Cover -- Blurbs, Half Title Page, Series Page, Title Page, Copyright, Dedication, Map, Series Foreward -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Preface -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. The Religious Context in North India: Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity -- Chapter 2. The Religious Context in North India: American Evangelicalism -- Chapter 3. The Missionaries: Religious and Social Innovators -- Chapter 4. Indian Workers and Leaders: Negotiating Boundaries -- Chapter 5. Theology in a New Context -- Chapter 6. Community in a New Context -- Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Index of Places -- Index of Subjects and Names

A History of Christian Missions traces the expansion of Christianity from its origins in the Middle East to Rome, the rest of Europe and the colonial world, and assesses its position as a major religious force worldwide. Many of the world’s religions have not actively sought converts, largely because they have been too regional in character. Buddhism, Islam and Christianity, however, are the three chief exceptions to this, and Christianity in particular has found a home in almost every country in the world. Professor Stephen Neill’s comprehensive and authoritative survey examines centuries of missionary activity, beginning with Christ and working through the Crusades and the colonization of Asia and Africa up to the present day, concluding with a shrewd look ahead to what the future may hold for the Christian Church.

This superb volume provides the first genuinely global one-volume history of the rise and development of the Christian faith. An international team of specialists takes seriously the geographical diversity of the Christian story, discussing the impact of Christianity not only in the West but also in Latin America, Africa, India, the Orient and Australasia.

Jesse Zink has written a must-read for all interested in the ongoing crises in Africa and, in particular, the vexed relationship between civil war and religion.--Joel Cabrita, University Lecturer in World Christianity, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge

A deeper understanding of the grand history of mission leads to a faithful expression of God's mission today. From the beginning, God's mission has been carried out by people sent around the world. From Abraham to Jesus, the thread that weaves its way throughout Scripture is a God who sends his people across the world, proclaiming his kingdom. As the world has evolved, Christian mission continues to be a foundational tradition in the church. In this one-volume textbook, Edward Smither weaves together a comprehensive history of Christian mission, from the apostles to the modern church. In each era, he focuses on the people sent by God to the ends of the earth, while also describing the cultural context they encountered. Smither highlights the continuity and development across thousands of years of global mission.

A world-claiming theology of the church draws on ancient and modern thoughts. The author focuses on how the church can grow to become in reality "God's missionary people."

This book makes visible an important but largely neglected aspect of Christian missions: its transnational character. An interdisciplinary group of scholars present case-studies on missions and individual missionaries, unified by a common vision of expanding a Christian Empire “to the ends of the world”. Examples range from Madagascar, South-Africa, Palestine, Turkey, Tibet, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Canada and Britain. Engaging in activities from education, health care and development aid to religion, ethnography and collection of material culture, Christian missionaries considered themselves as global actors working for the benefit of common humanity. Yet, the missionaries came from, and operated within a variety of nation-states. Thus this volume demonstrates how processes on a national level are closely linked to larger transnational processes.