As an American Baptist I am proud of our Founding Father Roger Williams (see my essay Roger Williams and Freedom of Conscience) for his progressive notions vis-à-vis the Native New Englanders' land and religious-freedom rights. However, I think one needs to draw a distinction between people's intentions and the effects of their behavior/teachings. The road to hell is proverbially paved with good intentions, after all. My sister has spent most of her adult life with Wycliffe, helping develop a Bible in the Mazatec de San Jerónimo Tecoatl language of southern Mexico. I do not know how much this has helped those people who speak the language, nor how much it has hurt them. It has certainly provided meaning and focus for my sister.

Liland