Baptist Missionary's Push into Remote Tribe's Territory Raises Concerns

[Jerome]

Brazil • Baptist Missionary Interrogated

Steve Campbell could be charged with genocide.
There has been a decades-old no-contact order with the Himerimã people after other once-isolated tribes were nearly wiped out by introduced diseases.

Himarimã - Wikipedia

an indigenous people of Brazil. They are largely uncontacted by outside society, and live along the Piranhas River, between the Juruá and Purus Rivers, in the state of Amazonas.

 

[rlvaughn]

Interesting. This is being compared to the recent incident of John Allen Chau's going to the North Sentinel Island. They are similar in that both are isolated tribes, but Campbell is quite different from Chau in that he has been in Brazil since 1963, when he came as a child with missionary parents. He is also translating the Bible into the language of an indigenous people, the Jamamadi.

Also interesting, the Greene Baptist Church in Greene, Maine, whose name has been associated with this missionary in news reports, has removed his profile from their web site.

 

[Jerome]

He is also translating the Bible into the language of an indigenous people, the Jamamadi.

Where did you get this info?

 

[rlvaughn]

It is in several news reports, including the first one you linked above. It says that info came from the church's official web site, but, if so, it was removed along with any other information about the Campbells. Here's one from the Christian Post in English:

According to the Greene Baptist Church website, Campbell works as a missionary alongside his wife, Robin, and their two children.

“Steve and Robin work with the Jamamadi Indians in the Brazilian state of Amazonas,” notes the family's bio. “Their work is to help with medical, mechanical and countless other ministry opportunities with the Indians and missionary families. This frees up Jon so he can focus on translating God's word into their language.”

I would also be interested to know if the following statement was added after this story came to light. Sounds like a church trying to limit its liability.

*Please note missionaries are not employed by Greene Baptist Church.

 

[Jerome]

I would also be interested to know if the following statement was added after this story came to light. Sounds like a church trying to limit its liability.

*Please note missionaries are not employed by Greene Baptist Church.

The church in Maine is ABC-USA, I read the pastor said Campbell is not with their denomination.
The Christianity Today article says he's a Baptist Bible Fellowship missionary, but I checked its website and he's nowhere to be found.

 

[rlvaughn]

Maybe the reporters have confused the church that Campbell is from, but several have linked to that church's website and claimed that is where they got the information. I would think Campbell would more likely be BBF, independent, SBC or something on the conservative end, rather than ABC-USA.

The church in Maine is ABC-USA, I read the pastor said Campbell is not with their denomination.

Don't know if they keep their Facebook page up-to-date (apparently not), but there are two angry posts about Campbell, with no replies one way on another from the church.
Greene Baptist Church - Greene, Maine - Religious Organization, Baptist Church | Facebook

The Christianity Today article says he's a Baptist Bible Fellowship missionary, but I checked its website and he's nowhere to be found.

Maybe nobody wants to claim him at the moment.

 

[Jerome]

the Lawrences

the church that Lawrence is from....I would think Lawrence would more likely be BBF, independent, SBC or something on the conservative end

Who is Lawrence?

 

[rlvaughn]

Fixed. Campbell. Just wait till you get old!

 

[Jerome]

According to the Greene Baptist Church website...

“Their work is to help with medical, mechanical and countless other ministry opportunities with the Indians and missionary families. This frees up Jon so he can focus on translating God's word into their language.”

That says that someone else, "Jon," is doing translating.
Steve and Robin Campbell are doing health, mechanical[?], etc. work there.

 

[rlvaughn]

Yes, that is what that particular article says. The article you linked in Portuguese says three generations of the family are doing the translating. (That article mentioned daughters and parents, so maybe that accounts for the 3 generations.) Others says he is translating. Who knows what the exact facts are.

According to a Brazilian website, Mr Campbell has lived in the area since 1963 and is working with his mission to translate the bible into the indigenous Jamamadi language. Campbell is married and his wife Robin and two daughters also live in the area.

 

[rlvaughn]

Found another page to the Greene Baptist Church linked from an article, which shows the Campbell family, 3 generations (parents, sons, grandchildren). Jon is apparently Jonathan, Steve Campbell's brother. This page says nothing of Steve translating.
Missions at the Greene Baptist Church

Robert & Barbara [Campbell] live in Ben Wheeler, Texas. They are translating books of the Bible into the language of the Jamamadi Indians in the Brazilian state of Amazonas. They are with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Jon and Rosa [Campbell] live in Ben Wheeler, Texas and are hard at work translating different books of the Bible for the Jamamadi Indians of Brazil.

He has a web site, but must be down. At least I can't access it.

 

[Jerome]

The pastor of the Maine church was an MK in Brazil:

Greene Baptist Church • Our Pastor

 

[rlvaughn]

Says he is a son of former Wycliffe missionaries, so that is likely how he knows the Campbells.

 

[Jerome]

Fox News

Josh Burden, a pastor that answered the phone at the church Thursday, told Fox News...“We have supported them for a number of years at a very moderate amount"

Burden...added that he has never met the couple