Inuit people respond to ‘liberating power of the Gospel’: an interview with Bishop John R Sperry
YELLOWKNIFE, Canada — The experiences of the Rt Rev John R Sperry, former Anglican Bishop of the Arctic, reveal the extent to which the ‘liberating power of the Gospel’ has affected the lives of Inuit people, who live in very challenging conditions in communities scattered across the central Arctic. Interviewed by Dr Bill Mitchell, UBS Americas Regional Translation Coordinator, at the UBS Americas Area Board meeting in Miami in 2001, Bishop Sperry told how, in the years since he began his ministry in the Arctic in 1950 as priest at St Andrew’s Mission, proclaiming the Word of God has become even more vital against a background of rapid and often negative social change. Bill Mitchell: When you arrived in Coppermine, in Canada’s Northwest Territories [now called Kugluktuk and located in the Inuit territory of Nunavut], what were your ‘conditions of service’? Bishop Sperry: As missionaries we signed a contract for five years of continuous service in the Arctic, without furlough. At the end of that time, we were granted a six-month break. The salary for a single man was US$1,400 a year. Out of this we paid for heat, light, clothes, food and other necessities. The weather conditions were extreme and I had to travel more than 5,000 kms (3,500 miles) each year by dogsled to visit my parishioners, often holding services in igloos during the winter. We accepted this as a divine commission, believing that ‘the Lord will provide’. Bill Mitchell: You placed a high importance on learning the Inuinaktun language. How necessary was this? Did it take a long time? Bishop Sperry: It took time, especially to appreciate Inuit humour and to communicate freely. The people wanted their minister to be not only a teacher and to administer the Word and Sacrament, but also to be a storyteller, a sharer of news and a confidant. Bill Mitchell: Bible translation had a special place in your ministry. Why was it so important? Bishop Sperry: In the early years, the only books available for the people of the central Arctic were the few containing hymns, prayers and Selections from the Bible. There were translations in other dialects, but they were poorly understood. Our people were really awaiting the words of a God who spoke in their own language. Bishop Sperry went on to discuss some of the challenges faced by translators involved with the very complex language of the Inuit. Arctic people, being traditionally animistic, had no understanding of a single supreme divine being, and the translators struggled to express this concept. As the most important person in an Inuit village was the owner of the ‘umiak’, a large skin boat, early translations of the Lord’s Prayer began, “Our Boat-owner who is in heaven…”. There were also cases of new, more culturally appropriate metaphors having to be found for some well-known passages. Bill Mitchell: How did people respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Bishop Sperry: It was received as very good news indeed. Almost everyone accepted the Christian faith, taking part in public worship at every opportunity. They exchanged fear and uncertainty for the liberating power of the Gospel. Bill Mitchell: Since the 1970s, great changes have taken place in the Arctic. Urbanisation has taken place, the people are more settled now and modernity has impacted them. Bishop Sperry: This is very true. The increasing influence from the south has played a large part in this. New images and messages, for example those seen on television, presented options of ethics, morals and lifestyles often in marked contradiction to accepted standards in even moderately Christian societies. Bill Mitchell: How do you think the Church should respond to this? Bishop Sperry: The Church is facing the challenge of speaking to the needs of the people in a very different context to the one of 20 or 30 years ago. It must proclaim a Gospel that includes a call for whole and healthy lifestyles reflective of an inner commitment of faith and obedience to God. Bill Mitchell: Some people question the relevance of the Gospel in the lives of the people of the far north. How do you see this? Bishop Sperry: The age-old message of healing and renewal in the name of Jesus Christ is as valid for this generation as it was for those Arctic igloo dwellers who so gladly accepted the same Gospel many years ago. What a privilege it has been to have a share in proclaiming that message!  n
Bishop Sperry, a UBS Vice-President, now lives in Yellowknife. Some of
the background information in this interview comes from his book Igloo
Dwellers Were My Church: The Memoirs of Jack Sperry, Anglican Bishop of
the Arctic, published by Bayeux Arts in 2001.
An excerpt from the book can be found at: www.raincoast.com/titles/igloo_dwellers2.html (WR 369/21 - 7/8.02) [PHOTOS] |
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