Series: Studies in the History of Christian Missions (SHCM)

In this volume, leading historians of Christianity in the non-Western world examine the relationship between missionaries and nineteenth-century European colonialism, and between indigenous converts and the colonial contexts in which they lived. Forced to operate within a political framework of European expansionism that lay outside their power to control, missionaries and early converts variously attempted to co-opt certain aspects of colonialism and to change what seemed prejudicial to gospel values.

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British and US historians explore linkages between Christian churches, and in particular their missionary bodies, and the dynamics of anti- colonial nationalism and decolonization in the non-Western world during the 20th century. The 13 papers were originally presented at a September 2000 conference

Making up approximately 20 percent of South India's Protestants, Pentecostals are an influential part of India's Christian culture, yet there is a distinct lack of scholarly focus on this increasingly large group. This careful, well-informed study by Michael Bergunder ably fills that gap.

After a brief historical introduction to the worldwide growth of Pentecostalism, Bergunder delves into the history of the South Indian Pentecostal movement in the first section. The second section gives a systematic profile of the current movement in South India, based on a wide range of source...

Series: Studies in the History of Christian Missions (SHCM)In"China's Millions"veteran historian Alvyn Austin presents a compelling historical narrative of the China Inland Mission (now the Overseas Missionary Fellowship) -- the first history of the CIM by an outsider -- including 36 never-before-published illustrations and maps from the CIM/OMF archives. In the course of his sweeping survey, Austin examines a remarkable array of subjects, from the visionary, charismatic sect-leader Pastor Hsi, to the "wordless book," a missionary teaching device that fit perfectly with Chinese color...

This interesting volume challenges the long-held assumption that Christianity in India is nothing but a colonial or Western imposition. Leading experts here chronicle the histories and cultures of India's many Christian communities and show that local Indian leaders were the real agents of religious change in the subcontinent. These chapters range widely over various facets of Indian society and its religious developments. Of crucial importance is the fact that in exploring their subjects the contributors take pains to avoid the Eurocentric nature of most studies of India and represent...

Based on hitherto untapped primary sources, including diocesan records and vernacular oral histories expressed in both stories and songs, this volume not only provides the first critical study of Bishop Azariah's life but also offers important - at times challenging - insights for those interested in modern India and the place of Christianity within it.

Foreword by Richard V. Pierard

Afterword by Paul Jenkins

In the historical literature on mission, this book stands out for its detailed examination of the organizational dynamics that gave shape -- andbrought enduring success -- to the Evangelical Missionary Society at Basel.

A first-rate account of the early Basel Mission on the Gold Coast of WestAfrica (present-day Ghana), this volume takes readers inside the missionitself, revealing its dynamic, though sometimes contradictory, methodsof motivation and discipline and how they impacted effective evangelismboth at home and abroad....

Western evangelists have long been fascinated by China, a vast mission field with a unique language and culture. One of the most intrigued was also one of the most intriguing: Karl F. A. Gutzlaff (1803 1851). In this erudite study Jessie Gregory Lutz chronicles Gutzlaff's life from his youth in Germany to his conversion and subsequent turn to missions to his turbulent time in Asia. Lutz also includes a substantial bibliography consisting of (1) archival sources, (2) selected books, pamphlets, tracts, and translations by Gutzlaff, and (3) books, periodicals, and articles. This is truly an...

In this multidisciplinary interpretation of world Christianity and the changing shape of the global religious landscape, scholars consider the complex dynamics shaping Christianity's recent expansion in all parts of the globe. They view the explanations of homogenization or American cultural influence as being necessarily limited and point to the far more varied intersections of external influence and indigenous appropriation. The geographical coverage and the voices from various corners of the globe exemplify the shift of Christianity's center of gravity away from the northern...

Christianity has long been one of India's religious traditions, but the extent to which the faith has influenced Indian society and culture has never been well documented. This important book is the first to do so. Here a group of historians, missiologists, and religion scholars examines the fascinating but little known history of missionary Christianity in India, showing how it has played a significant role in the development of modern India at every level.