Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
Week 12: The Huaorani — Seeing the 'Other' Through God's Eyes
Reflect on the portrayal of the Huaorani people throughout Through Gates of Splendor. Key Scripture: Revelation 7:9-10; Acts 10:34-35.
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Throughout the book, Elliot portrays the Huaorani not as a backdrop for American missionary heroism but as people — complex, capable, made in the image of God. This week we reflect on what it means to truly see and love those who are most unlike us.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.How does Elliot's portrayal of the Huaorani avoid the twin pitfalls of romanticizing them (the 'noble savage') or dehumanizing them (the 'savage enemy')? What specific details help you see them as full human beings?
2.Revelation 7:9-10 pictures 'a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne.' How does the eventual inclusion of Huaorani believers in that number change the way you read this story from beginning to end?
3.Peter declares in Acts 10:34-35 that 'God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.' How does that conviction animate the entire missionary enterprise of this book? And where does it challenge your own partiality?
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