In 1938, long before the high-rise boom that turned Oahu into a concrete jungle, Waikiki had only a couple of major hotels, including the Moana, the Royal Hawaiian, and the Halekulani.
In 1938, Oahu was an isolated U.S. territory dominated by sprawling plantations and military outposts. Life moved at a snail's pace. My father, born there in 1918, knew a Hawaii that was a rich melting pot and had an economy that revolved around sugar and pineapple production. This was the era that gave birth to "Pidgin" and local comfort foods. Electric street cars clanged down King Street, and U.S. servicemen frequently commuted to downtown Honolulu for its nightlife.
Three years later, the attack on Pearl Harbor would rewrite the island's landscape forever. By the time I was born there in 1952, Oahu had undergone a massive transformation that dismantled the old plantation society and birthed modern Hawaii. Today, Oahu is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, you still have the "aloha spirit," unrivaled natural beauty, and a slower (and healthier) pace of life. On the other hand, Oahu features the highest cost of living in the nation, real estate prices that are staggering, and traffic that is notoriously bad. 46 percent of the residents are seriously considering moving to the mainland due to costs. (Not long ago my cousin sold his house in Kailua for 1.5 million and moved to Oregon.) Frequent severe storms and high inflation are driving down visitor numbers. And the spiritual needs are just as obvious. According to a Pew study, 30-50% of Hawaii's population identifies as "religiously unaffiliated." There's also a great need for theological education. As always, God's word provides his people with divine insight as we contend with the changes of this new world in which we live. On Oahu you'll find a whole new generation of young people eager to discover the joy of digging into the Bible for themselves. I suppose that's one reason I taught a Greek class for lay people there a few years ago.
Whether here or there, the legacy I want to leave behind more than anything is a generation of Bible students who are armed with the ability to correctly handle the word of truth. I know there's a great spiritual hunger on Oahu. But that only heightens the need for guidance in Bible study methods.
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| My Greek class on Oahu. |
My appeal to everyone who visits the islands on vacation is this: Pray that the believers there will not only own, read on occasion, and take the Bible to church, but study the Scriptures to understand it and see it make a difference in their lives.