Figure 1.--This photograph was taken around the turn of the 20th century in Basutoland (modern Lesotho). It was taken during a meeting of Protestant European missionaries in Basutoland. Unlike Catholic missionaries, Protestant missionaries had families and brought them with them for their work in Africa.

There is a long history of Christian missionary activity. 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�885) 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 and 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 Portuguese 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 established in both South and North America. The missions in Paraguay and the American Southwest are the best known. The Spanish and Portuguese founded missions in China, Japan, and India as well. In China and Japan, Christians were often viewed as aliens. The were attacked by the Boxers, but played an important role in the moderizatiion effort. They were eradicated Shogun Hideyoshi (16th century). Indian took a more relaxed attitude toward Christianity 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 the region tends to have a strong socialist flavor, exemplified by Pope Francis. Probably a factor in economic failure in many countries. While Protestantism has a strong capitalist ethic.

Europe

There is a long history of Christian missionary activity neginning almost as soon s the Jewish Jewish moivement became the Christisn Church. 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). Europe is today seen as a Christian continent, but at the time that the pagan Barbarians overran the Roman Empire (5th century), Christianity was largely limited to the Mediterranen world. The Barbarians who overran the Roman Empire were pagan and there was a danger that Chtistinity like the Empire would be overwelmed. But tribes that conquered the Empire (Franks and Goths) were Christinized. And the Church with this new Germanic ruling class began the Chrstismization of the cintuinent. It was dine by both the swords and misionsries armed obly with the Bible. The first missiinary missions were in the West. Roman (Gregorian) and Irush missionaries began the Christianization of the Anglo-Saxons in Britain (6th century). The Church than began the Christinazation of the East and North. Germany was christianized (8th century). Saints Cyril and Methodius (fl. 860�885) are attributed as "Apostles to the Slavs", having introduced the Byzantine-Slavic rite (Old Slavonic liturgy) and Glagolitic alphabet. The Kievian Rus were fully Christian Christinized by missionaries (lte-10th century). There was also militay campaigns into Eastern and Northern Europe. The Vikings attacked rich monastaries, but in the end were Christianized, in part by monks brought back to Scandnvia as slaves. The last holdouts of pagnisims were the Balts and Finns. Here the missionaries failed. Christininization was finally accomplished by the sword--the Northern Crusade (12th-13th century).

Middle East

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. Misionary activity has been limited in the Middkle East because of the strenbgth of Islam and the Koran's prohibition of apostacy and non-Muslim proslketizing. Many Muslim countries use the the legal system and police to enforce such activity. And it can also cause non-judicial violence.

Latin America

The Christian Church's focus for a millnium was on Europe. The first foray out of Europe was into the Middle East, but that was to recover the Holy Lnd, not to convert hethans. The first major missionary effort outside of Europe was to the Americas with the Portuguese and Spanish conquest. The Catholic Monarchs of Spain financed the voyage of Christopher Columbus to open trade with the Eest (1492). With his discoveries it soon began to gain territory and win souls. Pope Alexander VI published a bull dividing the new territories being duscovered between Spain and Portugal, as long as they converted the indigenous population to Catholicism (1493). The treatment of the indigenous population led to a debate as to the humanity of the indigenous population. The Catholic fathers defended the natives. The Church moved to implant Catholocism. Hern�n Cort�s in the process of destoying the Aztec Empire held a letter of instrction from the Crown which read, �The first aim of your expedition is to serve God and spread the Christian faith.� Catholic fathers accompanied the Conquistadores as they conducted their conquests from one end of what was to become Latin America to another. A Catholic father presented the Inca Emperor Atahualpa a Bible before Francisco Pizarro seized him. The Cathiolic Church fiercly pursued a missionary effort. The Church with the aid of the Conquistadores swords eradicate the indigenous religions and cultures of the great civilzations. Most of the missionary work was done by Catholic orders: the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and Jesuits. Only a generation after the first dozen Franciscans arrived, there were 800 missionaries in Mexico alone. Contemporary reports claim that the Franciscans alone baptized 5 million, something like 1 percent of the world population at the time. The Spanish conducted forced mass conversions. (The Portuguese did not encounter an advanced civilization.) The first Christian missions were established in both South America and North America into what is now the American Southwest. The missions in Paraguay and the American Southwest, both border regions, are the best known, but not the only ones. The priests founded new towns and villages for their new converts. They constructed huge churches, in ome cases larger than many of the cathedrals in Europe. The Jesuits along the bordr between Spain and Portugal add a milotary spin. Hundreds of thousands natives were settkled in Jesuit-run autonomous colonies. There were even Jesuit armies formed to protct the missions. The Inquistion prevented the entry of Protestants. This chnged with independence (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 the region tends to have a strong socialist flavor, exemplified by Pope Francis. While Protestantism has a strong capitalist ethnic.

Asia

China was loosly connected to Europe at the time of Christ by the famed Silk Road. And more than silka bd other luxury goods were transported over the Silk Road--ideas were also transported. And of course the Silk Road was a two way flow. Thus Christian ideas flowed East along with countless other religious and philosophical ideas. Syrian missionaies seem to have been active (8th century). These churches seem to have disappared with a Tibetan invasion and a Buddhist revival. With the rise of the Mongols there are again reports of Christians in the East, including China (13-15 centuries). These reports include minor kings, mothers and wives of Chinese emperors, but no emperor ever converted. Central Asian tribes like Keraits and the Uyghurs were at times known as Christian. Kublai Khan even asked the Pope for 100 missionaries, but none were never sent. Mark, a Kerait or Uyghur, traveked West and became Patriarch of the whole Church of the East as Yaballahe III (1281). His companion, Sauma, traveled further West to Rome and London. He oversaw Holy Communion to King Edward I. While Christianity reached the East, unkike Budhiam and Islam, it never had a major impact until modern times. Even so, a the legend of Prester John developed. Stories about St. Thomas, the Patriarch who traveled East. This led to accounts about Prester John which became popular in Europe (beginning in 12th century). They told of a Christian (Nestorian) patriarch and king who ruled over a Christian nation lost amid the Muslims and other pagans in the East. These accounts only ended after Europeans reached India, China, and other EEastern lands where Prester John was believed to have been located. Chistian missionary activity began in Asia with the Europen maritime outeach (16th century). The Spanish and Portuguese missionaries sought to convert Asian peoples, primarily in China, Japan, India, and Sri Lanka. The two most important early missionaries were Francis Xavier in Japan and Matteo Ricci in China. They and others converted large numbers of people. No one know just what extent the coinverts understood Chrustian theology. But their fervor is well documented. Most understod that they were putting their lives in danger. The Protestants that followed, were less interested in conversion, at least until the 19th century. Throughout Asia, Christians were often viewed as aliens. They were killed in huge numbers during the Tokugawa shogunate (17th century). The were attacked by the Boxers (1900). Even so they played an important role in the moderizatiion effort. They were eradicated Shogun Hideyoshi (16th century). Indian took a more relaxed attitude toward Christinity and Christian missions play an important role im modernization and independence. Protestants joined the missionary effort in the mid-19th century. There was a strong effort in China. 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. We have sevral mpages on Christian missionaries in Asia: China.

Africa

There were Christians in northeastern Africa (Egyptian Copts and Ethiopian Chrustians) where the churches dated from the very beginning of Christianity. Other than that Christianity was limited to the remnants of the Kongolese Empire (modern Congo Brazzaville and western Democratic Republic of the Congo). More recent European contacts with sub-Saharan Africa began with the Portuguese voyages south along the Western coast of Africa. This was part of the effort to find a sea route to the East. There was little interest is spreading the Fospel to Africans. The Portuguese and the other europeanns who followed them set up trading posts along the coast, but did not move inland or attempt to prostelize. This only changed with the 19th century and both Catholics and Protestants were involved. The effort was fairly limited until the Scramble for Africa and actually establishing colonies throughout the continet. The effort generally followed the denomination of the colonial power. By this time in history there was general toleration thriughout Europe. Thus the colonial powers did not prohibit the activities of other denominations. The result is that North Africa and the Sahel for strongly Muslim while further south popultion is largely Christian.

Oceania

Europeans did nor even know that the Pacific Ocean existed until Balboa crossed the Istmus of Panama (1513). And even then it was not enirely clear what he had found. Only after, Magellan completed his circumnavigation of the globe (1519-22) was it clear that a vast new ocean existed dotted with tiny islands as well as the island continent of Australia. This extrodinary diverity was matched by a range of diffrent cltures as well. the local population were asstonished with the Europeans, much like we might meet aliens from outer space. The first Europeans wrote accounts of practices such as cannibalism, endemic warfare, sorcery, wife strangling, human sacrifices, infanticide, polygamy, and other strange, primitive behaviors. [Garrett] The first Christian missionaries to reach Oceania were the Spanish priests who accompnied the conquistadores that conquered the Philippines Island. They also arrived in Micronesia, northern Marianas and Guam (1688). The first efforts yielded mixed results. Shortly before the Europeans arrived, Islam spread in the East Indies (modern Indonesia) and southern Philippines. The Catholic Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive. The Protestant Dutch began vying with Portugal for control of the East Indies (modern Indonesia). The Dutch emerged victorious, but made little effort to proslestize. Further misionary activity did not begin until the late-18th century by a religious revival Christian missionaries begmn traveled to Oceania with a desire to brng the Gospel to the Polynesians and other islanders. The London Missionary Society (LMS) began the effort. It is at this time that Christianity began to take hold in Oceania, although not all of the early efforts were successful. They began in the eastern Pacific and gradually moved throughout the entire Pacific with the exception of the East Indies (Inf=dinesia) through the work of local and foreign missionaries, deacons and catechists. The training and involvement of local missionaries prived to be a key to the success of the missinary effort. The LMS ent a party to Tahiti (1797). The LMS missionaries encountered problems, but mnaged to convert a prominent chief -- Pomare II. He controlled the area of Matavai Bay, where European ships had been calling since Wallis�s landing. Other groups pursued efforts in other islnds. The LMS failed in its first attempts in Tonga and the Marquesas, although it was more successful in Huahine (in the Society Islands). A major part of the missionary effort in Oceania was to establish missions. As the mission movement increased, it expanded to a humanitarian impulse.

Sources

Garrett, J. (1982) To Live Among the Stars: Christian Origins in Oceania (Geneva: World Coun- cil of Churches; Suva: Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific).

Created: 6:58 PM 10/27/2018
Last updated: 7:33 AM 2/18/2021