Catastrophic Missions

About the Book

For this book my wife and I have travelled extensively in an effort to learn about how Christianity was introduced to the indigenous peoples of the New World from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego. For that purpose we have travelled more than 12,000 nautical miles in British Columbia and Alaska alone. Furthermore, while traveling in Alaska, I was able to repeat the actual journey of John Muir and the missionary S Hall Young who travelled from Wrangell to Glacier Bay (now, the Glacier Bay National Park). Our journey was in essence a retrace of the missionary trail.

About the Author

A retired clinical psychologist and former commercial salmon fisherman, Leif Terdal spent much of his leisure time cruising the waters of the inside passage to Alaska. This opens his eyes to life stories of First Nation Peoples of British Columbia and Tlingit natives of Southeast Alaska. Stories emerged about missionary boarding schools where native children were prohibited from speaking native language or learning about native spirituality. Leif travelled further to Cuba, Brazil, Peru and Tierra del Fuego to explore more about the impact of Christian missionary efforts on aboriginal tribes. Much of the impact was catastrophic.