In a world where communication is nearly instantaneous with anyone on the opposite side of the world, it’s hard to imagine that there are people groups that refuse any outside contact. Known as indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation, there are over 100 tribes that have never been contacted or have tolerated limited contact.1 Most of these tribes inhabit the Amazon rain forest region.
The Sentinelese people of North Sentinel Island off the shore of India defend their isolation aggressively, even violently if necessary. Indian laws protect their right to privacy and anyone trying to make contact will be arrested and punished. Those who manage to make it to the island most likely will never leave the island. They won’t be captured as prisoners, though. They will be executed.
Brazilian tribes exist which have escaped contact with others. Satellite images revealed tribes living in areas thought to be uninhabitable. They have managed to thrive under adverse conditions, thus protecting their anonymity.
The Surma people are a tribe from Ethiopia that “has not had any contact with the rest of the world for years now. You may have seen pictures of them; they are known for wearing giant plugs in their lips. They live in groups that can have several hundred members and don’t want to deal with any government and all, choosing to be left alone.
“Throughout history, the Surma have steered clear of all the major world events and continued their peaceful lives. They are known to raise cattle. The first recorded time they were contacted by anyone outside the tribe was in the 1980s by Russian doctors. The Surma believed the doctors to be walking dead because of their light skin.”2
There is a branch of Christianity that isolates themselves from others. Their theme verse
justifying their actions is 2 Corinthians 6:17. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” What they miss is the spirit of the law and focus only on the letter of the law. We are not called to separate and withdraw from lost people. We are to separate ourselves “from all forms of false religion and make a clean break from all sinful habits and old idolatrous patterns.”3
This isolationism is an arrogance that deems oneself so much more righteous and holy than others. It leads us to a violation of Romans 12:3. “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” When we begin to think that we alone really know what it means to live a separated Christian life and everyone else around us is a colossal failure, pride takes over and leads us to faulty conclusions. We don’t want to be contaminated with the ilk of Christianity, therefore, we isolate.
The Sentinelese, Brazilians, and Surma people do not want contaminated by outsiders. This is not an attitude that the Christian can afford to take.
Jesus’ prayer in John 17:15 was this. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” Jesus didn’t want us removed from this world. He wanted us to impact and influence the world for Him while being kept from the evil – literally, the evil one. We cannot make a difference if we are isolated from people.
Jesus could have nitpicked the lives of every believer, especially the disciples, because nobody measured up to His level of holiness. Yet, as you read the Gospels, you don’t see Jesus doing this. There were times He said nothing. Other times, Jesus simply “corrected” by demonstrating or verbalizing the right thing without saying, “You got this all wrong.” Yes, there were the times where He scolded but even then, the disciples had no question that they were loved and wanted by Jesus. They were not stopped from serving, either.
Today, let’s not become the indigenous peoples in voluntary isolation. Let’s recognize that there is a huge world out there that needs to see our example and feel our love. Let’s treat others the way Jesus treated them. Even the biggest church failures who made a mess of things were picked up by the Lord, the dirt was brushed off, and they were placed back in service.
Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”
1https://www.survivalinternational.org/campaigns/uncontacted
2https://www.worldatlas.com/society/how-many-uncontacted-tribes-are-left-in-the-world.html
3MacArthur Bible Commentary, e-sword.net module.
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