I must break the silence here...
Okay, so I'm sure I'm not the only one when it comes to being trapped in silence I can't stand it for too long. I was in Honors last spring when we did the day of silence as our project, and then we had to undergo 5-1/2 straight hours of complete and utter silence. As an only child, this is normal for me to a degree. I can keep the silence if I want to, but most of the time silence tends to send a message of loneliness and so I'll make conversation... with myself.
(Wow, Noah, you talk to yourself? Yes. It's better than letting my thoughts run wild with sin and depression, so I converse with myself to distract my mind.)
Anyway, Silence hasn't necessarily been too "silent" in the normal concept of the word. However, when looking at the situation, a missionary's silence on when and when not to outwardly evangelize in certain parts of the world is an important aspect in spreading the Gospel. In the narrative, the two priests hide day in and day out in a small hut because it is too dangerous to show their faces out in public for fear of being detained. This doesn't just create danger for the priests themselves, but it also creates a risk for the Japanese villagers who rely on them for spiritual guidance. I'm sure every evangelist would like to just be upfront and unhinged when preaching the Gospel anywhere in the world, but reality keeps them from doing such things. In North Korea today, you can be killed on sight for being caught in possession of the Bible. So there are times where the priests had to be silent in order to preserve themselves to teach the gospel further. Yet they break the silence in Chapter 3 by one of the priests heading to a nearby village to meet with the Christians of that village. So there are times to break the silence and other times when to keep it when looking at an evangelism perspective.
So far, this book is just reminding me of Shadow of the Almighty, and if you have yet to read that book, I highly suggest it. It's the same plot line of Silence except with understandable language and easier to pronounce names.
I don't enjoy silence, so if you ever hear me mumbling something to myself it's because I need noise to drown out evil and depressive thoughts... and snarky comments from Zelda. <3
(Wow, Noah, you talk to yourself? Yes. It's better than letting my thoughts run wild with sin and depression, so I converse with myself to distract my mind.)
Anyway, Silence hasn't necessarily been too "silent" in the normal concept of the word. However, when looking at the situation, a missionary's silence on when and when not to outwardly evangelize in certain parts of the world is an important aspect in spreading the Gospel. In the narrative, the two priests hide day in and day out in a small hut because it is too dangerous to show their faces out in public for fear of being detained. This doesn't just create danger for the priests themselves, but it also creates a risk for the Japanese villagers who rely on them for spiritual guidance. I'm sure every evangelist would like to just be upfront and unhinged when preaching the Gospel anywhere in the world, but reality keeps them from doing such things. In North Korea today, you can be killed on sight for being caught in possession of the Bible. So there are times where the priests had to be silent in order to preserve themselves to teach the gospel further. Yet they break the silence in Chapter 3 by one of the priests heading to a nearby village to meet with the Christians of that village. So there are times to break the silence and other times when to keep it when looking at an evangelism perspective.
So far, this book is just reminding me of Shadow of the Almighty, and if you have yet to read that book, I highly suggest it. It's the same plot line of Silence except with understandable language and easier to pronounce names.
I don't enjoy silence, so if you ever hear me mumbling something to myself it's because I need noise to drown out evil and depressive thoughts... and snarky comments from Zelda. <3
This reminds me of the passage in Ecclesiastes that says there is a time for everything. Only through wisdom and discernment can one find the appropriate response to a given situation. Sometimes you should set aside feelings of doubt and fear and just go for sharing the gospel with an explosion of passion. But sometimes it is more prudent to hold your tongue for the safety of yourself and others around you. Honestly, I think the times to stay silent are very rare in a country like America, so what are we waiting for?
ReplyDeleteThat silence project killed me on the inside.... Sometimes when I think of this book, it's not necessarily silence that comes to mind, but rather a dark confined room. Silence is there yes, but a small room where any bit of sound can bounce around and create a massive noise. I think I see our priest's mind going in this direction, where as he is waiting to hear from God and for the silence to be broken, his own mind is experiencing a cacophony of doubt, trapped in itself.
ReplyDeleteSometimes silence needs to be broken, yeah. It's just always the question (at least for me) of WHEN it needs to be broken. It built up so much suspense when Rod went to Goto. Like no...dude...you're gonna get caught. This book ended on such a sour note.
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