Missions History of Missions
Dr. Robert PattonMissionary to Suriname,
South America
Missions in the far east Much less success - Japan, China &
Korea were isolationist, and resented western missionaries
Their cultures were 4000 years old, and with ancestor worship,
Later they organized with Confucianism Buddhism, Taoism & Shinto
They had great national pride
Far east missions
Nestorian Christianity from 7th to 14th century despite fierce opposition
Roman Catholics - 13th century Friar John went, but persecution destroyed his work
16th century – Jesuits went and persisted focusing like Francis Xavier on infant baptism
Far east missions
Opium war – opium produced in India was sold at huge profits by the East India Company
The emperor of China banned all imports to stop smuggling
First war Britain won and opened 5 ports
Opium was legalized after a second war, and missions came in
Robert Morrison Robert Morrison was the youngest of
8, wanted to be a missionary, and promised his mother he would not before her death. She died when he was 20 years old
Getting to China was difficult – only after 5 years, and via the USA, he went to Canton with a letter from Secretary of State James Madison. At that time it was forbidden to teach a foreigner Chinese
Robert Morrison
Robert Morrison secretly translated and worked on a dictionary while working for the East India company. He met his wife and married, living in Macao 6 months of the year with her. He had two children; his wife went to England for a long time, returned and died.
When his New Testament translation was complete the company threatened to fire him
Robert Morrison
There was unfortunate competition between Morrison and Marshman in terms of translating the Bible. Morrison’s was better though Marshman finished first
He went to England, recruited missionaries including ladies, remarried and returned with Elizabeth and two children
Robert Morrison
He fathered 5 more children His time in China was difficult. The
Chinese made it a capital crime to publish Christian books in Chinese, directed against his translation. He was opposed by the Roman Catholics. The opium war was beginning. Still he labored on under difficult circumstances
Robert Morrison, shown with Chinese assistants
Robert Morrison – first Protestant missionary to China
He was involved in negotiating the next war, but died in 1834, the same year as William Carey
Translated the New Testament in 1814 and Old Testament in 1818.
He only saw Chinese 10 baptized He founded Anglo-Chinese college
in Malacca 1818 – 15 eventually baptized
Others worked with Morrison
Elijah Coleman Bridgeman worked 30 years on the Chinese Bible. A second American missionary that served faithfully for 40 years was Matthew Yates. A Welchman, Griffen John, worked over 50 years in China. He made a translation of the Chinese Bible into the more common Mandarin tongue instead of the more scholarly previous translations.
Liang Afa
Born 1789 as a Buddhist printer; he was sent to help Milne – and was converted and baptized in 1817
His wife was converted and baptized. He was repeatedly beaten, imprisoned, etc but continued to preach and print
His literature had impact on many
William Burns
Already successful evangelist in England and Canada spent a number of years in China with real impact. Learned the language well, and translated Pilgrim’s Progress
Worked for a while with Hudson Taylor, went to the interior
Excellent devotional life
William Burns
Karl F A Gutzlaff
Went to Indonesia under Dutch missions board. Tried to reach Chinese
He went to Bangkok, Thailand, adopted customs, but wife and daughter died
He traveled along the Chinese coast with literature until the Opium War
He set up a training institute to send national workers into China
Karl Gutzlaff
Karl Gutzlaff
His workers tricked him – sold the literature back to him for reprinting, and falsely reported baptisms. They used the profits in opium smuggling
Gutzlaff interpreted for some of the opium smugglers, and his ministry was difficult to separate out from that and gave a mixed name to missionaries
Karl Gutzlaff
He apparently was partially aware of the situation but covered up because of pride.
He wanted to contextualize the gospel and have Chinese reach Chinese – a good thing.
He later died in China
J. Hudson Taylor J. Hudson Taylor was raised poor, but his
father was a lay preacher. He loved missions as a child, especially
China, but did not get saved until 17 while his mother prayed 75 miles away
He learned medicine to better contact the Chinese
He was disciplined in poverty and prayer. He visited the poor – tells of a time when he gave his last money for a poor woman
He determined to move men by prayer alone
J. Hudson Taylor Twice he was engaged to Ms. V, but she
was not interested in missions Sent to China age 21 by LMS Trouble learning the language, never
happy in the international community though he did not succeed living alone the first time
In a year, he traveled to the interior, where he was an oddity
J. Hudson Taylor He wore Chinese clothing against the
movement of the times though rejected by other missionaries.
He worked with William Burns, who had been greatly used as an evangelist in Scotland and England
He resigned from CES after 3 years. He was turned down for marriage again from
Elizabeth Sisson; became interested in Mary Dyer
Waterways Taylor travelled, searched by a thief
J. Hudson Taylor Mary Dyer, who grew up in England, returned
to teach. Miss Aldersey and Pastor Russell strongly disapproved, but they were engaged secretly, and a few months later married after permission from an uncle.
Hudson Taylor was made head of Ningpo hospital for three years, a task above his training, and got more training in England.
He got more medical training, revised the Chinese New Testament, and started China Inland Mission.
J Hudson Taylor age 21, then with wife Maria
J. Hudson Taylor
CIM got support from the working class. Missionaries did not request money and were supported by free-will offerings.
Initially there was great tension with the 15 missionaries accompanying the Taylors, and virtually a split with rebellion in the group – petty jealousy & rebellion about Chinese clothing
First group of CIM missionaries
Jennie Faulding, Taylor’s second wife & Taylor
Hudson Taylor In 1860, he sent 3 children away with
Emily after Samuel had died. The following summer his wife died at age 33 following the death of another baby.
His first wife died, and Emily expected to take her place, but he returned engaged to Jennie Spaulding, who became his second wife. The mission continued to grow.
CIM rules
No debt No guaranteed income No solicitation Dependence on God alone There was a lot of secrecy in CIM,
as well as internal strife
Hudson Taylor After the death of his 8 year old
daughter, and the resignation of one couple and two single women the mission became unified.
Then they were attacked at Yangchow, which created an international incident with loss of support in Britain.
Depressed, he came to learn the Spirit filled life with a dramatic change.
J. Hudson Taylor His goal was to spread the knowledge
of the gospel, and had 650 missionaries, with missionaries in every province
Heavy emphasis on evangelism, but not on church planting and development of national leadership.
The mission was hurt by Boxer Rebellion, when China ordered the death of all missionaries and eradication of Christianity
J Hudson Taylor
J. Hudson Taylor
135 missionaries and 53 children were killed
Hudson Taylor resigned in 1902, and Jennie and then he died by 1904
The mission peaked in 1934 with 1368 missionaries, many in the interior, many single women - not a heavy emphasis on education. CIM is now OMF – overseas mission fellowship
Timothy Richards 1845-1914
Followed Hudson Taylor, but emphasized the use of native evangelists and technology.
Extremely effective writer
45 years in China
Timothy Richards
He wanted to appreciate the best of Chinese culture and reach all by starting with the intelligentia.
He supported educational progress After this time, many groups
started at the university level – though small in number
Jonathan Goforth
Jonathan Goforth - the best evangelist of China, where revival came frequently.
He was initially ostracized and ridiculed at Knox College. Worked in city work, and met Rosaline Smith, an art student. They were soon married
China 1888. 5/11 children died
Jonathan Goforth
They opened their home, and preached as much as 8 hours a day. Then they went on itinerate ministry to the interior
They nearly died in the Boxer Rebellion, traveling 1000 miles to escape
He would travel, set up housekeeping, and preach to men, his wife to ladies
Travel in China
Jonathan Goforth
There is a powerful evidence of the Holy Spirit’s working in both the life of Jonathan and also his wife Rose - By My Spirit, and also Climbing.
He saw great revivals in Korea, Manchuria, and in China till 1918.
He conflicted with the Presbytery when he felt the Holy Spirit’s guidance
Jonathan and Rose Goforth
Jonathan Goforth
He demonstrated what the Holy Spirit can do through one man. The revivals were unbelievable. Many saved, many restored – not only the Chinese, but also the missionaries.
His wife Rose had a dramatic change when she discovered the Spirit-filled life
Jonathan Goforth
He was greatly disturbed by the influx of missionaries who were modernists, but preached with more conviction
He returned to Canada age 74, continued to preach though blind for another 18 months until his death
Gilmour of Mongolia
Approximately the same time James Gilmour ministered widely in Mongolia. He adapted the Mongolian clothing, food and customs (including horseback riding), learned the language, and witnessed widely to the Mongolians
James Gilmour
Dr. A. Macdonald Westwater
Dr. Westwater was a Scottish Presbyterian medical missionary who was a skilled surgeon. He gave free care to all sides in difficult battles between the Russians and the Chinese at the Boxer Rebellion. He actually assisted the Russian general in surgery, and arranged for peace in Liao-Yang with no loss of life.
Mildred Cable & French sisters
Mildred went to China in 1902, met Eva French & then her sister.
They ran a girls school for 200 and a place for opium addicts to rehabilitate
Then they began to travel during the summers throughout China, evangelizing and distributing literature
Mildred Cable and the French sisters
In middle age, moved to the far interior to the “City of Prodigals”… church planting during the winter, and 8 months of traveling by ox cart in the summer over trade routes in Central Asia. The traveled into the Gobi desert until 1936, when interior missionaries were ordered out. She “retired” to be active in the British & Foreign Bible Society until her death in 1952
Site visited by the trio
Mildred Cable & French sisters main headquarters area
James Frazer 1886-1938
Came from a large family, and his mother prayed that one child would become a missionary
He was bright and talented – linguist, musical, and an engineer
Volunteered to CIM, and age 22 was already one of the best speakers of Chinese
James Frazer 1886-1938
Developed a burden for the Lisu people and worked with them a number of years without much result
Married, and his wife helped with translation
He developed the an alphabet which is still used officially for the Lisu language; translated the Bible.
James Frazer 1886-1938
He went through much soul-searching and depression. He learned to place great reliance on resisting the devil with prayer, and developed a powerful prayer team in England
He worked with the Lisu to develop independence financially and in leadership
James O Fraser
Thousands of Lisu eventually were saved
It is estimated that 90% of the Lisu are Christians, and represent one of the largest tribal groups in the world
His spiritual growth and walk in the spirit has inspired many others
Lisu people
Lisu people
Don Richardson’s contention
The Lisu had a tradition that a white-faced teacher would bring them a holy book that they must listen to: Fraser!
Dr. George Lesley Mackay
Canadian Presbyterian dentist/missionary in Formosa, working with the headhunters of Malay background and the Chinese. He extracted as many as 40,000 teeth! He used his dentistry to get a hearing. Used national helpers. Started schools and 60 stations using national helpers.
Dr. George Lesley Mackay – Taiwan & Canada memorials
Catholics in China They regrouped in the mid 19th
century, and started training Chinese priests. During the Boxer Rebellion, about 40 foreigners were killed, but perhaps 30,000 nationals
In the following decades, they were able to expand to about 1,700,000, with over 800 Chinese priests but no Chinese bishop.
Catholics in Japan
Some were found after 1860 who had maintained their beliefs during the time of persecution. About 10,000 came back to the Roman Catholic church, and the same independent
There was some slow growth present
Catholics in Indochina
There was heavy persecution on two different occasions during the middle of the 19th century, with both 115 priests and as many as 300,000 nationals killed
The direct involvement of the French was greatly resented
Catholics in the Pacific Islands
Some places were newly opened by priests. Others largely represented attempts to pull people out of the Protestant churches already established.
Orthodox church
Makary Glucharev -distinguished young linguist when called to the Altai range in Russia. He labored for many years, and baptized 675 persons. He focused on preaching the gospel and seeing people clearly saved. He left a church, 3 schools, and several Christian villages
Orthodox church
John Viniamonov – initially placed in the Aleutian Islands, and very successful in training people. He had to build his own home and train people “from scratch”. His work gradually expanded to include northern Siberia and Japan
When he “retired” age 70, he was made the metropolitan of Moscow for 11 years
John Vianamonov
St. Innocent (John Vianamonov)
Nikolai Kasatkin
Successful Orthodox priest in Japan. He trained the Japanese and wanted a truly Japanese (not Russian) church
Trained nationals, and left 33,000 persons, 266 congregations, and 35 Japanese priests.
Nikolai Kasatkin
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