** Christian missionaries








Christian Missionaries


Figure 1.--Protestant missionaries differed from the Catholic mission effort in that they brought their families with them. Here we see the children of English Priotestant missionaries in Kenya.

The history of Christian missionaies is extensive and an important chapter of European history. It is largely an account of the Catholic Church. From an early point, missionaries help spread the Christian faith. St. Alan helped spread the faith to England and St. Patrick tto Ireland zand St. Alban to England. St. Bruno helped bring Christianity to the Rus. Benddictine priests accompanied the Spanish Conquistadores to the New World. The Jesuites brought Christinity to China. The history of Christian missionaies in China is extensive and an important chapter of European and Chinese history. Catholic and Orthodox missionaries were priests. This pattern did not change measurably until the 19th century. Victorians, especially the English, began to evangelize the Gospel. This belated effort was largely due to the fact that it was primarily Catholic countries which had empires. British missionaries set out to bring the Gospel to the expanding Empire. (Britain lost much of its 18th century empire with the American Revolution.) Protestant missionaries were different from the Catholic missionaries in that they brought their families with them. British colonial officials by the 19th century were also bringing their families, but were more likely to live in cloistered foreign communities. The missionary families were more likely to live with the local population since their mission was to convert them. American and German missionaries joined the missionary effort in the early-19th century. Missionaries were active in Afria, Asia, and Oceania. They were a part of the colonizing effort in Africa and Oceania. Interestingly the Dutch who had an extensive empire were not particulrly active in the missionary effort. The Espeys were part of this missionary effort. The missionaries themselves were concerned with salvation. Their effort was, however, much more significant. With them they brought modernity and opening to a wider world. Often they set up schools, the first modern schools in China. In their wake came businessmen. They brought with them American products, stimulating a demand for these goods. Europeans seized control of treaty ports in China. The United States did not do this, but there were military consequences. The Japanese invasion of China (1937) was accompanied with horendous attrocities against Chinese civilians. Reports from missionaries in China had a profound impact on American public opinion. Thus when President Roosevelt began a series of diplomatic efforts including embargoes to force Japan out of China, he received considerable support in still largely isolationist America.

History

The history of Christian missionaies is extensive and an important chapter of European history. It is largely an account of the Catholic Church. From an early point, missionaries help spread the Christian faith. St. Alan helped spread the faith to England and St. Patrick tto Ireland zand St. Alban to England. St. Bruno helped bring Christianity to the Rus. Benddictine priests accompanied the Spanish Conquistadores to the New World. The Jesuites brought Christinity to China. The history of Christian missionaies in China is extensive and an important chapter of European and Chinese history.

Denominations

Catholic and Orthodox missionaries were priests.

Colonialism

This pattern did not change measurably until the 19th century. Victorians, especially the English, began to evangelize the Gospel. This belated effort was largely due to the fact that it was primarily Catholic countries which had empires. British missionaries set out to bring the Gospel to the expanding Empire. (Britain lost much of its 18th century empire with the American Revolution.) Protestant missionaries were different from the Catholic missionaries in that they brought their families with them. British colonial officials by the 19th century were also bringing their families, but were more likely to live in cloistered foreign communities. The missionary families were more likely to live with the local population since their mission was to convert them.

Missionary Country Effort

There is a long history of Christian missionary actiity. In fact the spread of the early Christian church was the work of missionaries like St. Peter and Paul,especially St. Paul's inspiration to extend the reach of the Jesus movement to the gentiles. All this work was conducted by individuals minimally supported by a persecuted, underground church. After Constantine coverted and with him the Empire itself, more organized missiuonary efforts were conducted to areas outside the Empire, such as sending St. Patrick to Ireland (4th century AD). The Barbarians overran the Roman Empire, but in the process were Christisnized. The Gregorian mission began the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain (597). Saints Cyril and Methodius (fl. 860-85) are attributed as "Apostles to the Slavs", having introduced the Byzantine-Slavic rite (Old Slavonic liturgy) and Glagolitic alphabet. There was also militay campaigns into Eastern nd Northern Europe. The Vikings attcked rich monastaries, but in the end were Christinized, in part by monks brought back to Scandnvia as slaves. After several centuries of Islamic attacks, the Christian West struck back with the Crusases (11-14th centurues). Their interest, however, was the Holy Land, not conversion. Thus changd with the Portugues and Spanish and the conquest of the Americas. Here the Cathiolic Church was primarily invilved with the missionary activity. The first Christin missions were established there. While the humanity of the indigenous population was being converted, missions were establishe in both South and North America. The missions in Paraguay and the American Southwest are the best known. The Spanish and Portuguese founded missins in China, Japan, and India as well. In China and Japan, Christins were often viewed as aliens. The were attacked by the Boxers, but played an important rkle in the moderizatiion effort. They were eraduicated Shogun Hideyoshi (16th century). Indian took a more relaxed attitude toward Christinity and Christian missions play an impoirtnt role inm modernization and independence. Protestants joined the missionary effort in the mid-19th century. Missionaries were active in Afria, Asia, and Oceania. They were a part of the colonizing effort in Africa and Oceania. Interestingly the Protestant Dutch who had an extensive empire were not particularly active in the missionary effort. Either were the English until the 19th century. After World War II, Protestant missionaries became active in Latin America and has attracted many devoted followers. Notably men commonly attend Protestant services which is commonly not the case in Catholic churches. Also we notice that Catholcism in thecregion tends to have a strong socialism trends, exemplified by Pope Francris. While Protestabtusm has a strong Protestant ethic.

Country Mission Trends

The missionary effort and the establishment of missions took a different path in various regions. Latin America was the location of the first mass conversion led by the Christian missionaries who accompanied the Conquistadores. Missions were estblished in frontier areas such as northern Mexico in areas where the Spanish could not oversone hostile tribes. Major cities in the American Southwest began as Spanish nmissuins. They were also established in the frontier areas like Paraguay between Spanish and Portuguese colonies. Since World War II, Protestant missionries have had an imnpact throughout the region. Asia was amnother area in which mostly Catholic missinaries were active, but joind by Protestants (19th century). Christian missionaries were founded throughout China. They did not have a major religious impact, but played an important role in the bginning of building a modern education system and medicine. The Espeys were part of this missionary effort. We do not know about missioins in Japan, but Christinity was largely eradicated (16th centuty). Missions in India also had a minor relgious impact, but a major impact on education and the independence movement. Europeans did not begin to penetrate the interior of Africa until several centuries after major contact began. It is then that the first missions were established. Oceania was colonized beginning with the Philippines and Indonesia (16th century). Next was Australia (17th century). The small islands were colonized and missions established in many of them (19th century).

Visions

The missionaries themselves were concerned with salvation. Their effort was, however, much more significant. With them they brought modernity and opening to a wider world. Often they set up schools, the first modern schools in China. In their wake came businessmen. They brought with them American products, stimulating a demand for these goods.

Education


Consequences

Europeans seized control of treaty ports in China. The United States did not do this, but there were military consequences. The Japanese invasion of China (1937) was accompanied with horendous attrocities against Chinese civilians. Reports from missionaries in China had a profound impact on American public opinion. Thus when President Roosevelt began a series of diplomatic efforts including embargoes to force Japan out of China, he received considerable support in still largely isolationist America.

Assessment

A HBC contributor writes, "I too think that the missionaries' history is very nuanced. Sometime they collaborated with the colonial authorities, but usually they worked both for the evangelization and for the social care, especially education and health care. I don't think that we can describe the missionaries as "agents of colonial expansion". There are, however, two attitudes that contributed to the colonialism. !) Often there was some paternalism in the missionary work. 2) Almost always the missionaries brought the western way of life as the only possible way of life for the Christians. The most evident expression was the spreading of western style clothing. Of course there were exception. For example in the Presbyterian mission of Ernabella (Australia) the children never were required to wear clothing, not even at school and in the church. The general attitude of missionaries started to change since 1960s."







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Created: 7:46 AM 8/20/2011
Last updated: 4:36 AM 11/12/2018