An uncompromising land; the London Missionary Society in China, 1807-1860

The missionary movement was part of the economic and social upheavel of eighteenth and nineteenth century England during which religion also underwent many changes. The religious revolution was less dramatic than the industrial but it did parallel the latter in many ways. New methods of spreading Protestant Christianity were attempted, resulting in of missionary activity.; One of the best financed and organized societies was the Missionary Society. In order to attract as many supporters as possible it welcomed members from most Protestant denominations. This universality, it was hoped, would provide the foundation for the achievement of a formidable goal--the conversion of the world. The missionary movement followed in the wake of British exploration as well as traders seeking new markets and raw materials; inevitably the vast population of China became a focal point.; During six decades the missionaries emulating the merchants' tactics, used every possible means to bring the Gospel to the Chinese. The opportunities presented by the First and Second Opium Wars as well as the unequal treaties forced upon China by the British were seen by the missionaries as God's will made manifest not as the imperialism. But, despite the organization, the opportunities and the effort, the Missionary Society made little if any impact on China.; The Chinese people remained aloof to the foreigners who came to their shores. The religion of such organizations as the Missionary Society was seen not as something bound to a higher Being, but rather bound to opium and British imperialism.; The missionary, the individual who left his home and country to minister to the Chinese, found frustration and failure. Where Christian stoicism and sacrifice were expected all too human qualities manifested themselves in the face of Chinese indifference or hostility. Missionary reaction showed itself in many ways: inflated feelings of superiority, dissappointment and bickering. Relationships between the missionaries themselves and with the home office in London in some cases became vehement and destructive. This is an examination of the records of the missionaries, and their view of China and their place in it, as well as the role they played in extending British interests in China.