When the Spirit moved in Papua New Guinea

Prophets of Melanesia, edited by Dr G. Trompt and published by the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies, is a welcome addition to the growing reservoir of literature on Papua New Guinea.

It has been long awaited, The book contains six essays written by students and staff of the University of PNG. The introduclion sets out clearly the context in which the research was carried out and it detines with precision what educated people today understand by prophet and prophet-

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conc l ud i n g article, Dr K. Carley, from Rarongo I heological Col lege, indicates the vitality of the prophetic movement

throughout the ages, These essays will challenge some of the assumptions held fast by many evangelical fun damentalists, who find little good in people other than themselves. But we have nothing to fear from such a positive challenge. In the long range, it will help the Melane sian people and their white tutors to discover and ap preciate the many facets of God’s eternal activity in their world.

The essays are arranged ac cording to the chronological order events took place in Melanesia, and they describe the lives, messages and ac tivities of three prophets and two prophetesses: Ona Asi alias Bilalaf, Silas Eto, Philo, Kamoai and Genakuiya.

For many of us these names will sound foreign. But for those who will spend the time reading this well-presented book, attractive personalities will come to life. They were people who felt moved by the Spirit, and who tried, like so many other before them, to reconcile their traditional expectations with the presence and the promise of anew message.

Spontaneously, the reader Ri l n,U. Ca ßHaii i T h fM and J ° hn Bapust, Bngit of Norway and the visionary of Guadalupe, Hams and the Bantu prophets of South Africa, all searching for anew wholeness in life, and calling incessantly for more iust and more humane

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relations between those who have and those who think they

don’t have it yet.

In a sense, these individual prophetic figures of Melanesia were not im portant; they did not think much of themselves; they all belonged to their narrow province; and often they had little to say. But who can tell if their limited message is not another manifestation of the 'Melanesian Christ’ who lives for ever? — V. van Nuffel * *V. van Nuffel is a Lecturer in Comparative Religion at the University of Papua New Guinea.

(Prophets Of Melanesia. Edited By Dr

Garry Trompf. Published by the Institute of Papua New Guinea Studies, Boroko, Papua New Guinea. No price given).