Final answer:
Nathan, the minister in 'The Poisonwood Bible,' never actually succeeds in baptizing the children of Kilanga due to cultural resistance and other complexities.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question regards the event in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver when Nathan, one of the central characters, attempts to baptize the children of Kilanga. In the novel, Nathan is a Baptist minister who takes his family to the Congo to evangelize the local population. Despite his persistent efforts to convert the villagers and baptize their children, Nathan is faced with resistance due to various reasons, including cultural differences and a fear of the river where he plans to perform the baptisms, which is populated by crocodiles. The villagers' trepidation towards the river and the symbolic resistance to Nathan's western-centric religious fervor challenge his mission throughout the story. Ultimately, the significant event of Nathan finally baptizing the children of Kilanga never actually transpires within the narrative of The Poisonwood Bible, reflecting the novel's themes of cultural imperialism and the complexities of missionary work.