World Missions from the Home Base; A Group of Addresses and Papers (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1911. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... VIII "THE CEISIS" IN MISSIONAEY METHOD The Christian missionary enterprise must claim the serious consideration of all thoughtful people today. General public intelligence is elicited even where its motives arouse no enthusiasm. It does not longer belong, if it ever belonged, among the incidents or accidents of events. It is one of the most significant social movements of the times. Being such, the missionary enterprise inevitably shares with other great movements the effects of the far-reaching social reconstructions now on. The title above is not meant to suggest that there is a crisis imminent peculiar to the missionary movement. As yet the crisis here is indeed less obvious than in the case of other enterprises touching general human interests. Even the Church, considered as an institution of American society, is more profoundly affected than is the missionary propaganda, though the latter is esteemed to be so closely identified with the Church's life and activities. To a degree the missionary propaganda is, however, segregated from the Church. Perhaps this segregation is in some particulars becoming more marked than formerly. The missionary boards, through which the various churches conduct their missionary work, are in some cases increasingly detached from the churches they represent. Of course the detachment cannot be carried to an extreme, since the support of such boards would thus be jeopardized. But not even that consideration makes so powerfully for attachment as formerly. The support of some of the boards from independent sources is greatly increasing of late. Endowments are accumulating, and the encouragement to individuals to contribute through personal appeals rather than through church channels, is affording an increasing liberty to boards so di...