To the Ends of the Earth: 1000 Norwegian-American Missionaries ed. by Torbjørn Greipsland

Abstract

Reviewed by: To the Ends of the Earth: 1000 Norwegian-American Missionaries ed. by Torbjørn Greipsland Gaylan Mathiesen To the Ends of the Earth: 1000 Norwegian-American Missionaries. Edited by Torbjørn Greipsland. Ottestad, Norway: Ventura, 2017. 339 pp. Based on Greipsland’s exploration of ELCA archives and his historical research on The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM), the book’s primary objective is to illustrate the extensive missionary passion and commitment of Norwegian-American Lutherans, something Greipsland identifies as a lacuna in history books about Norwegian-Americans. Greipsland divides most of the book according to geography: China, Madagascar, India, Zululand, Swaziland, Alaska, and Mongolia. The book’s thirty chapters cover a wide range of topics, such as the relationship between Norwegian and Norwegian-American churches and mission societies, the role and place of women missionaries, the formation of Lutheran denominations, and the severe challenges and sacrifices that missionaries and their families experienced. The main contributors to the work are Gracia Grindal, Sigmund Edland, Erik Kjebekk, and Torbjørn Greipsland. Those familiar with Grindal’s biography of missionaries Thea Rønning and her brother Halvor will recognize their inspiring story in the first chapter. Grin-dal writes of their faith journey as youth and their growing passion for missions, most especially for China, which steadily grew through their reading of Hudson Taylor and in response to visits to Norway by some of Taylor’s associates. Grindal then introduces their call to study and missions in America and their eventual call to China at a Hauge Synod meeting in Minnesota in 1890. Grindal brings the reader an intimate account of Thea Rønning’s spiritual life and her growing love for China and its people as well as the stresses of adjusting to China’s climate, culture, and the physical strain of battling serious illnesses. Thea Rønning’s career in China ended after eight short years when she succumbed to meningitis, but the effects of her work and that of many like her are inestimable. In chapter two, Greipsland interviews Grindal, giving the reader a more extensive knowledge of the human and spiritual resources that made possible the stories in this book. There are many similarly inspiring examples including Malla Moe from Hafslo in Sogn or the Nestegaard brothers from Hallingdal, but [End Page 371] the reader will notice that writing quality and chapter length varies. Several chapters are rather short, at times only two to three pages long, and some read like a brief essay in a biographical dictionary or a missionary’s journal entries. At times, material gets repeated, either in other chapters, or in at least one instance, within a chapter. Still, the reader will certainly sense the passion and commitment that these Norwegian-Americans brought to their missionary calling, often against very great odds that would be quite daunting for many of us. This book will be useful to those wanting to explore the missionary contributions of Norwegian-Americans, especially those who are of Lutheran heritage. It also serves as a biographical resource for those wanting to do further research on Norwegian-American missionaries. [End Page 372] Gaylan Mathiesen Lutheran Brethren Seminary Fergus Falls, Minnesota Copyright © 2021 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc