Missionary Kids Research Articles

Drug Use and Abuse: Its Effects on Missionary Kids

Drug Use and Abuse: Its Effects on Missionary Kids

CHINA MISHKID: My Life as a Missionary Kid in China (1938–1955)

CHINA MISHKID: My Life as a Missionary Kid in China (1938–1955)

선교사 자녀의 유학생활 적응과정에 관한 연구

선교사 자녀의 유학생활 적응과정에 관한 연구

교리교육이 선교사 자녀(Missionary Kids)의 신앙발달에 미치는 영향 : 하이델베르크 교리교육을 중심으로

교리교육이 선교사 자녀(Missionary Kids)의 신앙발달에 미치는 영향 : 하이델베르크 교리교육을 중심으로

Book Review: Growing up with God and Empire: A Postcolonial Analysis of ‘Missionary Kid’ Memoirs

Book Review: Growing up with God and Empire: A Postcolonial Analysis of ‘Missionary Kid’ Memoirs

Making China Their “Beat”: A Collective Biography of U.S. Correspondents in China, 1900–1949

What was the social composition of the U.S. correspondents in China during the first half of twentieth century? Borrowing Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of capital and adopting the collective biography approach, this study analyzed the demographic characteristics and career paths of 161 correspondents to illustrate the opportunity structure and its historical variations in the largely unstructured field of foreign correspondence during its formative years. Being a missionary kid, having a journalism education, especially from the Missouri School of Journalism, or being raised in the northeast region with an Ivy League education, were among the kinds of valued social and cultural capital that conferred an advantage in becoming a China correspondent.

Perceptions of the past and schooling for missionary kids An introduction to the dialogue on sacred children and colonial subsidies

In this brief piece, I present an introduction to a conversation on decisions surrounding the education of missionary children in the Belgian Congo during the period 1946 to 1959. This conversation began in April 2018 with the publication of Anicka Fast’s article on “Sacred children and colonial subsidies,” to which Lawrent Buschman submitted a rebuttal. Fast then submitted a response to Buschman’s rebuttal. My introduction seeks to frame their conversation for the readers of Missiology: An International Review.

Effect of Cultural Identification and Family Affection on Coping Abilities in Missionary Kids.

This exploratory study examined the role of missionary kids' (MKs) cultural identification and family affection on their abilities to cope with potentially traumatic events. A total of 156 MKs completed online questionnaires that assessed parental affection, cultural identification, and coping. The results demonstrated that greater verbal affection from mothers was related to increased coping for Western-identified MKs, whereas greater non-verbal forms of affection from mothers were related to increased coping for Asian-identified MKs. Another key finding was the distinction between MKs' ethnicity and cultural identification. This emphasizes the importance of understanding MKs' cultural identification as distinct, rather than congruent, to their ethnic background.

Guns and Gospel: Imperialism and Evangelism in China by Ambrose Mong

Reviewed by: Guns and Gospel: Imperialism and Evangelism in China by Ambrose Mong Christina Wong Wai-Yin Ambrose Mong, Guns and Gospel: Imperialism and Evangelism in China. Cambridge: James Clarke, 2016. 183 pp., £25 (PB). ISBN 9780227176252 In Guns and Gospel: Imperialism and Evangelism in China, Ambrose Mong analyzes the complicated and ambivalent attitudes with which Protestant missionaries treated imperialism in their missions. Examples of several famous Protestant missionaries in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are cited, including the Anglo-Scottish Presbyterian, Robert Morrison (1782–1834); the German Charles Gützlaff (1803–51), first Lutheran missionary to China; the non-sectarian British evangelist, James Hudson Taylor (1832–1905); the Welsh Baptist, Timothy Richard (1845–1919); and Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973), a daughter raised in China by Southern Presbyterian missionaries, to demonstrate their varied theological and philosophical concerns in reacting to Western imperialist powers. To present the context in which tensions arose between guns and gospel in Chinese Christianity, Chapter 1 briefly illuminates the relationship of imperialism and evangelism in the Catholic mission in the sixteenth century and the British and American Protestant missions in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Christian missions connected with colonial powers shared a biased view that regarded the West as civilized and the East as backward. However, the attitudes of missionaries were complex and ambiguous, dependent on time, individual disposition, and institutional context. The second chapter discusses the background of the first unequal treaty during the First Opium War. The first group of Protestant missionaries to China expediently made use of imperialist forces in gaining entry for the missionaries, which eventually led to the Chinese people’s association of Christian [End Page 88] missions with colonial powers. In Chapter 3, Mong discusses the uprisings in China in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, from the Taiping 太平 (1850–64) to the Boxer (Yihetuan 義和團) rebellions (1899–1901). With the exception of the Taipings, who combined local anti-Qing religiosity and Christianity, there was a strong sentiment of “anti-foreignism” among the Chinese. This also led to resistance against Christianity as a foreign religion. Mong has made great efforts to show the personalities of the above-mentioned Protestant missionaries and pinpoint their ambiguous roles in imperialism and evangelism. Their diverse responses are attributed to their denominations, socio-political contexts, and individual factors. Both Morrison and Gützlaff worked for imperial powers, namely, the East India Company and the British government. Gützlaff in particular was very controversial because of his implicit support for the opium trade and his work in military intelligence. In contrast, the founder of the China Inland Mission, Taylor, was explicitly against the opium trade and turned down indemnities after the Boxer Rebellion. To him, Christianity emphasized forgiveness and reconciliation. He worried that such compensation would associate his mission with Western imperialist powers. In contrast to the above three, Richard, from the American Baptist Missionary Society, was more eager to engage with Chinese Buddhism. Lastly, Buck, a missionary kid raised in China, was influenced by a critical view of the Christian missions by the American left wing. She strongly critiqued the previous missions which implicitly embraced Western civilization and superiority. She proclaimed that humanistic missions should promote “friendship and understanding between nations … [by]mutual respect and equality” (p. 155). This indeed opened up a new paradigm of missiology. My critique of Mong’s project is that he fails to address the subtlety and complexity of imperialism and evangelism between and among missionaries and local Chinese. He adopts a broad and universal missionary narrative of the tension between guns and gospel from the nineteenth to twentieth centuries by focusing on five well-known and well-researched missionaries. More could be done in Mong’s project to make it a significant study in Chinese Christianity. Differences between missionaries related to their nationalities, denominations, ethnicities, classes, and genders should be analyzed as well. The book also fails to articulate how regional and ethnic differences, denominational affiliations, diverse theological positions, as well as faith expressions in China worked together with missionary efforts in local interactions. As Ryan Dunch proclaims, it is important to question how local Chinese (including Chinese Christians) participated in and/or selectively appropriated...

한국MK에 관한 국내 연구 동향과 고찰

한국MK에 관한 국내 연구 동향과 고찰

The Relations Between Resilience, Parent-Child Communication,and School Adjustment and Depression and Anxietyin Missionary Kids

The Relations Between Resilience, Parent-Child Communication,and School Adjustment and Depression and Anxietyin Missionary Kids

Promoting religious acceptance: the relationship between intercultural competence and religious attitudes among Third Culture Kids

ABSTRACTThe study explored whether intercultural competence was a significant predictor of religious attitudes among Third Culture Kids (TCKs), individuals who had spent their developmental years abroad. It also examined whether growing up as a missionary kid (MK) would predict religious attitudes. Two hundred and seventy-six TCKs from 37 countries and 19 religious affiliations completed the web-based survey that included measures of intercultural competence, religious attitudes and beliefs, and demographic information. Intercultural competence was a significant predictor of participants’ desire for all religions to be treated fairly whereas growing up as an MK was a significant predictor of participants’ desire for their religion to be unchallenged and of less desire for interreligious dialogue. The findings suggest that increasing intercultural competence may be a way to promote religious acceptance.

Cultural Differences in Family Affection and Coping Abilities for Missionary Kids

While the current literature has indicated parental affection as a potential buffer to common stressors missionary kids experience, the majority of the literature is based on European American samples. However, the number of non-Western missionaries is rapidly increasing, and both ethnicity and cultural identification are thought to influence emotional development for missionary kids. In the current study, 77 Caucasian and 41 Asian missionary kids between the ages of 18–25 completed measures assessing perceived parental affection and coping abilities. Fifty-one individuals identified most with Asian culture and 51 individuals identified most with European or North American cultures. Although no significant differences were found between Caucasian and Asian samples, there were significant differences found between those who identified with non-Western and Western cultures on their measures of parental affection and coping. Those who identified with Asian cultures demonstrated greater coping abilities when they scored higher in affective orientation, perceived greater family communication, verbal affection from their mother, and greater affectionate communication from their father. These results were not seen in missionary kids who identified with Western cultures.

Psychological experiences of Korean missionary “kids” (MKs): a qualitative inquiry

ABSTRACTThe present study is a qualitative investigation of the psychological experiences of children of Korean missionaries, through the eyes of Korean missionary kids (MKs) and missionary workers. A semi-structured interview was conducted with 11 MKs and MK workers, and data were analysed using the Consensual Qualitative Research method. Several domains emerged: challenges associated with the MK experience, resiliency of MKs, intrapersonal and interpersonal coping skills, mental health concerns, religion and spirituality, a complex cultural identity, preparation for college transition, and hopes for MKs and their missionary parents. Categories corresponding to the domains are highlighted. The present study addresses a need for more attention paid to the non-American MK experience, and it presents some implications for the church and higher educational institutions.

Editorial introductions from the Managing Editor and Issue Editor

The “First words” section of this issue of Review & Expositor begins with a word on “Liberty of conscience and emancipation,” by Raffaele Volpe, President of the Italian Baptist Union. Volpe argues that contemporary challenges call for a Baptist identity that holds in dialectic tension “the individual and the community, diversity and unity, particularity and universality.” Warren C. (Cal) Robertson assesses one of the newest translations of the Bible, the Common English Bible (CEB). The translators, Robertson concludes, have largely succeeded in their aim “to combine accuracy of translation ... with accessibility and clarity of expression.” Deborah E. Scott contributed the seminarian’s perspective to this issue, a reflection on the importance of scholarly preparation and humility for ministry. She argues, however, that “love matters most,” supporting the assertion with an example drawn from her personal experience involving a pair of socks. In oblique fashion, these “First words” enrich the central focus of this issue. An appreciation for diversity, the need to be accessible, and the power of love expressed through a lowly pair of socks can strengthen ministry to people with disabilities. “So Near, Yet So Far” was the title of one of the first sermons I preached as the young Protestant Chaplain at the Newark State School in upstate New York about thirty miles from Rochester. It was not a sermon in one of the services at that center—one of the old hellhole institutions that had expanded rapidly in the age of eugenics at the beginning of the 20th century. The name of the institution in that period had been a more accurate reflection of its origins: Newark State School for Feeble Minded Women of Child Bearing Age. When I arrived, it was coed, and there were 1400 hundred people in the space that had once held 5000. My sermons there in multiple services around the campus soon focused on the two key spiritual needs in the face of almost overwhelming disconnection from families and communities: creating a sense of belonging to the people of God and a sense of celebrating individual gifts and spirits. The sermon title reflected my own upbringing as a Southern Baptist missionary kid in Nigeria, where my father was a medical doctor. When we were in the States, I accompanied my parents to multiple congregations and Sunday night services or Wednesday prayer meetings where he spoke about “foreign missions.” Newark State School was a paradox, so very near to the world of “normal” congregations but so very far in terms of psychological and spiritual distance. I felt somewhat like a

Identity, Family, and Faith: U.S. Third Culture Kids Transition to College

Recent trends in globalization have increased the number of U.S. children and adolescents being raised outside the United States. Using the framework of adults in transition, the authors sought to understand the structure of Third Culture Kids’ (TCKs), specifically Missionary Kids’, transition to college. Findings indicate that participants must negotiate new social and academic cultures while managing a sense of loss of cultural identity. Family and faith assisted students in developing personal coping skills and social support.

Missionary Families Find a Sense of Place and Identity: Two Generations on Two Continents by John S. Benson

Reviewed by: Missionary Families Find a Sense of Place and Identity: Two Generations on Two Continents by John S. Benson Mark Nygard Missionary Families Find a Sense of Place and Identity: Two Generations on Two Continents. By John S. Benson. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015. 287 pp. As returned Lutheran missionaries who spent most of our child-rearing years in West Africa, my wife and I have often mused on the considerable difference between our own experiences and those of our children. Home for us has always been North Dakota, and Africa was our calling. Home for our children was Africa, and furlough times in North Dakota were something of an interruption. We returned to the States at the end of our work with a sense of embrace by our own culture. They returned to the States, to some extent, foreigners. John S. Benson, a “missionary kid” (MK) from Tanzania, has gone far beyond mere musing about such things. Over a period of five [End Page 245] years he interviewed twenty-nine retired Lutheran missionaries who had served in Tanzania for twenty years or more and sixty-four of their children, allowing them to talk about their experience of Africa and North America. He then framed their responses around two main loci: the significance of what he calls “notions of place” (5) and the significance of their “notions of religious development” (8) as defined by chosen social scientists. Chapter 1 sets the stage with a brief history of the mission work in what is now Tanzania by the Augustana Lutheran Church and its successor body, the Lutheran Church in America. Chapters 2 and 3 examine the role of “place” and “religion” in the formative years of a missionary generation and its children, respectively. Chapter 4 considers the quite different college experiences of the two generations, and chapter 5 the differences in the experience of “calling.” Chapter 6 highlights the way the parents had to make sense of the alien African milieu through the lens of their calling, and chapters 7–10 explore different aspects of their children’s search for meaning in their alien North American milieu through their choice of a spouse, an occupation, a place to live, and a church. Chapter 11 allows both generations to wonder what it means to call a place home in the context of a continuing compelling memory of and emotional connection to a locale where one no longer lives. The development of the theme is well supported by twenty-five tables, informational as well as statistical, and seven maps. A short conclusion attempts a synthesis. To summarize briefly that synthesis, Benson discovers that “place” was a relatively insignificant factor in determining the identities of the missionaries, but that it had an enormous impact upon the world view of the children, even those who never returned to Africa. At the same time, religious conviction and calling as defined rather narrowly by church tradition were much more riveting factors for the missionaries’ lives than for their children, who in some existential uncertainty often explored other options (263–64). But such brevity diminishes the richness of the book. Its interviews and reflections, reminiscent of Clifford Geertz’s “thick description,” truly take the reader into the lives of a missionary generation and its progeny, into the details that mattered for them in formulating [End Page 246] their worlds, and into the multiple ways in which responsiveness to a sense of calling for one affected entire life stories for another. Coming “from within,” written by one who experienced it personally, it is a kind of social autobiography, that I commend not only to church people and students of the missionary movement, to be sure, but also, a bit in the tradition of Hollingshead’s Elmtown’s Youth, to sociologists, psychologists, and educators as well. A son of the Swedish Augustana tradition may perhaps be excused for an apparent confusion of the Evangelical Lutheran Synod for the (Norwegian) Evangelical Lutheran Church (94), but this historical error should be corrected. [End Page 247] Mark Nygard Dakota Prairie Lutheran Parish Bowman, North Dakota Copyright © 2016 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.

Missionary Kid Career Development: A Consensual Qualitative Research Investigation Through a Social Cognitive Lens

Repatriated, young adult children of international missionaries (missionary kids [MKs]) face unique challenges in education and career development. The authors conducted a consensual qualitative research investigation, grounded in social cognitive theory (Bandura, ), as it informs social cognitive career theory, of career planning and decision making with 11 repatriated MKs. Participants ranged in age from 19 to 23 years (58% female, 67% Caucasian) and had repatriated to the United States between the ages of 14 and 19 years, spending between 4 and 19 years abroad. The authors' interpretation of the study findings led to a context‐specific revision of Bandura's () Triadic Reciprocality Model. That is, regarding career development, faith intersects environmental variables, personal attributes, and overt behaviors in unexpected and multidimensional ways. Recommendations for researchers and practitioners include (a) attending to issues of sociocultural adaptation, (b) continuing to offer empirically supported (standard) career services to MKs, (c) using contextual and developmental approaches, and (d) inquiring about faith and calling.

Reentry Program Impact on Missionary Kid Depression, Anxiety, and Stress: A Three-Year Study

Missionary Kids (MKs) are included in a broader population known as Third Culture Kids, children who are raised outside of their parents' home country. This cross-cultural upbringing provides many benefits but also presents challenges upon repatriation to the passport country. This study utilized a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design to examine the impact of MK reentry programs on psychological well-being. Participants included 186 MKs who had lived in 86 countries and represented 68 missionary sending agencies. MANOVA results indicated significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress levels following program attendance. Differences were noted by gender, with females reporting significantly lower levels of psychological well-being than males. Implications for caregivers and recommendations for further research are discussed.

A Study on the Heritage Language Competence of Missionary Kids and their variables

A Study on the Heritage Language Competence of Missionary Kids and their variables