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Golden Age of Golden Age of Missions 1800-Missions 1800-

19001900

Following the heroic first efforts to Following the heroic first efforts to evangelized the unreached, now a evangelized the unreached, now a

systematic and global mobilization of systematic and global mobilization of evangelicals for world evangelism was evangelicals for world evangelism was

launchedlaunched

Status at 1800

The “Great Omission” – 300 years (1800-1517= 283) since reformation and little or no missions outside of Europe (except for the Moravians)

The total number of Protestant missionaries was 100; 67 languages had Bible translations

First Awakening was ending: John Wesley’s ministry ended in 1791 and Charles Finney, of the Second Awakening, was born in 1792.

Most Reformers explained away the Great Commission as apostolic. Churches were still in a survival mode (persecution,

Revolutionary War, etc) and all American churches had been cut off from British ties.

There was no missionary agency or organization in America or England

Leaders were limited by “provincial ecclesiology” or territorial church

Eschatology of reformers made long-range missions strategy futile

Focus on theological arguments more important than explaining the gospel to pagans

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Terms to understand

Un-contacted people: Entire people group has never had a sustained, friendly, relationship with any evangelical – can be undiscovered yet

Unengaged people: a known people group that does not have or has never had a resident or itinerate missionary who learned their language, culture and religion in order to communicate the gospel in a relevant manner.

Unreached people: The entire population of believing followers of Christ living in community is less than a total 2% of the population as part of an evangelical church.

Unevangelized people: The evangelical population living in community of churches is more than 2% but less than 100% evangelical Christian.

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Status of evangelical world

at 1790

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Anglican, Congregationali

sts

Lutherans

Calvinists

Anglican, Separatis

ts, Baptists

Moravians

Separatistis,Calvinists, Baptists,

Congregationalists

The Great Century New paradigms: Enlightenment, industrialization,

exploration, colonialism, nationalism, inalienable rights, romanticism and postmillennialism driving missions

Protestant era: American churches grew from 10% to 40%

Slave Trade abolished in Denmark (1792) and England (1807), which will eventually change America (1864)

The greatest evangelical movement in mission history was started by a poor Baptist pastor from an insignificant village in England: William Carey

As he studied the biblical perspective on the world, he became convinced that the unreached people with no chance to hear the gospel must be the priority of the church

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Reasons Protestant

missions took off 1. Denominational mission agencies formed and

recruited

2. Carey’s example motivated thousands to go

3. Protestant church established in every continent/country

4. Passion of evangelism of 2nd Awakening calling sinners to respond to the Gospel proclamation, gave method, confidence and skill for reaching the world with the gospel.

5. Prophecy preaching on 2nd coming as post-millennial – saw themselves as soldiers of the cross bringing in the kingdom

6. Colonialism and industrialization gave benefits and detriments 6

What can you learn about Colonialism in this picture?

Other Reasons for “Protestant Century”

Age of Enlightenment: critical thinking, questioning traditional institutions, values, customs and morals Led to freedoms, democracy, capitalism, scientific

method, religious tolerance, self-governing republics French Revolution gave principles of nationalism,

citizenship, inalienable rights and abandoned absolute monarchy, feudal privileges and Catholic dominance

As Christians filtered these views into their worldview Scriptural mandates became personal priorities

Colonial church membership grew from 10% to 40% Dissolution of state-religious institutions Occurrences of evangelical revivals gave rise to

personal evangelism and the mandate of the Great Commission

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William Carey (1761-1834)

Under educated, tri-vocational, poor, unsuccessful in business, unexciting preacher in a Separatist Particular Baptist movement – not a likely candidate to become the “Father of Modern Missions”

Published the first global survey of Christian world mission in 1791 – forced the churches to do something

“If it be the duty of all men to believe the Gospel … then it be the duty of those who are entrusted with the Gospel to endeavor to make it know among all nations.” Carey’s response was “Her am I; send me!”

Calvinism sought to quench personal confrontational evangelism: "preaching should avoid application to the hearers and appeals to conversion, lest the preacher interfere somehow in God’s election of his chosen people” – opposed by Andrew Fuller and Carey

When Carey proposed starting a mission to the heathen, Dr. Ryland shouted, "Young man, sit down. When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine."

Carey wrote An Enquiry into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens (1792) that would change the world.

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Carey to India Carey wrote, “It only requires that we should have as

much love to the souls of our fellow-creatures, and fellow-sinners, as they (commercial businesses) have for the profits arising from a few otter skins, and all these difficulties could be easily surmounted.”

His message: “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” This was significant because the pastors were all poor, thus to take on this responsibility meant great sacrifice.

His father considered him mad; his wife, 5-months pregnant with 4th child refused to accompany him; mission society had no funds to send him; East India Company would not give him permission to enter India

At the very last moment the problems solved and Carey and family sailed 5 months to India never to return to England attempting great things for God

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Does this picture capture your

imagination?

Carey in India British East India Company had ruled India for 30 years: “the sending

out of missionaries into our Eastern possessions to be the maddest, most extravagant, most costly, most indefensible project which has ever been suggested by a moonstruck fanatic. Such a scheme is pernicious, imprudent, useless, harmful, dangerous, profitless, fantastic”

Carey wrote to John Ryland to start the London Missionary Society (LMS) in 1795 to help missionaries

Seven years for first convert, he fought debt, disease, wife’s deranged mind, and family deaths

It took 20 years to get British Parliament to approve missionary license

Meanwhile Carey had to live in a Danish colony working in an indigo factory (3 months a year)

In 1812 a fire destroyed his work – determined more so to finish translations

In 1818 formed Serampore College to train indigenous leaders, given royal charter in 1827

By 1834 Carey had supervised 40 translations of Bible, published grammars and dictionaries, started a dozen mission stations and the first degree-granting college 10

Robert Morrison – China (1782-1834)

First Protestant missionary to China, arriving in 1807 Taught himself Latin, Greek and Hebrew – parents opposed

becoming a missionary Studied medicine, astronomy and Chinese to be ready His prayer that “God would station him in that part of the

field where the difficulties are the greatest, and to all human appearance the most insurmountable”

Worked for East India Company which prohibited learning Chinese (had to be done in secret) and evangelizing Chinese

After 7 years came first convert and 11 years to complete Chinese Bible They would see only 10 converts baptized in 24 years. There was an Imperial Edict against Christianity in China –

spreading faith was punishable by death To work in China no British women were allowed, so he worked

6 mo alone which wife and kids lived in Macao. After 6 years his wife and kids returned to England for 6 years before returning to China.

After 1 furlough in 27 years he died, but left an influence 20 yrs later on HT 11

Robert Moffat – S. Africa (1795-

1883)

Patriarch or Pioneer of African missions

Scottish Calvinist converted through Methodist movement

Applied and was rejected by LMS; studied 1 year and reapplied to be accepted.

In 1816 at 21 he sailed to Africa for a 50-year ministry among the Tswana people – 3 years later his fiancée allowed to marry him

Believed the gospel could change the worst tribesman, so they moved 600 miles by wagon from Cape Town to Bechuana tribe

Moffat communicated through trade language for years before learning their language – after which Africans began to be converted = importance of language

Practiced a “paternalistic missiology which produced a dependent constituency”

Moffat’s had 10 children, 7 became adults, 5 became African missionaries

On furlough he challenged a young man named David Livingston to Africa

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David Livingston-

Africa (1813-1873) Only brief theological training, medical midwifery training, but constantly doing language study

Worked on Moffat’s compound until he returned from furlough Discouraged with missionary fighting and backbiting, chose to

explore the vast unknown interior. Married Moffat’s daughter, Mary, who attempted to accompany him on

travels, but too risky, so returned to England with three children.

From 1852-1856 he opened a “God’s highway”, 1500 miles into the interior – discovering unknown tribes, Victoria Falls, and horrors of slave trade

Convinced that developing commercial markets for tribes would be more valuable than slave trade, thus eliminate slavery

Despised the attitude of most missionaries: colonial, depreciating blacks

His wife and other missionaries died accompanying him on his travels interior

Final trip was to find the source of the Nile; disappeared for 7 years; found by reporter Henry Standley, whom Livingston led to Christ; Livingston died a year later, alone in the bush.

He had caught the vision of a “thousand villages, where no missionary had ever been.”

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Livingston’s territory

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Second Awakening and Missions

This Awakening (1790-1830) was much more emotional than the First, especially in the Western colonies and states.

Camp ground meeting, where people would stay weeks at a time, listening to spontaneous, fiery preaching of Finney, Beecher, Cartwright and Smith.

Digressed to social issues: prison reform, slavery and temperance

Some results were: Major church growth Mid-week prayer meeting for revival became the

norm Enthusiasm for evangelism carried over to missions Colleges formed to equip pastors and missionaries 15

Haystack Prayer meeting

Samuel Mills challenged other students to pray for missionaries at Williams College, MA.

Group of five students got caught in the rain and prayed under the eves of a haystack.

Their slogan, “We can do it if we will.”

One of Mills’ disciples, Edward Griffin, went to Andover Seminary, where he met and challenged another student to world missions: Adoniram Judson

Griffin became the president of Williams College challenging a new generation of missionaries. 16

Haystack Monument

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)

The New Divinity taught at Andover modified deterministic Calvinism to allow a free will, under the drawing of the Spirit, through preaching of the gospel

"Why, how stupid, stupid I have been! Missions, why, the New Testament is all missions!"

Griffin proposed forming ABCFM in 1812, but Judson had to sail to England for approval with war imminent England decided American board should be independent Upon return, two ships were to sail in 2 weeks, but

Judson had to be married: found Ann British Baptist missionaries sailed to New England to

avoid pirates, providentially accompanied Judson and Rice. Both became convinced of believer’s immersion

War 1812 with England meant Americans were not welcomed in India

Baptized by Carey’s assistant then sailed to Rangoon, Burma. 17

Commissioning of First American Missionaries in 1812

Rangoon, Burma

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)

Impressions: “There was not one known Christian in that land of millions. And there were no friends in that robber-infested, idolatry-infected, iniquity-filled land … The melancholy ‘tum-tum’ of the death drum for the thousands claimed by cholera, and the firing cannons and beating on houses with clubs to ward off demons, tormented the sensitive, spiritual souls of this missionary couple”

Lost first child to cholera; seven years till first convert

British conquered Rangoon and war was declared – Judson declared an enemy of state, condemned in “Death Prison”

18 months later released, 2 weeks with Ann, then forced to translate Peace Treaty, meanwhile Ann died!

Spent next 14 years in British province of Tenasserim among Karen people where Baptist membership doubled every 8 years for 32 years, little or no growth in Buddhist Burma

Karens had ancient traditions of Creator God that one author thinks goes back to the Nestorians of the 7th century. 18

Luther Rice (1783-1836)

Led in the Haystack Prayer Meeting Traveling with Baptist missionaries from England

helped persuade Rice of Baptist doctrine As the Judson’s headed to Burma, Rice returned to

US to advise of change of doctrine, resign, and organize a new mission In order to resign from the Congregational mission

and start a new mission they were forced to repay all the funds they had received!

His tireless effort to get the Baptist churches to cooperate for world missions led to the Baptist Convention and Mission program

Though accused of not being willing to be a missionary he kept promoting united mission projects and recruiting missionaries – by 1832 there were 72 missionaries

The Baptist membership grew from 8,000 to 600,000 by 1835

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