BIRTH IN THE MIDST OF WAR
A HISTORY OF BAPTIST BEGINNINGS IN VIETNAM 1959-1975
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On another occasion, Sam James was riding home in a taxi one night. The taxi driver, a disabled veteran, began telling him how difficult it was to live, especially for a disabled veteran. He said he was fortunate to find this job driving a taxi. He said, “I have been robbed several times of all the money I made driving all night.” He said, “Sometimes I get mad and upset when I am robbed. I remember the months after I was wounded in the army, sent home, and could not find a job in my physical condition.” He said, “One night, our little baby was crying so hard. My wife told me that the baby has had no milk for several days because they have nothing left to eat. She told me that she also had not eaten any food.” He said, “I was heartbroken. I also had not eaten because I wanted her to have the little food we had left, but she was trying to save that for me since I was busy looking for work. Knowing that my family was suffering, I knew I had to do something. I sneaked out of the house about midnight. I went to a home where some wealthy people lived. I broke into their home and quietly stole several things I could sell and have money for food. I immediately went to the market, bought everything I could, and took it home. It actually saved our lives. Our precious baby was dying of starvation. Now, I cannot be mad when I am robbed because I know what it is to be hungry.”[1] When James heard that story, he thought of the day at the seminary when he was teaching the Ten Commandments. He had asked the question, “Is it ever right to steal?” The students responded, “It depends on whom you steal from and under what conditions.” James reflected that in a war-torn society, morality could become twisted, and survival at any cost could become one’s morality. This was the Vietnam that Baptist Christians were born into and had to learn to live in and try to survive. People struggled with the morality that the Bible taught. Sadly, reality in a land filled with war can became a morality of survival, not a way of distinguishing between “good” and “bad.”
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About the Book
On November 1, 1959, the first Baptist missionaries arrived in the Republic of Vietnam. During the next years over 3000 persons would come to know Jesus in over 100 new churches. From the time Baptist missionaries arrived until the fall of Saigon on April 30,1975, the war in Vietnam resulted in death, unbelievable suffering, broken families, lost dreams, and economic stress. This is the story of not just survival but of how missionaries and Vietnamese stood firm against all odds. It was dangerous, the stories are legend, and miracles were constant, yet not one missionary fled the circumstances for the safety of home. This is a story of how missionary and Vietnamese stood strong in the face of what often seemed utter defeat.TODAY, Vietnam is blessed with government recognition of the Vietnam Baptist Convention, a theological seminary, and numerous churches led by Vietnamese leaders.
About the Author
Sam James has served for 63 years with the International Mission Board, SBC in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Europe, Central Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. He has been a church planter, administrator, trainer, member care provider, and missionary statesman in troubled areas. For decades he has spoken at retreats and conferences for multiple mission organizations. Sam and his wife, Rachel, are parents of four children, two of whom served on the mission field. His BA degree in English and Greek, MTh degree in New Testament Interpretation, and Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care and Counseling uniquely equip him for various avenues of service. He and his family served in Vietnam during the critical war years from 1962 to 1975. Following his service in Vietnam, he led the building and development of the International Learning Center for training and equipping missionaries, and served in various roles in 118 countries around the world.