The spread of Christianity

During the 1800's, missionaries from the western European countries spread all over the world, taking the gospel to people groups that had never heard the good news.  This was brought up during a talk at my church's mission conference last weekend, by a Bishop from Africa with whom my church has worked for many years.  His point was that although those missionaries brought the Word that saved them, they also tried to encapsulate it in the cultural trappings of the western European - where the African life was full of joy and song, where drums and dancing were a way of life, the missionary churches were somber and reverent, and holiness was linked to quiet contemplation.  Of course the great thing is that even through the cultural misunderstanding God could and did a mighty work on the continent.

Also, it is interesting to compare that with the beliefs of the evolutionists of the period....


Probably the best example is from Mr. Charles Darwin himself, as recounted in the book "Bones of Contention" by Marvin Lubenow. Darwin wrote of this in "The Voyage of the Beagle". He tells of setting off from England with three natives from Tierra del Feugo on board who had been civilized in England. The plan of Robert Fitzroy, the captain of the Beagle, was to repatriate them as missionaries, a plan Darwin thought was a waste of time.

The Feugians were savages in Darwin's mind, as they had a very primitive culture. They were hunter-gatherers, and a good dog was considered more important than the old folk, who were incapable of hunting or supporting the tribe. Those old fold even became food during hard times. Because of the difference between them and the Europeans, Darwin believed that the natives of Tierra del Feugo were incapable of being evangelized - essentially they did not have the facilities, as the Europeans did, to comprehend something as abstract as religion. In fact, Admiral Sir James Sulivan wrote,

Mr. Darwin had often expressed to me his conviction that it was utterly useless to send Missionaries to such a set of savages as the Fuegians, probably lowest of the human race. I had always replied that I did not believe any human beings existed too low to comprehend the simple message of the Gospel of Christ.

Fortunately missionaries did go to Tierra del Feugo, and even through substantial hardship saw many accept the Gospel. To Darwin's credit, he later admitted his error, writing,

I had never heard a word about the success of the T. del Feugo mission. It is most wonderful, and shames me, as I always prophesied utter failure."

So, while Christian missionaries were reaching out to people all over the world, the birth of biological evolution was trying to divide them.

Posted by: jcallery at 07:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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