Fire <strong>Jesus</strong> Life One/2008 Page 22 www.jesus.org.uk
and Ice A remarkable move <strong>of</strong> God has been taking place among <strong>the</strong> Inuit <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Arctic Circle. Article by Trevor Saxby. IN APRIL 1999, <strong>the</strong> Canadian government formally created Nunavut territory, to <strong>the</strong> north <strong>of</strong> Hudson Bay. After centuries <strong>of</strong> displacement, <strong>the</strong> Inuit or Eskimos finally had a homeland <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir own. This land mass, <strong>the</strong> size <strong>of</strong> western Europe, is home to less than 30,000 people – not least because it is ice-bound for much <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> year and travel is difficult. Of <strong>the</strong> 19 people elected to govern Nunavut, many are Spirit-filled Christians. They regularly meet to pray and to seek God’s wisdom for national decisions. <strong>Church</strong>es in Nunavut are full and keenly evangelistic. Given that Inuit culture has for centuries been controlled by shamans (medicine-men with occult powers), how has this move <strong>of</strong> God happened? Since <strong>the</strong> 1950s, white missionaries have reached out to <strong>the</strong> Inuit. They have had to overcome great obstacles to do so. Several were killed in plane crashes on <strong>the</strong> ice. There was deep resentment to overcome, too. The Eskimos had seen <strong>the</strong>ir land invaded by white men greedy for oil and gold, who had brought <strong>the</strong>ir consumerist culture with <strong>the</strong>m. Yet <strong>the</strong>re were important factors which favoured evangelism. The Inuit are intensely social; selfish individualism is alien to <strong>the</strong>ir culture. If <strong>the</strong>y make a decision, <strong>the</strong>y make it corporately and everyone holds to it. Also, <strong>the</strong> Inuit are spiritually aware. They know all about ‘anagkok’, shaman power, which makes people sick and causes evil spirits to appear in visible form. So <strong>the</strong> missionaries found a ready response when <strong>the</strong>y spoke <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> kingdom <strong>of</strong> God, <strong>of</strong> spiritual warfare, and <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> church as <strong>the</strong> all-embracing Body <strong>of</strong> Christ. In some meetings <strong>the</strong> power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Holy Spirit caused people to laugh, weep or shake. Despite <strong>the</strong> problems with travel, <strong>the</strong> Inuit arrive in large numbers for Christian conventions. At one in 1994, 1,700 people (six per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> entire population) were converted. This included 32 Cree Indians who had driven over 2,000 miles to attend; <strong>the</strong>y have since planted a new church back home. The pioneering work was largely done by courageous women like Kayy Gordon and Lynn Patterson, but <strong>the</strong>y have trained up a new generation <strong>of</strong> Inuit men <strong>of</strong> God. James Arreak and Billy Arnaquq tour <strong>the</strong> many Inuit churches and claim that, in some areas, half <strong>the</strong> population are committed Christians. Arreak preaches that radical New Testament values sit easily with traditional Inuit ways. He has led several shamans to Christ. O<strong>the</strong>r Inuit live on <strong>the</strong> Arctic circle in Russia. Until 1994 <strong>the</strong>y were wholly unreached by <strong>the</strong> gospel. A Canadian evangelist, Bill Prankard, took some Inuit converts to witness to <strong>the</strong>ir fellow Eskimos. They travelled by helicopter from village to village, leading many to Christ. They prayed for <strong>the</strong>m to be filled with <strong>the</strong> Holy Spirit, gave <strong>the</strong>m bibles, and left. Nine months later <strong>the</strong> team returned, anxious over what <strong>the</strong>y would find. They found on-fire Christians! In one village, only 100 out <strong>of</strong> 1,200 were unsaved. The Russian Inuit had no Christian history, so <strong>the</strong>y took <strong>the</strong> New Testament literally and relied on <strong>the</strong> Holy Spirit to guide <strong>the</strong>m. They hadn’t heard <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ‘Toronto Blessing’ (<strong>the</strong>y hadn’t even heard <strong>of</strong> Canada!), but <strong>the</strong>y had clearly received <strong>the</strong> same repertoire <strong>of</strong> manifestations. Shaking, laughing, shouting, weeping and falling down were a normal part <strong>of</strong> church for <strong>the</strong>m! “They aren’t copying,” says Prankard. “This is a fresh move <strong>of</strong> God. They have challenged me in <strong>the</strong>ir level <strong>of</strong> commitment.” As in <strong>the</strong> book <strong>of</strong> Acts, <strong>the</strong>se Inuit believers meet daily, baptise converts and receive <strong>the</strong> Spirit’s power by faith. They regularly experience <strong>the</strong> miraculous in healings and miracles. And, as <strong>Jesus</strong> foretold, <strong>the</strong>y are knowing persecution. They have refused <strong>the</strong> authorities’ order to stop evangelising; <strong>the</strong>y still go from village to village with <strong>the</strong> good news <strong>of</strong> <strong>Jesus</strong>. Many have been arrested and beaten. But as one Inuit Christian told Prankard, “They can threaten us, <strong>the</strong>y can beat us, <strong>the</strong>y can even kill us, but we will never stop loving <strong>Jesus</strong>”. JL To watch a video <strong>of</strong> an extraordinary visitation <strong>of</strong> God in <strong>the</strong> Arctic Circle visit www.jesus.org.uk/gallery/videos/inuit www.jesus.org.uk <strong>Jesus</strong> Life One/2008 Page 23
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