Preface to the Second Edition
More than two decades have passed since the first edition of this volume was published. I was then new in the field of mission studies. Three years earlier, when I was assigned to teach a course on the history of missions, a colleague commented, “It’s an important course, but it’s too bad the subject matter is so boring.” He was right. The texts then available on the worldwide scope of Christian missions were encyclopedic—filled with names and dates and statistics and offering a vast array of factual details about mission organizations and geographical locations. I needed a text that would engage my students. My own teaching style gravitated to content fueled by thorny issues and brutally honest biography.
In my course preparation I quickly discovered that the most interesting debates and controversies in church history have related to mission outreach and evangelism. An added bonus was the lively cast of characters. I have often wondered as I have studied missions history if there is any other field of endeavor that has been peopled by such a “crazy” lot. Many of them were, it seems to me, more eccentric and risky and individualistic and driven than other segments of the population. Often self-sacrificing to the extreme, many were also pedantic and critical and mean-spirited—unable to live in harmony with colleagues or with those to whom they sought to minister.
When I think of missionaries of past generations I am reminded of Sonny, the lead character in Robert Duvall’s film The Apostle, and of Michael Yaconelli’s book Messy Spirituality. Sonny was a preacher and evangelist whose commitment to ministry was unrivaled. But he had feet of clay. His sins were as big as was his heart. He was driven. Nothing could hold him back—not even the messy spirituality that shaped his entire persona. In the end, the law caught up with him, and the last scene, as the credits are rolling, shows Sonny on a chain gang—still preaching the gospel.
The fascinating story of Sonny and messy spirituality has been played out time and again in the mission setting—often with critical issues swirling in the midst of cultural misunderstanding. Here theology is raw and basic. Who is God—in light of other religions? What is the fate of those who have never heard the gospel? Is the message one of contextualization or transformation? Where does competition end and ecumenical harmony begin? The issues that troubled missionaries of the past continue to trouble us today—not just on the “mission field” but at home.
But where is “home”? Two decades ago there was a greater distinction between home and foreign. Today such distinctions are set aside as missionaries crisscross the globe. This new edition reflects this phenomenon of globalization, and it more fully represents missionaries from the whole community of the Christian faith—from Catholics to Pentecostals. Material has been updated where appropriate and new information has been added—all in a humble effort to tell an incredibly good story.