conversion from the well-being of the body. The task of the mission is defined by the preaching of the gospel, which may not be compromised with worldly promises. Though this position lacked attraction for those with a Melanesian worldview, it realized the dangers of the first position: if material promises fail, or if they can be fulfilled outside the church, the proclamation of salvation will be regarded as futile. The weakness of the position which argues for the separation of material promises and salvation is that it may fail to attract Melanesians altogether.
The question remains whether a third position may have been viable. This third position could have tried to form the “new person in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:22–24) by educating this new person that even though the conversion will have beneficial effects on social and economic relations (e.g., peace from tribal fighting, extension of trade beyond former borders, the creation as a gift to work with, and education in new sciences), the gospel itself does not promise material well-being and does not reward certain behavior. The gospel breaks through the reciprocal and magical thinking, liberating the Christian person from its domination. This is the freedom of the gospel against the law. The practical difficulties of such a proclamation should not be underestimated, what matters here is only the discussion of the goal and method of mission.
Already in the mission to the Central Highlands beginning in the 1930s and continuing after World War II, the successful method of the coastal areas was modified. Initially, the mission followed the same direction carried by the local evangelists from the coastal areas. However, soon it had to be adapted to new challenges. Hermann Strauss, missionary to the Mount Hagen people, described in a report from 1958 that the readiness of some tribal chiefs to convert did not result in the conversion of the whole tribe, as expected in the community-based method.111
Following the Keysser method by exposing the evil of the tribe and stirring up the conscience to adopt a new way of life was not possible. The reason was that the people had already learned to know different forms of life. “Change of heart really did no longer seem to be required since the old ways and practices of so many bossboys and big men were evidently accepted by the powerful white men (Australians), who had given them influential positions.”112
Strauss concluded that the mission therefore had to focus on giving personal witness to smaller family units, rather than aiming to convert the whole tribe at once. The new Christian ethos could not be instilled through a Christian tribal order, but only when a person realizes how the gospel affects his or her life. The missionary addresses people in their situation of life about human relationships, education, and discipline. This requires the training of local pastors with a sound theology.
The strength of the former mission was the untrained but enthusiastic evangelist who was sent to a distant tribe, shared their life, and opened the door to the gospel. In the Highlands, with their competing missions and the opportunities to obtain material goods in secular ways, the quest for trained pastors became an urgent one. The result was the establishment of theological seminaries in Oglbeng (Mount Hagen) and the English language Martin Luther Seminary in Lae in 1966.
The mission work in the Southern Highlands in the 1950s and 1960s could only be started after the Australian government had been there for a number of years.113 The break with the former life was marked by peace between former enemies. The new Christian life was confirmed at school and had its imminent repercussions on everyday life. An old man from the Jalibu district in the Southern Highlands reports his experience of conversion:
Before, fathers and ancestors fought with enemies and poisoned each other and they thought there was no God. Later the missionaries brought the Good News of Jesus Christ. We heard it and it was like a good story or news others sent to us, and our happiness was great. Day and night we didn’t sleep; we wanted to hear more of this talk. It was like a sweet medicine. We believed that Jesus is the Child of God. He said: If we leave all our evil ways, we will get a good life in Heaven. This talk stirred us and I was baptized at 12 years old with many other children. After I was baptized I went to a primary school of the Lutherans. The teachers told us the same story of the Good News of Jesus and this strengthened us. We went to school at our enemies’ place, but they didn’t hurt us. They cooperated with us and helped us with food, when we were short. This strengthened our belief.114
The war forced most missionaries to give up their work, but this did not result in a breakdown of the church. Shortly after the war, in 1946, the Australian anthropologist Ian Hobgin researched the Lutheran Mission in Busama (20 miles from Lae), which had been without a missionary or evangelist since 1941. His detailed report helps us to understand how deeply the Christian faith had put down roots:115
The conversion in the village had been entrusted to indigenous evangelists until the local elders took over. Christian teachers had set up a village school and Hobgin commends the Lutheran education system as superior to that of most other Pacific missions. Neither evangelist nor teacher received a salary besides the annual offering of the village. Despite the wartime destruction of school and church, daily prayers were conducted in the morning and evening by elders and the teacher. On Sunday all would walk to the circuit church and attendance was obligatory. Holy Communion was rare because of lack of pastors.
The Bible was the fundamental basis of faith; everyone read it, quoted it, and referred to it.116 The salvation of the people of Israel provided the master plan for understanding the present. The New Guinea people regarded themselves as part of the history of conflict between good and evil, God and Satan. They were descendants of the cursed Hem, Noah’s son, hence their economic inferiority. The blood of Christ at the cross has washed away all sins.
The Decalogue is the guide and norm; whoever keeps it will enter kingdom of heaven. The first part requires people to abandon the old deities, pay honor to God, and attend Sunday services. The second part defines the conduct of life in respect and care for parents and elder kin and respect of property. To some extent, the Decalogue confirms the traditional code of behavior, but the highest value is love as mutual regard of others outside the tribe.
The gravest sin is adultery and this temptation looms everywhere, so that the elders ban women from wearing flowers or dancing. Sin is an offence to God the creator and must be punished. If a sinner is not punished in order to change him, sin would bring him to hell. In that respect God resembles a village headman. He intervenes directly. Shame about sin leads to confession. It is important that the community is straight with God before any sacrament is received. “To attend without confession would be certain death.” Repentance may be followed by spectacular recovery, because confession removes the spell of sin. Hogbin notes that conscience is a Christian invention, different from the traditional feeling of shame which occurred when one was caught with disapproval of the action. Conscience is the same as being watched by the all-seeing eye of God under the risk of hell.117
God gave rules, and if Christians follow them, they will receive his blessings. It is their choice and responsibility. Believers are tempted by Satan, however, God gives them strength to resist. Hogbin did not notice any reference to the Holy Spirit in this regard. After death the soul passes to the spirit world and waits for the Day of Judgment.
Hobgin’s portrait of a Lutheran congregation confirms the changes and the continuities of second-generation Christians. The greatest change was the recognition of the universal righteous and holy God as creator, savior, and judge. Indigenous Christians had left the mythological worldview and become part of a universal history with a future judgment. On the practical level, however, there seems to be some continuity in the context of the communal definition of law, sins, and sanctions for transgressions. Even though the forgiveness of sins in the blood of Christ is known, a deeper understanding of it in terms of unconditional acceptance by God and the transformation of the sinner seems to be missing.
These observations are confirmed by Georg F. Vicedom, another leading missionary, in the
