Through Gates of Splendor
oting the book “Through Gates of Splendor” which tells the story of five missionaries who sacrificed their lives in the jungles of Ecuador, this documentary film “Beyond the Gates of Splendor” takes us through that original journey to the events that followed half a century after. A thoroughly informed and accurate story, it has some limitations, but is well worth the watch.
The well-known facts about this story are that five men, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully ventured to Ecuador in the mid 1950’s as missionaries, along with their wives, to share the Gospel with those who were out of reach of it. In the process, these five men lost their lives and the event became worldwide news. But in this account, the events begin fittingly with the backstory of the native Ecuadorians, the Waorani people, and sets up the history, culture and violence of their lives that led to the horrific event of the missionaries’ deaths. Following that is the backstory of the five men—their days together in school, getting married, their decision to go to Ecuador—leading up to the day they died. The film then takes us beyond that tragedy to show the fruit of the labor of these men, specifically through Nate Saint’s son, Steve Saint.
Due to the nature of the event, there are references to murder and death. Some real footage from the 16mm camera the five missionaries had was retrieved and does include some images of these men after their decease. The talk about it all is more upsetting than what is shown, but even that is discreet and refrains from sharing too many details. The women of the Waorani tribe are also topless most of the time, so there is some nudity; but it is on par with what you would see in National Geographic.
One of the biggest criticisms I have of this documentary is the lack of emphasis on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These filmmakers did excellent work setting up the colliding worldviews of the missionaries and the Waorani
The well-known facts about this story are that five men, Jim Elliot, Roger Youderian, Nate Saint, Pete Fleming, and Ed McCully ventured to Ecuador in the mid 1950’s as missionaries, along with their wives, to share the Gospel with those who were out of reach of it. In the process, these five men lost their lives and the event became worldwide news. But in this account, the events begin fittingly with the backstory of the native Ecuadorians, the Waorani people, and sets up the history, culture and violence of their lives that led to the horrific event of the missionaries’ deaths. Following that is the backstory of the five men—their days together in school, getting married, their decision to go to Ecuador—leading up to the day they died. The film then takes us beyond that tragedy to show the fruit of the labor of these men, specifically through Nate Saint’s son, Steve Saint.
Due to the nature of the event, there are references to murder and death. Some real footage from the 16mm camera the five missionaries had was retrieved and does include some images of these men after their decease. The talk about it all is more upsetting than what is shown, but even that is discreet and refrains from sharing too many details. The women of the Waorani tribe are also topless most of the time, so there is some nudity; but it is on par with what you would see in National Geographic.
One of the biggest criticisms I have of this documentary is the lack of emphasis on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These filmmakers did excellent work setting up the colliding worldviews of the missionaries and the Waorani