S01E09 Protestant Missionaries 1 of 2

Chinese Revolutions: A History Podcast

Protestant Missionaries Going to China, 1 of 2

In this episode, we look at one of the key parties playing a part in the Taiping Rebellion: foreign Protestant Christian missionaries. Christianity is a universal faith (it means you too!) with a message revolutionary in magnitude. Though it isn't the main player, it's a critical background player.

Quick Rundown of Church History

Christianity was founded by Christ. All of the ancient churches (Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, etc.) share formal liturgy, a literary/literate core and a complementary oral culture, and a formal hierarchy.

Around 1500, in the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation took off against a series of abuses and rampant corruption. It got ahead of the Catholic hierarchy's ability to control it, and so there's that now.

The introduction of printing was key to the ethos of the Protestant Reformation. The centrality of a religious text (the Bible) and the increased accessibility of literature made sharing the Protestant message much, much easier.

The Magisterial Reformation was the first stream of Protestantism. It kept a lot in common with its Roman Catholic origins—as much of a force for revolution that it was.

The Radical Reformation went even further, further emphasizing conscious personal conversion and explicit profession of faith. It was a further break from centuries of authority and tradition.

When Protestants started to send missionaries, print was a primary way they shared their message—and so that's how the founder of the Taiping movement got the resources he started out with.

What This Means for China

Messengers coming with a universal religion, revolutionary message, sharing their message in print. They are driven to share their spiritual and moral message, no matter what happens next. And it's entering the ferment that is China at this time.

Next week: history of Protestant missionary efforts in China before the Opium War.

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