Missionary Activity Research Articles

Matthew Leporati, Romantic Epics and the Mission of Empire

Matthew Leporati’s wide-ranging and compelling study considers two features of the Romantic era that are rarely contemplated side by side: the explosion of epic poetry at the turn of the nineteenth century and the turn toward a more evangelical and proselytizing form of Christian missionary activity. The latter is, as Leporati observes, often in opposition to the demands of empire in the early stages of colonization, but then is effectively co-opted into colonial activities as the century progresses. His book deals only tangentially with Blake, the subject of one of its chapters, but in many respects Blake’s writing in general and Milton a Poem in particular fuel several of the more critical conclusions.

Understanding Christian translation and its missiological relevance

Christian translation is integral to Christian missions that benefit the ingenious people and the gospel. Among early missionary activities, translations of the Bible to vernacular language have tremendous implications for the gospel propagation. Its roots are well spelt out in the early church, which endorsed Christianity as a universal faith. The researchers observe the historical and missiological perspective of Bible translation. They used library materials and internet sources to explain the meaning of translation, such as explaining a text language in the context of the recipients. This article contains a biblical basis for Bible translations, as it was from the early scriptures, and it concludes by explaining the relevance of Christian translation in terms of literacy, preservation of culture and freedom from slavery, among others. Christian translation has helped to create different versions of the Bible; the New Testament alone is available in 1551 languages out of over 7100 languages worldwide. Christian translation shows that Christian missionaries are not another form of a colonising agency because their activities resulted in actions that led to the end of colonisation in many parts of Africa. The author used a descriptive research method for this article.Contribution: From the analysis, Christian translation is a vital part of Christian missions that has many benefits for the ingenious people by preserving their cultural practices and language, among others. It also made Christianity not to be perceived as a foreign religion that has no link with the African Belief system. Christians are to seek to translate more materials, especially the Bible, into other peoples’ languages to have a lasting impact on the indigenous people.

Contesting ‘Truth’: A Late Ottoman Response to Protestant Missionary Writings

This study delves into the polemical exchange between the 19th-century Ottoman scholar Harputlu İshak Hoca (d. 1892) and the protestant missionary Karl Gottlieb Pfander (d. 1865). By examining the historical context surrounding their controversy, this research sheds light on the interaction between the Ottoman state and British and American missionaries, particularly during the expansion of missionary activities in Anatolia. This paper also explores the responses of the Ottoman authorities to the missionary printing activities and the impact of the Church Missionary Society’s work on societal and governmental levels. Furthermore, it provides an analysis of Pfander’s Mizan ul-haqq (The Balance of Truth) and Harputlu’s Şemsü’l-hakîkat (The Sun of Truth) and Ziyâü’l-kulûb (The Light of Hearts), portraying them as not only engaging in interreligious polemics but also as creators of textual products that reflect the complex historical realities of their time. This research underscores the Ottoman scholars’ close attention and prompt responses to missionary literature.

Cultural-Religious Dimensions of the ‘Ritual Issue’ in Pre-Colonial Vietnamese and Western Interactions

Abstract Through a meticulous examination of edicts issued by both imperial courts and Christian missionaries, this article posits that the ‘ritual issue’ – i.e., the divergence in ritualistic practices and values between Christianity and indigenous religions – constituted a principal obstacle to the proliferation of Christianity in Vietnam between the 17th and 19th centuries. Notably, the paper identifies a substantive transformation in the perception of the ‘ritual issue.’ During the 17th and 18th centuries under the Trịnh-Nguyễn lords, the issue was predominantly approached through a cultural-religious lens. However, in the 19th century under the Nguyễn dynasty, the issue acquired a cultural-political character. The imperial court posited that the adoption of Christianity would undermine its rule, which was predicated on Confucian ethical-political norms. The paper argues that the prohibition of Christianity would have been an inevitable policy under the Nguyễn dynasty, even in the absence of the association between missionary activity and colonialism.

Reimagining Mission in and from Africa: A contextual analysis of OM Mission Approach in Southern Africa

The activities of mainline Western missionaries in Africa have been discussed by scholars from various perspectives, but much attention has not been given to mission organizations that are not affiliated with any denomination. This article therefore focuses on the work and mission approach of Operation Mobilisation (OM) in Africa. The article is based on empirical data gathered through interviews with twelve OM country leaders in Southern Africa (Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). The key aim of the interviews was to establish from the OM leaders serving in the Southern African countries their self-understanding of the local context and the contextual implications for OM's work in and from the continent. It was to also establish some opportunities and challenges for missions for the African church and Western Established Mission Organizations WEMOs. The article argues for contextual consideration of OM’s mission agenda, missionary training, and discipleship approach in Africa.

Management of Muslim converts in Lebak Banten by YASMUI, Muhammadiyah, and Al Washliyah

The major challenges faced by Baduy converts in understanding and practicing Islam are due to limited access to formal Islamic education and the encroachment of Christian missionary activities. The purpose of this study is to explore and evaluate the effectiveness of Islamic philanthropy programs conducted by institutions such as YASMUI, Muhammadiyah, and Al-Washliyah in fostering the religious and social welfare of Baduy converts. This research uses a qualitative, descriptive-analytical research method, with a focus on the long-term sustainability of converts' development programs. Data collection was conducted through interviews, observation, and document analysis. The results show that Islamic education and social-humanitarian programs have had a positive impact on the religious understanding and social conditions of the Baduy converts. Collaboration between Islamic philanthropic organizations and the government is essential in providing free education facilities and social welfare services. The implication of the research shows that to optimize the sustainability and impact of these programs, continuous collaboration between the government and Islamic philanthropic institutions is essential. This includes the provision of formal education, health services and economic empowerment initiatives. In addition, this research highlights the need for improved infrastructure and support from the government to face the challenges posed by Christian missionary activities and to improve the overall welfare of the Baduy community.

‘Where Liberty is Not, There is My Country’: Nineteenth-Century American Abolitionist Writings on India and its Legacies

ABSTRACT This article examines nineteenth century American abolitionist writings on India. My sources include abolitionist newspapers, primarily focusing on William Lloyd Garrison’s newspaper the Liberator, but also incorporating other abolitionist newspapers. These include the Friend of Man and publications of individual abolitionists like Lydia Maria Child’s The History of the Condition of Women, in Various Ages and Nations. By looking at their writings on Christian missionary activities in India, Indian women, and British rule in India, this article argues that although many abolitionists Orientalized India, they at the same time found many parallels between Indian society and the US. Although they did not develop a full criticism towards colonialism in the antebellum period, their criticism towards Empire matured by the early twentieth century. My scholarly intervention centres on acknowledging the hitherto unknown role of abolitionist writings on India in the intellectual history of American abolitionism and US-India transnational history. By not fully engaging with India, the scholarship on US-India relations and abolitionism misses a critical dimension of the abolitionist movement’s intimate relationship with related causes of feminism, anti-clericalism, and anti-imperialism. Most importantly, this article demonstrates that abolitionist writings on India far exceeded Orientalism as the only frame of understanding.

Religious and Educational Activities of the Tatars in the Turgai Region at the Second Half of the 19th – Beginning of the 20th Centuries

In the article the author for the first time analyzes legislative, religious and educational activities of Tatars in the Turgai region on the basis of archival, periodic, statistical sources. This ethnic minority activity is interesting from the point of view of studying the problem of interaction between the empire, the mobile diaspora and the local population in the context of the frontier modernization process. The aim of the study is to identify the main results of religious and educational activity of the Tatar population in the region. The author comes to the conclusion that the main directions of religious-educational work were missionary activities of Tatars in Kazakh auls, construction of mosques, functioning of mektebs and madrasas, theaters, libraries, public Muslim organizations, attempts to publish books, brochures and newspapers. Many of these initiatives were strongly opposed by the empire. The result of the activities of the Tatar population was not only the maintenance of ethno-cultural diversity, but also a versatile influence on the Kazakhs manifested in the religious, cultural, political sphere and in the formation of a multi-ethnic (Tatar-Kazakh) Muslim socio-cultural space of the empire, which became part of the global Islamic network community. The Tatars spread the ideas of Jadidism and became competitors of the Russians in familiarizing the local population with European culture and pedagogy. The article is intended for specialists in the field of history of Kazakhstan, Islam, Tatars, national policy of the Russian Empire.

Muslims of Central Asia in Siberia in the Context of State‑Confessional Policy in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries

The Muslim population of Siberia represented an ethnically heterogeneous community, which included Tatars, as well as immigrants from Central and Central Asia, the Caucasus and other regions. Such polyethnicity and proximity to the Asian region, as one of the centers of Muslim culture, contributed to building contacts between Muslims of Siberia and Central Asia. Expansion of the territorial borders of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century. and the government’s special interest in Central Asia has influenced the development of relations between the Muslim population of the two neighboring regions. The purpose of this study was to identify the main areas of interaction between the Muslim population of Siberia and Central Asia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century, as well as to estimate the role of the state in regulating this process. Based on archival material, the author found that one of the areas of interaction of the Muslim population was organizing spiritual life. Despite the fact that the government, in an effort to extend its influence to the Asian region, provided support to the Muslim population in the second half of the 19th century, the same building codes were applied to the construction of religious buildings for Bukharans, as for all other Muslims. The closest contacts between the Muslims of Siberia and the Bukharians were built within the framework of pilgrimage trips, since often the way to Mecca for them lay through the territories of Central Asia. In addition, there were holy places in the region, which the Muslims of Siberia aspired to. This fact was of particular concern to the Government. The reforms initiated in the country aimed at limitation of the rights of the Muslim population have reduced the migration flow from the Asian region to Siberia. The government paid special attention to the missionary activities of the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool for involving Muslims of Siberia and Central Asia in the socio-cultural space of the empire.

What to Do after the Emancipation Proclamation? A Princeton Seminary Alumnus’s Views on Racial Issues and Slavery in Brazil and the United States (1852–1867)

Abstract This article reflects on how the concept of race and views on African Americans and Afro-Brazilians permeated the American Presbyterian missions that operated in the Brazilian empire in the nineteenth century. This analysis considers the writing and reading of Ashbel Green Simonton (1833–1867), a Princeton Seminary alum sent to Brazil as a missionary by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA). In his missionary activity, Simonton founded the first Presbyterian Church and the first evangelical periodical in Brazil. Considering the intercessions between the racial theories stemming from natural history and nineteenth-century theological anthropologies, as well as the missionary’s interactions with the racial and slavery issues that permeated the American Civil War (1861–1865), this article analyzes Simonton’s journal (1852–1867), the books requested by Simonton at Princeton Theological Seminary (1856–1858), and the periodical Imprensa Evangélica (Evangelical Press, 1864–1867).

Overcoming the Patronage System: Propaganda Fide and Its Portuguese Patronage Documents on China in the Early Modern Period

From its foundation in 1622, the Congregation de Propaganda Fide held supreme jurisdiction over all missionary activities of the Catholic Church at the global level, with authority coming directly from the pope. Its main goals were the expansion of the Catholic faith, the reaffirmation of papal spiritual primacy, and the promotion of Indigenous clergy throughout the world, which put Propaganda Fide in direct competition with secular rulers who also wanted to control missionary activities in their overseas territories. This article will examine one such conflict, namely that regarding Portugal and its royal patronage system in China. The Historical Archive of Propaganda Fide in the Vatican City holds extensive material concerning Portuguese patronage and China, which has remained relatively unknown and understudied. Through an examination of several of the most significant documents, such as the formal terms sent by the Portuguese court to the Holy See, the response of Propaganda Fide, and the final declaration of the Holy See, which would become the cornerstone for all future decisions over the patronage system, it is suggested that these negotiations about China are in fact central to a wider shift in global Catholic policy and politics in the field of missionary activity.

Bíblia e tradução: João Ferreira D’Almeida e a construção da lusofonia

The author gives evidence to national and foreign proofs to reveal the importance of the Portuguese language in Asia which was a free language between people and cultures in the xvi-xviii’s centuries. After that, he speaks about «vehicles of lusophony»: politicians, missionaries, merchants and also the cultural exchange that facilitated the mixing of human races. Chapter 3 presents the missionary action of João Ferreira d’Almeida. His Bible was the first translation of the holy book into the Portuguese language. The author also mentions the Calvinist cult in Batavia, the Dutch capital in East, as a contribution for the spreading of the Portuguese Culture (lusophony). The Bible of João Ferreira d’Almeida was fundamental for the assimilation of the Portuguese culture as many other books written in Portuguese, especially grammars and religious books such as catechisms and prayer books.

Metropolitan Cathedral Choir. 100 Years Since Its Foundation

In 2022, the Choir of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Cluj-Napoca celebrated 100 years of uninterrupted activity in the field of church music. The centenary of the Cluj choir can be considered a particularly important event, both for the Transylvanian musical space and for the tradition of Romanian choral music. Founded in 1922, the Metropolitan Cathedral Choir has had an outstanding musical career, having performed countless religious concerts, cultural and missionary activities, and participated in religious and secular ceremonies. The recognition of the artistic contribution of the Metropolitan Choir is largely due to its prolific activity in the musical field, which has led to increased visibility, both locally and nationally. With a constant activity of 100 years, the Cathedral Choir has had at the conductor’s desk, but also among the choristers, outstanding personalities of Romanian music. Among those who have led its musical destiny we remember: Gheorghe Dima, Vasile Petrașcu, Augustin Bena, Sava Golumba, Ioan Brie, Vasile Stanciu. Through the prestige it has acquired over time, the Metropolitan Cathedral Choir has become a benchmark for church choirs in the Diocese of Vad, Feleac and Cluj, being a benchmark of mastery and virtuosity. Keywords: diocesan choir, choral music, church choir, conductors, cathedral, centenary

Hispano-⁠indigenous Alliances and Cacical Political Authority in La Florida, 1565–97

Many scholars of La Florida argue that indigenous societies welcomed missionaries only in the seventeenth century, once they had no choice but to align with the Spanish Empire or risk geopolitical isolation and effacement. This argument fits into the problematic general narrative that Spanish missionaries enslaved native peoples and forcibly converted them to Catholicism—problematic because it leaves indigenous rulers out of the story. In this article, I use the brief missions to the Calusa, Tequesta, Tocobaga, and Guale peoples of the present-day southeastern United States to show that indigenous rulers in La Florida encouraged missionary activity well before the seventeenth century, and not as a last resort but as a way to further their expansionist ambitions. The indigenous rulers’ encouragement of missionaries and gains from the Spanish presence show how sharply the interests of the indigenous political classes diverged from those of indigenous commoners. I argue that in light of the reality of political privilege in La Florida’s native societies, historians must view historical indigenous societies as they do more familiar societies—as broad groupings riven by political interests rather than as social collectivities—and jettison the thematic lens of colonialism to achieve a faithful history of the transformation of the Americas.

Protestant Mission and Russian Orthodoxy: Certain Aspects of YMCAQ Activities in Russia in the Beginning of the 20th Century

In the article the author analyzes the activities of YMCA American Protestant organization in the territory of the Russian empire before the revolution of 1917. Missionary activities were completed with the social aspects. YMCA activities were based on the social evangelism, “New Theology” and “muscular” Christianity trends. The ideas of Christian faith accommodation to the standards of modern life and culture were brought to the Orthodox grounds and contributed to the formation of views on the basis of modernism and liberalism. American Protestants activities were strongly supported by the Provisional Government and continued until the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of Russia. In the article the author pays special attention to the transition period with epoch destruction and to YMCA role in that process, as it primarily worked with the most active social segment – the youth.

예수 부활과 초대교회의 해석

This paper examines the issue of the historicity of Jesus' resurrection and discusses the early church's interpretation of the resurrection. The core controversy surrounding the historicity of Jesus' resurrection is whether Jesus was truly resurrected in the flesh. While in Galilee the disciples experienced an apparition of Jesus, in Jerusalem women discovered an empty tomb and experienced an apparition. When the disciples returned to Jerusalem and heard about the empty tomb, the apparitions and the empty tomb complemented each other and solidified the belief in resurrection. However, as Paul said (1 Cor 15,16), without the Jewish faith in the resurrection, Jesus would not have been resurrected. Since Jesus himself shared the Jewish faith in the resurrection, his death did not end in vain and he could predict God's victory. The issue of bodily resurrection raises questions about the steps prior to resurrection. Jesus taught that people live in spirit form even after death (Q 12,4-5). Jesus taught that humans are always before God, whether alive in body or alive in spirit after death (cf. Mk 12,27). The Jesus' proclamation of the Kingdom of God being both future and present is based on his conviction that everything is alive before God. Therefore everything is already in a continuous process toward the eschatological goal. The intermediate state between individual death and resurrection is seen as a continuous process toward eschatological resurrection. Jesus and the early Christians believed in an intermediate state of survival of the spirit after death. The reason the early church was able to solve the problem of delaying the Second Coming (Mk 13,32; 2Peter 3,4) was also due to the belief in the intermediate stage of being with Christ even after individual death (cf. Lk 23:43; Phil 1:23). The early Christians understood the period before the Second Coming as a time for the church to prepare for eschatological restoration (Acts 3:20-21) and actively carried out missionary activities to participate in the process of salvation history (Acts 1:8). Luke gives a narrative of birth of the church through the resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit. Mark and Matthew, who do not mention the ascension, emphasize that the crucified Jesus was resurrected and is still with his disciples. The early Christians who have experienced the resurrection and apparitions of Jesus as a force for leading history proclaimed the gospel of resurrection. Therefore, they were able to further commit themselves to the historical process toward the new creation for the final restoration of the whole world.

Миссионерская деятельность Тобольско-Тюменской епархии на севере Западной Сибири в 1990–2010 гг.

The article examines the main directions, forms and methods of missionary activity of the Tobolsk-Tyumen diocese among the indigenous population of the North of Western Siberia in 1990 – 2010. The research was based on publications in the diocesan periodical press, the works of the Tobolsk Theological Seminary, field materials of the authors. The article examines the state of Orthodoxy among the indigenous population by the early 1990s, the specifics of the organization and implementation of the diocesan mission in the territories of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug (KhMAO) and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YANAO). It is shown that in the post-Soviet period, in the conditions of changing relations between the state and the Russian Orthodox Church, the restoration of its missionary activity and the expansion of the Orthodox space in the historically nurtured territories gradually took place. It is concluded that educational, apologetic, informational forms of work were the most common in the missionary activity of the Tobolsk–Tyumen diocese in the North of Western Siberia in 1990 - 2010. The fulfillment of socially significant functions by the diocese contributed to the expansion of the Orthodox presence in the territory. In the 1990s, the missionary activity of the diocese among the indigenous population of the North was limited due to insufficient material and financial situation, lack of personnel and premises for religious rites, parish work. In the 2000s, in the context of establishing stable ties with government administrations of various levels, missionary activity acquired a large-scale character. The article notes that the practice of the Orthodox mission has led to the development of recommendations for the organization of missionary work among the indigenous population, and the specifics of the activities associated with the remoteness and inaccessibility of the northern territories – to the emergence of new forms of missionary expedition.

Missionary Activity of the Franciscans in Asia in the 1240s

Missionary Activity of the Franciscans in Asia in the 1240s

Миссионерские задачи первого российского консульства в Японии (1858–1865)

The article is devoted to the missionary activities of the first Russian consulate in Japan (1858-1865). The thesis stated is the importance of the missionary factor at the initial stage of Russian-Japanese relations. When writing the article there was implemented the analysis of research literature, letters and memos of the main participants of Russian-Japanese relations. The continuity of the consulate's activities with the diplomatic and missionary activities of E.V.Putyatin in the context of the foreign policy of the Russian Empire in China and Japan is revealed. The influence of Putyatin on the decisions of the Amur Committee, which was expressed in concrete proposals for the formation of the staff of the consulate and the directions of its work on the implementation of the missionary task, is considered. The thesis is proved that the first Consul I.A.Goshkevich possessed the necessary qualities of a diplomat and a missionary and therefore was able to fully realize the duties assigned to him. The assistance of the Asian Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Holy Synod and the Chief Prosecutor is noted. Letters from Putyatin and Hieromonk Nikolai (Kasatkin) to Goshkevich testify to the use of the hospital and school at the consulate for missionary purposes. The facts and sources considered in the article allow us to draw conclusions about the significance of the experience of the first consulate in Japan for understanding the problems of the theology of the mission: the missionary task of the consulate is assessed as the implementation by Putyatin of the religious and political modelfor Orthodoxy expansion; social and educational activities - as a created missionary environment (macromission). The close connection between the missionary aspect and the solution of foreign policy goals (the establishment of good-neighborly relations between the two countries) is shown, where the state, participating in the spread of the Kingdom of Christ, performed a providential task in the context of the entire Christian history.

Propaganda Fide and the Role of Apostolic Nuncios during the Early Modern Period: A Case Study of China

In 1622, a counter-reformist concept of the mission led to the foundation of Propaganda Fide, a congregation to which the Supreme Pontiffs entrusted various tasks at the global level, including the reassertion of the pope’s authority over missionary activities, which had previously been dominated by European secular powers using the patronage system. In carrying out its mandate, the new Congregation also charged apostolic nuncios, almost entirely Italian, with collecting information from and establishing direct contacts with the states of Catholic Christianity and of missionary territories beyond. These nuncios not only performed activities of a religious nature but also served as diplomats and representatives of the pope, endowed with particular powers and faculties. This article introduces the role of apostolic nuncios and analyzes the results of the first of these sent by the Propaganda Fide to China, Charles Thomas Maillard de Tournon. It will show that, as the first papal legate to China, he was not entirely successful in his objectives, but his mission can be seen as a turning point in the history of relations between the Holy See and China and as an important episode which helps us to understand not only early Sino–papal relations but also the development of the new global vision of the Catholic Church as it was formulated by the Propaganda Fide.