Redeeming, Ruling, and Reaping: British Missionary Societies, the East India Company, and the India-to-China Opium Trade

At the end of the 19th century, British missionaries campaigned to abolish the India-to-China opium trade, whose profits were crucial for British ambitions in Asia. This challenge by the missionaries had been slow to emerge, however, and focusing only on that well-known opposition masks the preceding half-century of accommodations and compromises with the opium traffic, both on the production end (Bengal) and on the receiving end (in Macau and Canton). Our research addresses the subjective calculus that was at work for the missionaries and asks how their reading of that calculus affected their movement across the spectrum from unconcern to outrage about opium. At the core of their enterprise from beginning to end was their unwavering commitment to the evangelical "Great Commission," which spelled out the obligation to bring the Christian gospel to unsaved multitudes around the world. We argue that they consistently embraced whatever was pragmatically necessary to advance that goal and resisted whatever threatened to block movement toward it. Beneath changeability on the surface, a thread of value-rational coherence ran through a century of calculated and strategic missionary activity. The same thread is likely to be in evidence in other theaters of global evangelism where missionaries were (are) involved in secular controversies.     

In Search of the Supracultural: American Missionaries in the Gulf in 1920s–1930s

ABSTRACT

This article examines the dynamics of cultural encounters, with reference to the concept of Gustav Warneck (1834–1910) of the connections between mission and culture. It introduces the reader to the personal experience of the missionaries of the Arabian Mission, which was launched in 1889 and operated until 1973 in Basra, Amara, Bahrain, Kuwait and Muscat. While the Mission did not bring about the mass conversion of Muslims, its activities resulted in numerous everyday contacts with the local population. The article stresses that missionaries were a diverse group of individuals with different methods and aspirations, and explores how these diversities challenge a narrative on missions that usually reduces them to a homogenized missiology. Much of the content focuses on the 1920s–1930s, a very unique period in the Middle East, and seeks to show the way that the historical and local context shaped the diversities of missiology. Findings suggest that missionaries, as outsiders in the process of contacting the alien culture, often crossed cultural borders, and that these cultural encounters exhibited contrasting dynamics: the exclusion and rejection of local culture was accompanied by the ‘discovery’ of Islam and the search for ‘supracultural’ components of Islamic culture.     

晚清寓华新教传教士的儒学观——以林乐知在上海所办《万国公报》为中心

晚清来华以林乐知等人为代表的自由派新教传教士对中国儒家学说的看法和态度存在着“合儒”、“补儒”、“批儒”、“代儒”等环环相扣的四个层次,其中,“合儒”是一种文化策略,“代儒”———基督教征服中国———才是他们的最终目的,而“补儒”、“批儒”则是从“合儒”到“代儒”之间的必要手段和桥梁。西教士对儒学中的缺陷、不足和劣根性等批语是完全站在西方人立场和基督教的角度进行的,但也应该承认这对动摇儒家思想在中国文化教育和思想中的核心地位不无助益,因而在近代中国具有开风气之先的思想启蒙作用。     

From great commission to inclusive education: a tangible illustration of missionaries’ legacy

This article analysed missionaries’ roles in the development of general and special education by examining the relationship between the Great Commission and education and the biblical perspective on disabilities as the foundational links between their work and inclusive education. While missionaries have not been directly involved in the practices of inclusive education today, their work in initiating and formalising special education services has facilitated a more welcoming attitude toward individuals with disabilities, and propelled governments around the globe to make special and inclusive education a public responsibility when socio-political environments demand it. To provide a concrete illustration, this article used Hong Kong as an example by examining missionaries’ key involvements and impact in its development of public education from the early colonial era to today’s inclusive education. The missionaries’ legacy in Hong Kong’s inclusive education development lay in their nurturing of Christian educators as supported by a high number of public Christian schools and Christian educators advocated for inclusive education, and in their efforts to formalise special education during the early colonial era (175).     

关于湖北磨盘山神权社会的考察

关于明清之际欧洲传教士在华活动的研究,学人一般把目光投向学术层面,研究的对象多是在中西文化交流中做出过重要贡献的传教士。事实上,传教士作为一个群体来到中国,其最终目的是传播基督福音,他们不仅在中国的京城及重要城市建立了传教会,还把影响扩展到偏远的乡村,因而当中国政府用武力实行禁教的时候,乡村教会成为传教士和基督徒的避难所。明清全国乡村天主教的发展以鄂北的磨盘山最为典型,本文将此作为特殊的个案进行讨论,希望从中找出中国乡村天主教发展的若干特点。通过调查研究,作者发现,乡村天主教在清朝禁教期间并没有绝迹,而是一直延续到近代社会。因而,基督教来华历史的四个时期的划分对于天主教来说似乎不太客观。     

François Noël’s Contribution to the Western Understanding of Chinese Thought: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Taiji sive natura</Emphasis> in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Philosophia sinica</Emphasis> (1711)

Jesuits in China adopted key Confucian terms to express Christian notions; for example, Tian 天 or Shangdi 上帝 was considered an equivalent for God, and guishen 鬼神 for angels. A Terms controversy started among the Jesuits and other missionaries and developed into the famous Rites Controversy. However, all the missionaries agreed in rejecting the Neo-Confucian concept of Taiji 太極, which was believed to be materialistic, pantheistic, or atheistic. The Flemish Jesuit François Noël (1651–1729), after a careful study of Neo-Confucian texts, interpreted Taiji with the Western concept of nature, and even claimed that it held theistic meaning. We shall analyze and evaluate here this early Western attempt in giving a positive meaning to Taiji.     

Catholic missions in China: failure to form native clergy

The success and failure of Christianity in China was tied to the missionaries’ ability to accommodate to Chinese culture and the powers that ruled over this vast nation. A number of reasons have been put forward regarding the failure of Christian missions in China. Inability to adapt to native norms, ignorance of Chinese language, association with Western imperialism, rivalries among various religious orders, congregations and missionary societies, and the reluctance to establish a Chinese ecclesiastical hierarchy all contributed to hindering the propagation of the gospel. This paper argues that the main reason for their failure was the refusal of European clergy to hand over the leadership of the church to the Chinese, in spite of Rome’s edicts to establish an indigenous ecclesiastical hierarchy. With local clergy in charge, the issue of language and cultural adaptation would have been resolved. Unfortunately, the native clergy were looked down upon by their Western counterparts, who were mostly motivated by national and institutional interests rather than pastoral concern for the local people. The appointment of the first Chinese bishop, Gregorio Lopéz (Luo Wenzao), was more a political move than a pastoral need.     

Foreign Talent,Local Glory: Can National Excellence Be Outsourced?

The spectacular success of the Singapore table tennis team has rankled many, including Singaporeans. They take issue with the entire team having been recruited from China and specially naturalised to contribute towards Singapore’s sporting achievements. Is there good reason to oppose Singapore’s approach, which is increasingly common internationally? Would that opposition imply an indefensible form of self-reliance, whereby a country should reject all external assistance? This paper presents a reason to object to Singapore’s approach without promoting repugnant self-reliance. It builds on existing critiques, which are largely based on how foreigners are naturalised, to argue against the underlying motivation for doing so. Three possible rebuttals are considered and rejected because they trade on conceptual confusions. Although the essay focuses on the national pursuit of sporting excellence, the fundamental issue extends beyond: similar concerns apply to other meaningful fields of endeavour that members of a community can engage in.     

剌佛与马礼逊在华传教事业之关系研究

剌佛是英国东印度公司驻广州商馆主席,马礼逊则是公认的基督教新教在中国传播的"开山始祖"。剌佛给予马礼逊在华事业多方帮助。可以说,马礼逊在华事业的开拓,与剌佛对其的鼎力相助是分不开的。但学界研究迄今尚付阙如。本文拟详加探究,祈望能补此方面研究之罅漏。     

AMERICAN MISSIONARIES TRANSMITTING SCIENCE IN EARLY TWENTIETH‐CENTURY EASTERN TIBET

This article is based on the author's extensive research on the missionaries to Tibet from the Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) USA, and discusses various missionary efforts to transmit scientific and practical knowledge such as medicine, building, and agriculture in Eastern Tibet from 1904–1919. It shows that American missionaries played a prominent and distinctive role in the dissemination of scientific and practical knowledge as a result of their hard work and wisdom. In this sense, they made an important contribution to the development of Tibetan society and the modernization movement in early twentieth‐century Eastern Tibet.     

Modern Chinese psychology: Its indigenous roots and international influences

Psychological thinking in China originated 2000 years ago when Chinese philosophers debated about the goodness and evilness of human nature. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Jesuit missionaries introduced the Catholic scholastic psychology into China. Modern Chinese psychology was mainly introduced from Germany, America, and Japan in the early 20th century. After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Chinese psychology tried to stage a reform by taking the psychology of the Soviet Union as its model. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) psychology was abandoned due to its Western roots. In the late 1970s psychology was rehabilitated and new fields were opened up for study. Currently, Chinese psychology is adopting a multi‐dimensional approach to meet the demands of China's modernization movement.     

Moratorium and reconciliation in a post-missionary era

The moratorium on Western missionary labour and financial resources has been a matter of lively interest over the past five decades. Postcolonial theologians and missiologists have blamed Western missionaries for introducing Christianity without paying attention to existing cultures of local people. Despite this, the work of Western missionaries has undeniably contributed to evangelization and the advancing of Western civilization in Africa. In this context, this paper considers Colin Morris’s views on the moratorium to prevent sending missionaries and financial resources from the West. Based on an examination of his views, it analyzes two elements that shape the discourse on the moratorium in the post-missionary era: the impact of the moratorium on Christian mission and the need for reconciliation and partnership between the churches in the global North and the global South. This paper concludes that we must promote the interdependence and mutuality of churches in the global North and the global South if the Christian imperative of making disciples of all nations is to be fulfilled.     

Few,Uncooperative, and Endangered: The Troubled Activity of the Roman Catholic Missionaries in Acadia (1610-1710)

Abstract

This paper analyzes the evangelizing process commenced by the Roman Catholic missionaries established along the Atlantic coasts of Canada from the beginning of the seventeenth century until the first decade of the eighteenth century. Paying particular attention to the case of Acadia, it demonstrates how the effects of the Anglo-French dispute over North America affected missionary results in the Atlantic region. Chronologically arranged, the paper also examines the manner in which, beyond the impact of political factors, the evangelizing activity was affected by a paucity of resources, inconsistencies in the number of missionaries deployed, and poor levels of co-operation between the various religious orders present. Furthermore, it emphasizes that the flimsiness of the missionaries’ links to their hierarchical authorities was crucial to the outcome of their activities in the Atlantic region, and that this operational difficulty was compounded by the progressive disengagement of the papal curia from the French missionary framework as the influence of the Gallican church rose.     

Protestant images of Islam: Disparaging stereotypes reconfirmed

The paper explores the impact of two largely overlooked factors which sustained and reconfirmed the disparaging images American Protestants harboured towards Islam, particularly those which prefigured and informed the perceptions New England missionaries carried over with them in their efforts to evangelize the Orient and the Levant. First, America's encounter with the Barbary States of North Africa at the turn of the nineteenth century, are considered. Second, the life and thought of Henry H. Jessup, a leading missionary in the Levant, is examined as illustrative evidence of the reports and impressions relayed back by the missionaries themselves.     

近代基督教在西南少数民族地区的文字布道及其影响

自从19世纪下半叶西方差会进入西南地区后,传教事业在少数民族中取得了长足的发展,其中文字布道起了重要的作用。传教士通过翻译、出版圣经,编撰赞美诗、小册子、课本等,使少数民族有了读书识字的条件;同时,这些出版物成为传教士传播福音的有力手段。     

Parent’s physical literacy enhances children’s values towards physical activity: A serial mediation model

PurposePhysical literacy is a multidimensional concept that concerns the affective, physical, cognitive, and behavioural aspects of physical activity (PA). It plays a vital role in enhancing PA engagement. However, current research on physical literacy’s function in the family setting is scarce. Its potential effect in elevating values towards PA among parents and children is also understudied. In this study, we examined the predicting role of parents’ physical literacy on children’s values towards PA. We also explored the potential mediating roles of parents’ values towards PA and children’s perceived parental autonomy support for PA through a serial mediation model.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between September 2020 and January 2021, a total of 946 primary school-age children (6–13 years) and their parents from 30 Hong Kong primary schools were recruited by cluster sampling method. Structural equation modelling analysis was conducted using Mplus 7.3.ResultsParents’ values towards PA and children’s perceived parental autonomy support for PA serially mediated between parents’ physical literacy and children’s values towards PA. Specifically, the indirect effects from parents’ physical literacy to children’s values towards PA via parents’ values towards PA (β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.06, 0.17]), and via parents’ values towards PA to children’s perceived parental autonomy support for PA (β = 0.05, 95% CI [0.02, 0.08]) were significant.ConclusionsParents’ physical literacy is a predictor of children’s values towards PA. Parental autonomy support may facilitate the intergenerational transmission of values towards PA between parents and children. Concurrent interventions that target enhancing parents’ physical literacy and parental autonomy support for PA in the family context may be more effective in raising children’s PA values.     

The Double Face of Christian Mission and Education in India from Dalit and Decolonial Perspectives

Missionaries from Europe came to India starting in the 15th century to preach the gospel. Their mission works have both intended and unintended consequences that affect people even today. Missionaries brought modern education to India and gave Western education to Dalits, leading to the social uplifting of Dalits, who were denied education by the oppressive caste system. Some missionaries also spoke against the social evils during their time. On the other hand, some missionaries’ work at times highlighted the Brahmanic religion as a pan-India religion which placed popular religions in a disadvantaged position. Furthermore, their work also helped the British colonial government to maintain control and become powerful. The translation work of the missionaries and the educational institutions helped the colonial government to strengthen its control over the local population. This article discusses the mission work of Robert de Nobili, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, and William Carey and evaluates their mission works from Dalit and decolonial perspectives.     

Clarifying the dynamic interrelation of conflicts between the work and home domain and counterproductive work behaviour

This study investigates the daily relationship between experiencing home–work conflict (HWC) and an employee’s performance of counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) directed towards the individual (CWBI) and CWB directed towards the organization (CWBO). Moreover, we examine whether these relationships are buffered by family supportive supervisor behaviour. Finally, we investigate whether CWBs directed towards the individual and the organization are related to feelings of work–home conflict (WHC). We examined the daily diary data using multilevel path analyses. We found support for a significant positive relation between HWC and same as well as next-day CWB enacted towards the individual, and same-day CWB directed towards the organization. General levels of family supportive supervisor behaviour buffered an employee’s daily relationship between experiencing HWC and enacting counterproductive work behaviour towards the individual, and are directly and negatively related with enacting CWB towards the individual and the organization. Furthermore, daily CWB enacted towards the individual was significantly positive, whereas CWB enacted towards the organization was significantly negatively related to WHC. Future research would benefit from examining buffering effects on the resource-depleting relationship between counterproductive work behaviour enacted towards the individual and WHC.     

Christian protesters for democracy in Taiwan: a study of two American missionaries under Taiwanese martial law

Christians played a significant role in the course of Taiwan’s self-determination movements and the pro-democratic Tangwai movement during the 1960s and 1970s. While most researchers laid their focus on the Presbyterian Church ministers, the stories of Methodist pastor Milo Thornberry and Catholic priest Ronald Boccieri have rarely been mentioned. Thornberry helped Peng Ming-min to escape the country and Boccieri sheltered Chen Chu in his parish church. Consequently, the two American missionaries were listed as personae non gratae and expelled from the island by the Kuomintang (nationalist) regime. Although they were involved in the respective political incidents to different degrees, they had some things in common: compassion for native Taiwanese, concern for social justice and human rights, and conviction in witnessing to the gospel by non-violent action and fighting against injustice. This article uses interviews, autobiographies, memoirs, Foreign Ministry archives and newspapers to recount their stories that have not appeared in the historiography of their churches. It discusses how the Catholic and Methodist Churches maintained harmonious relations with the government for the benefit of their evangelistic work during the period of martial law. Finally it looks into the reasons why the two missionaries dared to disobey their churches’ official positions and the Washington government’s instruction that expatriates in Taiwan should not interfere in local politics.