A tribute to Jake A. Loewen

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. They say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.”

This text (Psalm 91:1–2) introduces the biographical sketch of Jacob (Jake) A. Loewen, known as “Tiger” among the Choco Indians, in the 1954 missionary album of MBMS International. Jake was born in Romanovka, Orenburg, Russia, on Sept. 1, 1922. He was a tiny, sickly infant, but Jake’s mother, who was widowed one month after he was born, dedicated him to missionary service.

Jake’s early missionary work included children’s ministry and evangelism under the West Coast Children’s Mission. On Aug. 9, 1945 he married Anne Enns in Yarrow, B.C. Their partnership spanned four continents and six decades.

After 10 years of missionary service with MBMS International in Colombia among the Choco Indians, Jake returned to Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan. as professor of anthropology and modern languages. During the summers, he worked among the Waunan Indians in Panama.

In 1964, Jake began working with the American Bible Society in South America, training translators, consulting on translation problems, and supervising Bible translation quality throughout the continent. In this role, he experimented with training mother-tongue speakers as translators. When he reported on his work at a consultation in Spain in 1969, Third World representatives urged that mother-tongue translation become a worldwide Bible Society policy.

In 1970, the United Bible Societies invited Jake to work with mother-tongue translators in Central Africa. Later, from 1979 to 1984, he served as translation consultant in West Africa. By the time he retired, Jake had worked with several hundred different languages.

Jake was an inquisitive and tenacious thinker and observer. His academic pursuits included a certificate in missionary medicine from the Missionary Medical Institute in Toronto (1943), a BA in Humanities from Tabor College (1947), an MA in Linguistics (1955), and a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Washington.

He published numerous articles on mission and anthropology. His books include The Bible in Cross-cultural Perspective; Culture and Human Values: Christian Intervention in Anthropological Perspective; Only the Sword of the Spirit; and a personal narration of his spiritual and intellectual journey, Educating Tiger.

During his rich life, Jake fulfilled many different roles: teacher, mediator, trainer, mentor, innovator, and author. His learning from other cultures stimulated him and changed his way of seeing the world. Although his leisure and academic pursuits were curtailed by several debilitating strokes during the past 12 years, his spiritual journey continued to the end.

He died peacefully Jan. 27 with family members at his side. He is survived by his wife Anne, four children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

—Ray Harms-Wiebe, MBMSI