different from most of the missionaries you read about in these sort of books is that she is portrayed throughout as a fairly stubborn, strong-willed, slightly argumentative woman, happy to butt heads with anyone who doesn't see eye to eye with her. She reminds us that God is looking for willing hearts, rather than particular personalities. In fact, Evelyn's personality helps her to continue ministering in the 'Mountains of Death' region of India even after she officially retires from missionary service. The mission organisation overseeing that region are occasionally shown to be opposed to her ch...

Published by Inter-Varsity Press: Leicester, England, 1987. I picked this little book up from a pile my mum was giving away, then found it in my reading pile when I couldn't sleep a few nights ago. The authors, Bill and Shirley Lees, tell of their time as missionaries in Borneo, along with their call to the mission, some of their courtship and family stories.  Within the book, Shirley mentions an earlier book that she wrote, Drunk Before Dawn, which apparently tells the history the mission they were involved with more thoroughly. That allows this book some freedom to focus on particular themes and topics rather than needing to be tied to a larger arc. In some cases this would be an issue, but Is It Sacrifice? is very easy to read. The chapters are short and interesting, and the authors end each of them with a few questions to think about, as well as including a recommended reading list of other books on the theme of the chapter (some of which I might hunt out). Some parts of the bo...

Published by Penguin Group (NZ): North Shore, Auckland, NZ, 2010. In 1867 the influential missionary to the Māori people, Henry Williams, died. Williams had been in New Zealand since 1823 and had been responsible (among many other notable events in his life) for translating the Treaty of Waitangi. In the same year that Williams died, Bishop George Augustus Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand, who had himself been in New Zealand since 1843, returned to England to take up a new post. This book tells the history of New Zealand - with a particular focus on the work of the early missionaries - from the first arrival of Europeans in these islands up until that point in 1867. Choosing to end the book with the death of Williams and departure of Selwyn seems fitting, as these two figures had massive influence on the shape of Christianity in the country, as well as influencing the shape of the country - and interactions between Māori and Pākehā. In the modern post-Christian worldview, the ea...

With Andrew Quicke. Published by Hodder and Stoughton: Great Britain, 1981 (1980). This is another one of those incredibly challenging faith biographies that Elise and I seem to enjoy. Although not as well structured as some of the books (I would call it more of a 'memoirs' than a traditional 'biography'), the life story of Jackie Pullinger and her work in the Walled City of Hong Kong is both fascinating and immensely challenging. Jackie felt a call to missions from a young age, but after being rejected by a number of mission organisations, had some unexpected but inspiring advice from a friend who was also a minister: "If God is telling to you go - you had better go...If you had a job, a ticket, accommodation, a sick fund and a pension, you wouldn't need to trust Him...Anyone can go that way whether they are Christians or not. If I were you I would go out and buy a ticket for a boat going on the longest journey you can find and pray to know where to get off....

Published by Hodder and Stoughton: Great Britain: 1970 (1963). This book tells the true story of Elka, a witchdoctor from a 'primitive tribe' in South America, who becomes a Christian following the arrival of missionaries to his region of the Amazon. The unique aspect of the book is that it is told almost entirely from the (third-person) perspective of Elka himself, giving the reader an understanding of the tribal life and beliefs of the Wai Wai people before introducing the missionary element. Following Elka's conversion, we also get insight into the growing Christian understanding of his tribe. There is a fun 'innocence' to the way the Wai Wai people understand their faith, based partially on the newness of their faith, and also the very foreign culture that their understanding takes root in and develops from. The idea of marriage, for example, in the pre-Christian tribal life is very loose - 'sharing' of spouses is common, and a 'wedding' is simpl...

Published by Overseas Missionary Fellowship (IHQ) Ltd: Singapore, 1991. Based on an Indonesian original. The subtitle of this book is Cleopas Lumbantobing, Challenger of Demons, Evangelist, Educator and Peacemaker, and is not only a biography of that individual, but also of Ingwar Ludwig Nommensen, a German missionary (and later Bishop) to the Batak Highlands of North Sumatra, Indonesia in the late 19th century. Cleopas was born the third son of a raja (chief) and was prophesied of by the local batu (witch-doctor) as being someone who was destined to overthrow his father's kingdom, "and the very foundations of Batak tradition...He will lead our people astray into a strange new teaching." (prologue) The batu told Cleopas's father to kill him (thus the title of the book), but instead the raja sent his son and first wife away. When Cleopas grew up he became a Christian through Nommensen's teaching, and for the rest of his life served as a missionary to his own peo...

Published by DayStar Books: Auckland, 2017. This is a book by a local (Nelson, NZ) author, Russell Smith, and covers the earliest days of Christianity reaching New Zealand, in fact, the first ten years (1814-1824). This is a very specific period of time, and lends for an interesting angle. Gone is the controversy of the Treaty of Waitangi, because the Treaty wasn't signed until 1841. Instead we get a glimpse into the politics and faith of the 'motley crew' of first missionaries, some of whom seemed to arrive with more 'pure' motives than others. There is treachery, there is adultery, pride and power. But there is also a drive to see the nations reached by Jesus. An interesting, if not life-changing book. Completed 28 September 2019. Previous Book ~ Next Book