Overview of the book Perpetuated in Righteousness.

In his book Perpetuated in Righteousness Daniel Kikawa (printed in the early 90’s) presents to us the concept that the Hawaiians held a belief in God like the Jews and [or] Christians without it being revealed to them by New Testament revelation! The one God called Io was triune, (who is actually Yahweh) and consisted of Kane, Ku and Lono who were all co- equal. Kikawa claims they had a specific knowledge of a triune God by ancient oral tradition (as well as revelation in the stars). They were able to know this because he holds to the theory[s] that they came from 1.Israel as they were traveling into the Promised Land or another exodus afterwards 2. From Babylon at the Tower of Babel. 3. Wherever it may fit in ancient history. Though he admits it is not clear when all the Polynesian people left for the Pacific.

Kikawa’s claims that when the natives traveled from Polynesia and landed in Hawaii they brought with them the worship of the true God. They learned the gospel story from the stars. The Hawaiian’s continued to worship the true God accurately, until foreign gods were introduced from Tahiti that corrupted them. Kikawa’s premise is that special revelation was not to the Hebrews only, but to all cultures and can still be found there. Claims of monotheism is found and practiced in various cultures, India from 2000 B.C. to various others like the Inca’s in Central America.

Using Hawaiian legends and ancient Maori legends he makes connections and a case for true worship of the one God by the ancient Polynesians. The proposition that the supreme God was known by various names in the different cultures, so Hawaiian’s can validly pray to the God Io because he is the same God of the Bible. He finds stories that he believe relate to Noah, Abraham, Moses, making the connection of Biblical revelation despite any inaccuracies, contradictions. He does not take into account prior Christian influences to the culture or that many of the translators of ancient Hawaiian history were themselves Christian. Kikawa makes his points by referencing the books with few quotes. He is selective in the books he quotes from, and the quotes he references, what he calls gleaning. This book is indicative of the new type of evangelism that is now taking place.