A fresh and much needed overview of the fascinating and controversial subject that is history of the missionary, Jeffrey Cox presents a balanced survey which examines Britain as the home base of missions and the impact of the missions themselves.

Bengt Sundkler's long-awaited book on African Christian churches will become the standard reference for the subject.

Many of the key improvements to social conditions in the United Kingdom have been made by Christians. Most of us would be able to think of such key Anglican figures as William Wilberforce, Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury or Dr Thomas Barnardo, but lesser known contributions were made behind the scenes by significant members of the Non-Conformist Churches. This book traces the Free Church contribution to society from 1800 to the present day. It looks at the work of campaigners, co-operative societies, philanthropists and politicians, and traces the ways in which conditions in slums, education, and industry were improved, including work with women and with black and ethnic minorities. There is a growing interest in the part the churches can play today in community development and in the building of social capital. This book will show that some of the things now seen as government initiatives had their origins in the work of Free Church pioneers.

Under the influence of wise and devoted and spiritually minded colleagues -- She is a lady of much ability and intelligence : the selection and training of candidates -- LMS work in North India : the feeblest work in all of India -- Good temper and common sense are invaluable : the Church of Scotland Eastern Himalayan Mission -- The work of the CIM at Chefoo : faith-filled generations -- Gender and the professionalization of Victorian society : the mission example -- Conclusion: fools for Christ

Studies in the History of Christian Missions/R. E. Frykenberg and Brian Stanley, series editors/ The World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910 has come down in history as a unique event in the history of the Protestant missionary movement. Brian Stanley s book gives us a full and comprehensive account of the conference, doing so from the perspective of developments in the hundred years since the conference. His study should serve not only as a work of history but also as a work of theological reflection about mission as an ongoing international movement. I welcome this book as an important resource in the church s self-understanding and in its engagement with the world. Lamin Sanneh/Yale University/ Edinburgh 1910 laid the foundations of interdenominational understanding for the ecumenical movement of the twentieth century. . . . With impeccable scholarship, Brian Stanley has written a thorough and revealing analysis of this epoch-making conference. David Bebbington/University of Stirling/ An accomplished study revealing Stanley s deep scholarship and wide knowledge of the modern missionary movement. This book will surely become both a missionary and an ecumenical classic. David M. Thompson/Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge/ This long-awaited book is the definitive history of the World Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh in 1910. Stanley s thorough scholarship and elegant prose bring the conference to life and make a case for its enduring importance to the history of world Christianity. Scholars of missions, ecumenism, world religions, education, and Christian internationalism will find this superb study essential for their work. Dana L. Robert/Boston University School of Theology