MASCULAR CHRISTIANITY IN FOCUS

A Critical Thinking Paper on Charles Wildes' 

“Acts of Faith: Muscular Christianity and Masculinity

Among the Gogodala of Papua New Guinea”

Wilde asserts that the colonialism that the Gogodala men in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea experienced and their encounter with and conversion to Christianity did not in any way make them feel emasculated but on the contrary, their experience of it reinforced their masculinity affirming their dala ela gi or male way of life (p. 32). Wilde dismisses the notion that these men were emasculated when modernity and colonialism swept the place in which Christian missions particularly that of the Unevangelized Fields Mission (UFM) has played a very significant part. Wilde insists that the acceptance of Christianity and the colonization of the area have actually strengthened the physical and social capabilities of the Gogodala men downplaying the myth of emasculation which has been a part of the dialogue of modernity and colonization in this locale of Papua New Guinea. Accordingly, Wilde presented his data proving that the dala ela gi was in fact supported and championed by the UFM missionaries.

The study concentrated on invalidating the notion of emasculation by pointing out that nothing of that kind took place and here Wilde is evidently successful. He insists that the missionaries of UFM redefined the definition of dala ela gi through the lens of the gospel. In his attempt to prove his point, Wilde categorically underscores that the missionaries were one with the people in teaching the dala ela gi, banking on physical strength, a demonstration of faith through action, and second, the decision-making at that time were not exclusively formulated and executed by the foreigners but were participated in by the Gogodala men so that they would not feel inferior and dependent to the missionaries.

Thus, Wilde persuasively articulates that colonialism and Christianity favored the dala ela gi or the masculine way of life in contrast with what some anthropologists claim. His approach in expressing this truth compelled him to study the history of the missionary endeavor of the UFM which played a pivotal role in the evangelization of the community. This conversion however was believed by some anthropologists to have led to the death of masculinity where the once strong men lost their identity and social purpose. Wilde’s justification came as an answer to those who are accusing the missionaries of being manipulative of the Gogodala men and of being the culprits of the death of masculinity in the tribe.

Wilde’s proof was outright uncontestable since he journeyed through the history of the Gogodala men and from there stressed and expounded that in the entire process, the people, while benefitting from the entry of the UFM missionaries, did not in any way feel exploited, or as how some anthropologists coined it, emasculated. The presence of Sosola, an influential and distinguished leader amongst the people at that time, and the Gogodala’s epitome of strength, proved that no emasculation took place. Wilde warranted that the leader himself invited the foreigners in their community and helped towards the Christianization of the area. Wilde substantiated his abstract by saying that even the current leadership of the Evangelical Church of Papua New Guinea credits the missionaries of UFM for building an almost Christian community, respecting them for sticking with the Gogodala way of living.

His contribution to the discourse of the ‘malaise of masculinity’ amongst the Gogodala is significant yet the weakness of his study is apparent on his concentration on just one mission organization which is the UFM and from there he makes his conclusion that emasculation did not in any way take place. It has to be noted that just as he said, there are other mission works which took place in the area, one of which is the London Missionary Society (LMS). Wilde’s obvious indifference towards this mission organization made his work focused more on UFM’s contribution leading to unresolved queries and theories of other anthropologists as to the death of masculinity by virtue of the entire mission endeavor.

It could have been better had he balanced his presentation and counter argue the illustrations provided by the anthropologists who insisted that both colonization and the evangelization contributed to the emasculation of the Gogodala men. All he did was to justify by examples through the life of the Australian missionaries sent by UFM that emasculation never took place. Wilde already cited the Wiru Tribe (p. 32) and he could have explained and researched more on this to convince the readers whether the male population of this tribe in fact thought that their bodies were physically shrinking as a result of the foreigners’ work. He could have also explained why the rejection of the male Tambaran cult is not synonymous with the death of masculinity. The examples of the Wiru Tribe and the male Tambaran cult made some anthropologists adamant in their articulation of emasculation and he could he could have responded to this matters in his study to make his work more accurate and decisive.

Since Wilde’s work was sponsored by the University of Sydney (p. 45), there is somehow a suspicion of bias from his perspective. The study somehow leaned towards the praise and vindication of the Unevangelized Fields Mission (UFM) which according to Wilde paved the way to a balanced and a much more precise approach in missions to the Gogodala people. Yet, he made his study somewhat of a subtle criticism of how the London Missionary Society did its work which according to him became explorers, patrol officers and instigators of the contact with the people of Papua New Guinea and was not really welcomed by the community (p. 34).

Yet, Wilde is to be applauded for his illuminating contribution to this discussion amongst anthropologists and missionaries alike. His study is significant in understanding that the Gospel that was particularly passed on to the Gogodala men did not in any way emasculate them. For in fact, the work of the UFM missionaries strengthened the dala ela gi of the people and it reverberated in the Gogodala men’s lifestyle both then and now.

 Wilde succeeded in retelling the story of the people while discrediting some anthropologists’ one sided judgment of Christianity. Wilde’s work is vital for missionaries and anthropologists alike who would want to study and learn the culture of the Gogodala people of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. His study should cause those who had been prejudiced about the subject of emasculation among the people to rethink of their speculative judgments and selfish persuasions.

Wilde somehow tried to weed out the misconceptions and help in the ongoing discussion of the ‘malaise of masculinity’ which somehow demeaned the work of the missionaries and the purpose of the Gospel. Given that the Gogodala men championed physical strength and power, they realized that the Gospel is in favor of hard work which mirrored their belief. In line with this, they favored the Gospel presented to them for it helped them to intellectually decide what is best for them as a community without being coerced by the UFM missionaries. The fact that the missionaries were lauded by the community for bringing them the gospel and still allowing them to be who they were- strong and masculine, embodying the dala ela gi, is a proof in itself that the Gogodala men were not repressed nor debilitated. In all these, Wilde’s study proved that the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ meant no harm for tribal people. On the contrary, its purpose is to empower, strengthen and liberate communities from its seemingly elusive quest for freedom, which were all embedded in Wilde’s exhaustive study of the UFM missionaries’ role in redefining the gospel in the context of the dala ela gi among the Gogodala people.

Copyright, 2011

To read Wilde's Research, you can search through the link below:
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Acts+of+faith%3A+muscular+Christianity+and+masculinity+among+the...-a0131433215