Very Interesting article that challenges the stereotype of (Protestant) missionaries being pro-colonial, culturally insensitive imperialists. Doesn't negate some bad history, but helps bring balance to a complicated topic. Article is in Christianity Today. The Surprising Discovery About Those Colonialist, Proselytizing Missionaries
Tag: missions history
Ambivalent Reflections on Miracles in Missions
Previously, I had done a post on "Ambivalent Reflections on Spiritual Warfare." Although I am ambivalent on Spiritual Warfare, I tend to view it negatively as it relates to missions (because of its generally negative tone, and the tendency to be built on a syncretized animism). However, I have a more positive view of the …
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Finding Ministerial Balance in Doing Missions
I have been teaching Missions History this term... one of my favorite subjects, although I am not sure whether I do a good job with it. It is hard to make history "come alive." But had a couple of interesting insights that came from the class... particularly from comments made by the students. There …
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Missions History and Hydroponic Christians
I will be teaching Missions History at seminary (PBTS) and Cultural Anthropology at ABGTS this upcoming term. I like both subjects... but I have a special love for Missions History. I taught the class once before and it was one of my two least successful teaching efforts (the other being "Perspectives on the World Christian …
Missionary Member Care and William Carey
I will be teaching a two-week module on "Missionary Member Care" starting next week. So I decided to provide an excerpt from “William Carey: Missionary Pioneer and Statesman” by F. Deaville Walker pg. 125-129. It is a fairly old book, published in 1925. This passage describes some of the many challenges, externally and internally, that …
Quote by Peter Beyerhaus
Quote by Peter Beyerhaus (b. 1929) summarizing Walter Freytag (1899-1959) view of Protestant Missions in 4 waves. In Pietist mission the Kingdom of God was narrowed to a purely individualist-ethical outlook. They concentrated on the salvation of individuals... Second, came those who held that the goal was not so much individual converts but self-supporting, self-governing …
Historiography and Missions
How does one's view of history affect... well... pretty much everything? This is not self-evident. I come from the United States where there is a lack of emphasis on history. Of course in elementary and high school, "History" classes were replaced by "Social Studies." I don't mind "Social Studies"... sociology and cultural anthropology are both …
Quotes and Notes on Early Christian Missions
Some notes from Stephen Neill's book, "A History of Christian Missions," regarding early missions: A. Neill speaks of three things that occurred in the first century that radically affected the expansion of the church. 1. The first was the realization the Jesus was not going to return quickly. After a fairly frenzied attempt to evangelize …
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von Harnack on Early Church Missions
The following is a great quote from "Mission and Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries" by Adolph von Harnack (1851-1930), from 1908 translated edition. This quote is from Volume 3, chapter 1 (section 366-369). The broader passage and related passages are available at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (see http://www.ccel.org/ccel/harnack/mission.v.i.html#fna_v.i-p2.1) Passage emphasizes the …
(Protestant) Missions by the Century
16th Century Cross-cultural Missions? Almost none Leading Sending Nation: None Primary Concepts? State Protestant Denominations. Theological development. Political/Religious survival 17th Century Cross-cultural Missions? Limited Leading Sending Nation: Netherlands Primary Concepts? Local missions. Migration. Bivocational missions 18th Century Cross-cultural Missions? Yes. Leading Sending Nation? German states Primary Concept? "Tentmaking missions" 19th Century …