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 …
Quotes on Early Christian Missions by Stephen Neill and Julian the Apostate
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 that Jesus was not going to return quickly. After a fairly frenzied attempt to evangelize …
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Von Harnack on Early Church Missions
Tertullian, Early Church Father and Christian Apologist. Image via Wikipedia 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 …
Protestant Missions Summary by the Century
This is a very broad brush summary of Protestant Missions from the 16th century to the present. 16th Century Adoniram Judson, detail from an engraving by Alfred Jones after a painting by Chester Harding, 1846 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Cross-cultural Missions? Almost none Leading Sending Nation: None Primary Concepts? State Protestant Denominations. Theological development. …
Christian Missions Should Embrace Its History
Short Story #1. Years ago in my engineering days, I walked into Lifeway Bookstore. I saw they had a copy of Eusebius’ Church History. I brought the book up to the checkout counter, and the cashier said, “Oh, I’m SO glad you bought that. My manager wanted to discontinue selling that book because Baptists don’t …
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