Christianity and Empire Revisited

Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-90-04-73847-8
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 37, 260 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Theology and Mission in World Christianity

Were missionaries simply religious agents of imperialism? If you have ever asked—or been asked—this question, then this book is for you. Bringing together historians, literary specialists, and mission scholars, it explores the complexities of the subject, highlighting its many nuances. Figures like Henry Havelock, deeply involved in Britain’s suppression of the 1857 Indian Rebellion, were undoubtedly tied to imperial power. Yet, missionaries and their supporters were also the moral absolutists of their time—sincerely, if at times naively, committed to ideas of human liberation. At the same time, Christianity’s commitment to translation played a role in preserving indigenous languages and literary traditions, adding another layer to this thought-provoking discussion.

Contributors are Brian Stanley, Alec Ryrie, Michael Snape, Nicholas J. Wood, Ashish Alexander, Julian Thompson, Emily Burgoyne, Kyama Mugambi, Kirsteen Kim, and Kang-San Tan.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Weitere Mitwirkende

Stanley, Brian

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein Ökumenik, Konfessionskunde
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface

List of Figures and Tables

Abbreviations

Notes on Contributors

Introduction Brian Stanley

1 A Pre-History of Protestant Mission and Empire: the Propagation of Civility or Cosmic Conflict? Alec Ryrie

2 Empires Human and Divine: the Multiple Ambiguities of Mission Christianity in Imperial Contexts Brian Stanley

3 Missions and the Military: the British Empire and Commonwealth, c.1800–1960 Michael Snape

4 ‘Where Piety and Valour Jointly Go’: 21st-Century Reflections on a 19th-Century British Imperial Hero Nicholas J. Wood

5 Missionaries and People’s Language: Notes from Colonial Punjab Ashish Alexander

6 Dark Heart of Empire: Missionaries, Leopold and Mr Kurtz Julian Thompson and Emily Burgoyne

7 Challenging Empire and Mission: Reflections from Africa Kyama Mugambi

8 The Conception of World Christianity as a Response to Racism: Addressing the Legacy of Empire Kirsteen Kim

9 Contested Perspectives on Mission and Empire: Lessons for Post-Colonial Mission Practice Kang-San Tan

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Brian Stanley (PhD, Cambridge, 1979) is Professor Emeritus of World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh. He has published widely on the history of missions and world Christianity, including Christianity in the Twentieth Century: A World History (2018).