Since so much has been written online about the life of William Cameron Townsend, I won’t repeat all the details here. He belongs in all the lists of great missionaries, like Hudson Taylor, George Müller, Adoniram and Ann Judson, Lillias Trotter, Mary Slessor, Gladys Aylward, Lottie Moon, Bill Wallace, Eric Liddell, John Paton, et al.
William Cameron Townsend? Who was he? What did he do?
He was a humble California farm boy who grew up to start the famous Wycliffe Bible Translators, Summer Institute of Linguists (SIL), and Jungle Aviation and Radio Service (JAARS), an airplane ministry to missionaries in remote places.
Instead of outlining his amazing life, I will simply record (1) some famous quotes that he said, (2) some quotes he heard himself that impacted his own life, (3) what others said about him, (4) plus also give a brief timeline of his life’s accomplishments.
Townsend’s life passion was to see the scriptures translated into primitive languages of the world. Here are some things he said to advocate this translation work:
QUOTES ABOUT TRANSLATON WORK –
“The greatest missionary is the Bible in the mother tongue. It needs no furlough and is never considered a foreigner.”
“Understanding Scripture in a language other than the heart language in which we think and experience emotion is like trying to eat soup with a fork. You can get a little taste, but you cannot get nourishment.”
“The greater need is where the greatest darkness is. Our orders are to forget self and to give our lives in service for the Master.”
“Dear Ones: by love serve one another. Finish the task. Translate the Scriptures into every language. Uncle Cam.” [from his tombstone in Waxhaw, NC.]
“Proclaim the Word more and argue about it less.”
“The task of getting the Gospel in an adequate way to every ethnic person is tremendous. There is but one solution. I’m sure that it isn’t man, money, surveys, not talk. They all have their place, but if the basis of all of it isn’t fervent, believing prayer, they are in vain. And prayer should not only be the basis, but it should permeate and vitalize the whole work.”
QUOTES FROM HIS CONTEMPORARIES THAT SPURRED HIM INTO ACTION –
A Cakchiquel Indian in Guatemala once wanted to know, “Why doesn’t God speak in our language? Was he only the God of English and Spanish speakers?”
Another asked, “If your God is so smart, why can’t he speak my language.” [Heard after a witness about God’s attributes.]
Once when Townsend mentioned “Jesus,” (Jesús in Spanish) the naive, ignorant response was this: “There is no Jesús who lives in our village; maybe he lives in the next village.” “Jesús” is a common Spanish name for men. It’s best to use Jesucristo when referring to the Lord Jesus.
One old chief asked, “Why haven’t you come sooner? We have been wondering what sin we committed against God that kept him from sending you to us.” Townsend answered, “The fault is not theirs. God has sent but we have refused to go.”
A female missions recruiter who shamed him into requesting a deferment from the military during WWI, once scolded: “You cowards. Going to war where a million other man will go and leaving us women to do the Lord’s work alone! You are needed in Central America.” (Hefley & Hefley, 26)
QUOTES ABOUT WILLIAM CAMERON TOWNSEND –
“But thanks to Townsend and others there is now more translations of the Bible going on right now around the world than all previous centuries of Christian history combined.”
By Dan Graves, Christianity.com, assessed 12/4/2020 from “Cameron Townsend Resolved to Do God’s Will.”
He has been called “…one of the most influential missions leaders in the last two centuries.” One evidence of his influence is his favor by heads of state. The president of Mexico, Lázaro Cárdenas, was best man at his second wedding. Cárdenas was extremely interested in Townsend’s work with the Mexican native population and the Náhuatl language. The day that Townsend died, it was necessary to cancel an appointment with a Latin American president; he had to keep his appointment with the King.
Kenneth Pike, a former student and president of SIL, remarked about Townsend, “Not since the third century has there been a man like Cameron Townsend who attempted so much and saw so many dreams realised [British] in his lifetime.”
Dr. Mark Noll commented on Townsend’s tenacity to obey God despite current events:
ATTEMPTS AT A NEW STRATEGY – 1934-1941 Being refused entry into Mexico was a turning point that caused Townsend (the visionary) and Legters (the implementer) to found Camp Wycliffe in the summer of 1934. The purpose of the seven-week camp was to train “pioneer” missionaries with a particular focus on linguistics and Bible translation. It was held at an unfurnished rural farm house near Sulphur Springs, Arkansas. This simple environment helped the students learn basic survival skills that Townsend thought would be similar to what they would experience in the remote jungle areas where he wanted to send them…. Three students sat under the instruction of Townsend, assisted by Cakchiquel speaker José Chicol. They used linguistic theory formulated from Townsend’s experience with the Cakchiquel language. This was not a good time to try to start something new as it was the era of the Great Depression in the U.S. But this did not deter the faith of Townsend or Legters. In fact it was the pattern that Townsend became known for – trusting God for the impossible. It is worth noting that this theological foundation continues as a core value of WGA, stated as: “We depend on God and his sufficiency to equip and sustain for life and mission.
Biography of Dr. Noll: Mark Allan Noll (born 1946) is an American historian specializing in the history of Christianity in the United States. He holds the position of Research Professor of History at Regent College, once Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. Noll …was named by Time magazine as one of the twenty-five most influential evangelicals in America. (from Wikipedia)
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS -
Although he was known affectionately as “Uncle Cam,” Cameron Townsend could not use his middle name in Spanish speaking countries because it is too similar to the Spanish word for shrimp, “camarón.” He was known as Brother William, “Hermano Guillermo.”
He learned from others. An architect told him to look for language patterns within a language instead of trying to make it fit a Latin pattern. This advice resulted in the SIL teaching curriculum.
His early dedication to the Lord is seen in the first book by him, A Thousand Trails. Personal Journal of William Cameron Townsend, 1917-1919. His Christmas Eve letter to his folks is preserved in its entirety. It speaks of insect bites, beautiful scenery, passport issues, and a Christmas tree. He led two people to the Lord; an associate led five to the Lord. He lived on honey and tortillas for days.
He once met a Cakchiquel Indian who had led forty people to Christ without a Bible in his own language!
When he went to Mexico in 1933 to seek permission to reach its people groups, at first, he was denied entry. Then he remembered in his briefcase a letter from Dr. Moisés Sáenz, father of Mexico’s high school system. Townsend had previously told Dr. Sáenz that the mother tongue was key to local education. Dr. Sáenz had studied remote people groups and came to Guatemala to see firsthand the work of Townsend. He then invited Townsend to Mexico, but the latter didn’t attempt to go until two years later in November of 1933, along with L. L. Legters. When they tried to get permission to reach out to at least fifty minority people groups and do translation work, they were denied entry until Townsend pulled out the letter from Dr. Sáenz. It was a letter to be reckoned with and got them into the country to do the work.
Unfortunately, Elvira and Cameron’s marriage ended on an unhappy note since Elvira developed mental problems shortly before her death. At one point, she became so hostile toward him that he had to escape their small trailer and go stay outside for a while. During that time, he was able to lead a local pedestrian to the Lord. They had no children. He and his second wife, Elaine, had four children. One daughter remarked that she was unusual among her friends because her father was born in 1896; Elaine was several years younger.
He got the name for Wycliffe Bible Translators from John Wycliffe. He was the first translator of the entire Bible into English.
Today, more than 550 language groups have the entire Bible, and more than 1300 have the New Testament in the language they understand best. It is estimated that 1800 languages likely still need a Bible translation to begin. Wycliffe is reportedly the world’s largest mission organization.
TIMELINE FOR CAMERON TOWNSEND’S LIFE –
- Born July 9, 1896, in Eastvale, California.
- August 18, 1917, Left Los Angeles, California for San Francisco by train, then by boat to Central America.
- 1918, decided to translate Bible into Cakchiquel language.
- 1919, first marriage to Elvira Townsend, (1919-1944).
- 1933, November 11, traveled to Mexico to reach out to at least 50 minority people groups. Denied entry at first.
- 1934 SIL began in Arkansas.
- 1942 Wycliffe officially began, although was previously “Camp Wycliffe” in 1934 as a linguistics training school.
- 1946, second marriage to Elaine Townsend (1946-1982)
- 1948, JAARS started (Jungle Aviation and Radio Service)
- Many Bible translations (see below).
- 1981, December, diagnosed with leukemia
- 1982, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
- 1982, April 23, died at 85 years old in Waxhaw, NC.
RECAP OF PROGRESS OF WYCLIFFE -
The first translation completed by Wycliffe was in 1951 in San Miguel Mixtec language of Mexico. Then 27 years later, the 100th translation was completed in Peru. Then, 7 years later the 200th was completed in Ghana, Africa. In January 1989, the 300th was done in the Philippines. In March 2000, the 500th New Testament was dedicated for the Suriname Javanese. Today, over 2000 more translations are in progress.
There are free, online and post magazines available from Wycliffe to keep abreast of their current work. When you read their many, many stories, you will see why their founder, William Cameron Townsend, deserves to be in the Missionary Hall of Fame along with the other famous ones.