Thoughts on The Poisonwood Bible

"We constructed our lives around a misunderstanding, and if ever I tried to pull it out and fix it now I would fall down flat. Misunderstanding is my cornerstone. It's everyone's, come to think of it. Illusions mistaken for truth are the pavement under our feet. They are what we call civilization." p. 602

"Poor Africa. No other continent has endured such an unspeakably bizarre combination of foreign thievery and foreign goodwill." p.597

I just finished reading The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. The story is told by "the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959." Each of the four daughters present their unique perspective on both religion and the Congo. As the book progressed I became more and more attached to these fictional characters, in particular, Adah, the handicapped twin. She probably was the most cynical of the girls but also the most perceptive. The above quote by Adah is probably my favorite from the book. This family moved to Congo right before the independence of the Congo from Belgium - both a good and bad thing. Good in that they were freed from colonialism, yet bad in that their was little to no allowance for transition. Overnight the government and military was placed in the hands of the suppressed and uneducated Congolese. What I found most appalling was the west's (the U.S. in particular) meddling in the affairs of this struggling country. It would be one thing if we would have been there to assist this country as we said we were doing, but to my horror I discovered that we were manipulating the political leadership in our favor in order to rape the country of its natural resources. The Eisenhower administration convinced the American public that the newly elected Lumumba was a rabid Communist who urgently needed to be removed. And so it was. Although the CIA denies connection to his murder, Lumumba was assassinated several weeks later. What followed forced the Congo into a nightmare that lasted better than three decades under the brutal dictator Mobutu. Needless to say, Mobutu experienced warm relations with the U.S. because of his disdain for the Soviet communists and willingness to do business U.S. investors.

I guess the most important thing I am learning over here in Africa is that things are most often not as they seem. It amazes me hear stories told from opposing perspectives. The sad thing is that the most powerful people are the ones who determine how history is viewed. Corrupt intentions and evil actions can always be given a spin that places it in favorable public perception. What is it about a communist that makes them so evil? What is it about democracy and capitalism that makes them Christian ideals and an ultimate good? What kind of democracy is forced democracy? Is there not something wrong with the fact that capitalism's only path to success is through human greed? Why is socialism such a fundamentally flawed system? All these questions arise as I consider the cornerstones of my western worldview.

Until we humans learn to reevaluate the presuppositions behind of our worldviews we will continue to live in a world where "illusions mistaken for truth are the pavement beneath our feet." As Christians we say that we follow the Prince of Peace, yet we are content to live our lives in an illusion. Why should being a citizen of any nation shape our worldview more so than being Christian? My prayer is that I will always desire to seek the truth and walk in that truth no matter how difficult it may be.