in World News Remember the Statue Don Jr. Posed with in Greenland? Here’s the Incredibly Christian Story Behind it
The territory of Greenland has recently been in the news.
President Donald Trump has been angling to take over the North Atlantic island from Denmark, noting the strategic importance of controlling the rare earth minerals on the icy piece of land, especially as the United States competes with China for technological dominance.
When Donald Trump Jr. and Charlie Kirk visited Greenland in early January, they paused to take a photo underneath a statue in the small capital city of Nuuk.
I thought I saw you in the background Charlie. Remember..you heard it here first …the capital of Greenland is Nuuk…Let’s name is “NUUK YORK CITY” in honor of my fellow favorite NYer President Trump. pic.twitter.com/9JuKpsWkJe
— Johnny St.Pete (@JohnMcCloy) January 7, 2025
The man who that statue seeks to honor also happens to be the man who brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the island of Greenland some three centuries ago.
Hans Egede, born in Norway, embarked on his study of theology in Copenhagen starting in 1704, quickly gaining an interest in overseas evangelism, according to a biography from Gospel Fellowship Association Missions in Greenville, South Carolina.
Egede was interested in the stories of Norse explorers who settled the North Atlantic, recalling that Eric the Red colonized Greenland in 983.
That led him to wonder whether the colony still existed, and whether they had a minister to teach them about Jesus.
“No word of the survivors had come to Norway for several centuries. What had happened? Was there still a remnant left in Greenland? One day, as he stood looking west, he thought of his countrymen,” the biography said. “Were there any there? What was their state?”
Egede was determined to make a missionary voyage to the island.
He appealed to the monarchy several times, asking for assistance with reaching Greenland, writing in one letter that “all Christians have a duty toward missions so long as any heathen exists.”