30. Rereading The Pineapple Story

Uncovered: Life Beyond

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Have you ever reread a cherished story from childhood only to find your sense of nostalgia replaced by cringe? In this episode, we reflect on The Pineapple Story, a seemingly innocent book that, for us, represents a mashup of influences that colored our upbringing and sense of the world.
The Pineapple Story is just one example of a missionary story that at first glance may seem to be an inspirational story of faith and personal growth, but when examined more closely, reveals a colonialist, xenophobic mindset and political agenda. We use research and analytical tools learned in college to question its assumptions and challenge its narratives.
Links we (should have) mentioned:

• The Pineapple Story
• Western New Guinea (Wikipedia)
• Peek behind the IBLP curtain in the documentary, Shiny Happy People, that we reviewed last year here and here.
• The Vatican repudiates 'Doctrine of Discovery,' which was used to justify colonialism (NPR)
• Missions: Is it Love or Colonization? (Religion News Service)
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

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1. 30. Rereading The Pineapple Story (00:00:00)

2. Our Introductions to The Pineapple Story (00:01:00)

3. Background and Summary of the Book (00:06:28)

4. New Perspectives (00:19:19)

5. Reading Critically (00:30:38)

6. Politics of Missionary Work (00:35:40)

7. A Strategy for Challenging Old Narratives (00:52:21)