Torches of Joy by John Dekker (1992)

Posted on 2025-04-25 by thelittleman

The Dynamic Story of a Stone Age Tribe’s Encounter with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
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Over the years, I’ve enjoyed reading many a missionary saga. Books that stand out as the most adventurous (due to tension, dangers and martyrdom) include Through Gates of Splendor (1957), Peace Child (1974), and Lords of the Earth (1977). It’s the same Don Richardson who wrote those final two books that was a teammate to John and Helen Dekker in the remote valleys of Irian Jaya and who writes the forward to Torches of Joy.

Although this book is not as adventurous as those, it’s still a wonderful testament of God’s work among the Dani tribes. This people group not only heard and trust the Gospel of Jesus, but also trained themselves to take that Gospel even deeper into the countryside where enemies lurked and unknown villages still remained hidden.

Overall Feel: Joyful Yet Stressed

This YWAM publication contains little of the suspense or danger one might expect from book with Don Richardson’s name on the cover. Instead, it’s almost entirely filled with happy stories of spiritual successes among the Dani.

Where it occasionally feels stressed and strained, though, are the glossed-over scenes of Helen Dekker’s trials adjusting to the primitive conditions of this frontier-missions locale. I write “glossed over,” because it seems like John only half-recognized her struggles and felt obligated to mention them, if they happened to add to the narrative. In fact, I wrote in my notes at one point: “This book is definitely from John’s perspective only” (even though he writes in 3rd person, 111).

One example stands out. When Helen was pregnant with their third son and had to fly to a hospital for the delivery, John never mentions his wife! Instead, he focuses on Wuinip, the native who joins them and is flabbergasted by the flying machine. It’s like, Dude, didn’t any other exciting things happen on that trip, like your wife having a baby!?

Discussions about Depression

Another example brings up a whole new topic: Helen’s many weeks of depression. John recounts her struggles it well enough, her dark thoughts and the likelihood that they would have to leave the field because of her condition. But then it turns out she was only suffering an iodine deficiency, and so now with supplements, suddenly all was well. But what about those thoughts and doubts? Was it really just a temporary, physical issue? Was there really no spiritual warfare to fight or genuine sadness to deal with? She writes a note while on furlough that implies that her doubts were pervasive, not just some quick struggle based on sickness or situational fear: “Does God really want us doing the things that don’t give us joy?” (106) What an honest questions—and oh, to have a peek into her full journals from this time period!

It reminded me of my Baptist church growing up, denying depression in Christians as anything but a sin problem. “Real Christians won’t get depressed,” the teaching went, and I just wonder how many of us just buried our sorrows while pasting on smiles as we sang “Victory in Jesus!”

Depression is real. Christians can suffer from it. Sin is not always the cause. In this particular case, I have to wonder: if iodine deficiency really was the only culprit, then why were the white wives the only people to suffer? Other explanations have to exist.

This gives me a thought: these books by strong-willed, dominant, missionary-adventure men should be always countered by books covering the same ministry experiences, yet from the wives’ perspectives. They’d read as differently as The Road Unseen did from The Walk West (or Ender’s Shadow did from Ender’s Game), and they’d be thrilling supplements because of it. Publishers, next time you ink a deal with a missionary author wanting to publish some memoirs, probe to see if the spouse wants to write a version as well. If the market doesn’t exist yet, I think it could.

Some Uncomfortable Adjustments

As the Dekkers sought to train the new believers in the faith, they hit some cultural snags. Because no sheep existed in either the mountains or valleys of this island location, they had trouble describing Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” So instead, they supplements “lamb” for “piglet”—which in English simply doesn’t sound right.

I don’t want to judge the decisions they made, and I’m sure they attempted to clarify things for months before they came to this compromise, but I also need to think practically. Do even I understand everything in Scripture? Of course not. I still don’t know how long a “cubit” is or how much a “denarius” is worth, yet that doesn’t stop me from understanding the basics of Scripture. I can’t envision the beasts of Revelation, because I’ve never seen them before, yet I don’t need to have them described in familiar terms for me to grasp their meaning.

I don’t like hearing “Jesus, the piglet of God!”—and I don’t like seeing the communion elements made from sweet potatoes and raspberry juice—but again, I wasn’t there or part of the decision-making process. I’m sure they exhausted every avenue before settling on these compromises, and perhaps God won’t be a stickler. They just make me uncomfortable—not as uncomfortable as that PNW pastor doing “the Lord’s supper” with Doritos and Pepsi…but that’s a different story.

Another uncomfortable adjustment I faced in this book from Dekker was his delaying of baptism (99). That’s always rubbed me the wrong way, though admittedly, he did have some good reasons. He wanted to prevent group-decisions based on shame not faith, and he also didn’t want this act of obedience to become merely a talisman against evil. He required proof of growth before he baptized (which seemed strict), and I always have to wonder: how can someone prove themselves obedient if they’re told by a leader they’re not yet ready to obey!

A Ministry of Sending Converts as Missionaries

As a minister involved in cross-cultural ministry myself, I was really excited to read about the Dekker’s emphasis on training nationals to become missionaries themselves—and to support those whom their churches send! Take this lengthy example:

Bitbet was one of the dozens of Danis who, with their wives and children went as missionaries to other areas of the island. The young churches applied with John had taught them from the beginning: when God blesses you with something, give it to others. They understood that stewardship was giving of themselves and the message that had changed them…

By the early 1970s the 79 indigenous churches of the Toli Valley, with 13,000 baptized members, had sent out and we’re supporting more than 65 qualified missionary couples. This great missionary movement saw a beautiful blending of national and Western missionary skills. The Danis were more quickly accepted by the other tribes and could live right among the people in a way Westerner could not. On the other hand, the Western missionary brought expertise and language analysis, translation, medicine, airplanes, supplies, and a better understanding of doctrine issues. As coworkers, they complimented each other in a remarkable way…

To finance this great missionary program, RBMU helped with travel expenses. But the Dani churches paid half of the airfares, as well as a living expenses of the missionaries. (146-147)

With this financial support in mind, I loved John’s idea on p.147-149 to help the Dani’s find a cash-crop by introducing them to the peanut! Not only did it help them get more protein, but it also helped the raise funds to send more missionaries. Remarkable.

Then there’s this summary of the Dekker’s work post-Irian Jaya, which maintains a focus on sending nationals to continue the work of missions in their neighboring countries:

The Decker’s returned from the work among the Dani people with a burden to encourage and stimulate Christians in the 2/3 world to reach unreached people groups within their own and neighboring countries. As a member of Partners International (PI; formerly CNEC), they encourage and train Christian nationals in those countries to take on the task – to consider the Dani experience and say, “With God‘s help, we too, can reach out!”

John’s emphasis is the same to them as it was to the Dani – stewardship, giving of self, and sharing the good news. From his experience, he offers Missiological principles which he and other missionaries applied in their initial contact with the Danis, and which nationals can apply in evangelizing the unreached….

In his travels, John hears the excuse, “We are too poor and too uneducated to do missionary work, that is the work of the Western churches.” From the Bible, he points out the great privilege to be Christ’s representatives, and the responsibility as the Lord’s redeemed (Galatians 314), and then he uses the Dani missionary enterprise as an example of how the poorest of the poor and the least-educated people did it. (191-192)

Conclusion

I don’t know if Partner’s International is still around, but I do know that groups like Biblical Ministries Worldwide are still taking this charge, not only to reach the lost in other countries, but then to train them to reach the lost elsewhere. It’s what discipleship and church-planting are all about, and I’m all for anyone who promotes a strategy like this this–even if he is formerly Dutch Reformed!

This was a joyful book to read about missionary success and the far reaches of the Gospel. Not heart-poundingly exciting, but neither are most ministries! It’s refreshing, actually.

©2025 E.T.

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