Resignation

Parting of the Ways

My time in New Zealand on “furlough” in 1963 had not made my mind easier. In fact I had become more worried about the discrepancies I continued to see between the teachings of Jesus and the practices of the Baptist community. 

 

I discussed my concerns with some close friends; they either agreed largely with my points or could not undertsand me. 

Naturally I discussed these matters with Audrey all the time, and she agreed with me.  Her only caveat was that we should not unsettle any committed Christian people from their faith, and with this I readily agreed, although in practice I wonder now how we thought it might be possible to keep the ship steady in the rough seas we were encountering. 

When in 1965 I became convinced that there was no opening for me to continue working in Tripura after handing the school over to Indian leadership, and in view of my increasing disillusion with the theology and practice of the Baptist tradition, I wrote a letter of resignation to the mission, explaining my concerns as clearly as I could. It came as a bombshell to those who had not heard our previous comments. 

Central to my personal concerns, in addition to the two issues discussed earlier, was the ethical disconnect I had come to see between evangelistic efforts to convert Hindu and other children to Christianity, and the Biblical principle of honour towards parents. The emphasis on “preaching the gospel” to children seemed to me to be a cop-out by church members who were not prepared to discuss matters of faith with their adult friends.

 

When it became time to travel home to new Zealand the situation in India had changed.  We had planned to travel home slowly on a tramp ship which in those days plied between Calcutta and Auckland taking cargo both ways. But there was a war between India and Pakistan by that time in 1965.

 

To add to our complications, Audrey developed hepatitis and ended up in hospital in Calcutta. So in the end I flew home with the children and Audrey followed a couple of days later on what was billed as the "last flight out of Calcutta". The war stopped a day or so later when they ran out of ammunition.

 

The children and I flew by 707 to Singapore and then by Comet IV to Auckland, with fuel stops at Darwin and Sydney. I had never imagined that air journeys could be so fast or so comfortable! And I don't believe they have improved in the fifty years since.  They have just become cheaper and more common.

 

Our families met us at Whenuapai Airport, which in those days was Auckland's international airport, and we tried to get a few days' rest before starting work again.