y | ee iqwyY yi _S Institute of Pacific Relations Preliminary Paper Prepared for Second General Session July 15-29, 1927 Facing the Future of the Missionary Movement “By EDWARD H’HUME, MD., LL.D. ’ HONOLULU July, 1927 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Columbia University Libraries https://archive.org/details/facingfutureofmi00hume Facing the Future of the Missionary Movement 1. THE PRESENT SITUATION 1. Missions Are Being Challenged: The missionary movement is being vigorously challenged today in many quarters. Not only are men and women in Western lands raising basic questions as to the inherent right of individuals or groups to propagate such religious beliefs as they may hold, and as to the limitations, if any, that should be placed upon those who desire to propagate their religious beliefs; but not a few of our Oriental friends have started to state frankly their criticisms of missions ; witness recent magazine articles with such titles as: “An Oriental Looks at Christian Missions”,! or “China and Christianity”,? and many others. 2. Some Underlying Factors: In studying the criticisms before us, which deal, admittedly, with the less happy phenomena of the mission- ary movement, two considerations must be borne in mind. The first is that missions grew up during a period of history when war was still trusted as the most decisive thing in existence. “Submit the dispute,” men said, “to the arbitrament of arms.” This warlike spirit in politics, never more potent in history than during the past three centuries, was often paralleled by an aggressive mood in religion, the two influences interacting to increase the desire for mastery. The second is that those who went as missionaries were conscious of being sent, “missi.” They catried an unusually developed sense of commission and felt that this put upon them a responsibility to achieve something and an equally great responsibility to report what they had achieved. This led, in many cases, to undue emphasis on statistics, particularly with regard to records of conversion. 3. The Oriental Criticizes Frankly: The Oriental has been conscious for decades that his status was held to be inferior by many of the West- erners who came to propagate their religion. Today the extreme critics have become vocal to a degree. Some of their complaints are as follows: (1) The missionary is apt to regard himself as a superior being. Not only does he think of his message as incomparable, but his attitude is often one of disdain. He still claims far too many of the positions of administrative control in Church, school and hospital. (2) The missionary is often unsympathetic. He does not share deeply enough in the suffering, the griefs and the disappointments of the people among whom he labors. He often complains about things that affect his own well-being without appreciating fully how much more those suffer in whose midst he works. 1 Cornelius; in Harper’s Magazine, March, 1927. 2Hu Shih; in Forum, July, 1927. 3 (3) The missionary, whether as teacher or preacher, frequently over- looks the significance of Oriental cultures and religions. He compares these unfavorably with his own. He brings his Scriptures, his classics, his textbooks, his maps, his methods in Church or college, and assumes that these will be acceptable. Important as they are, adapting them to local environments is essential. (4) The missionary does not sufficiently trust the people among whom he works. He acts as if they were financially irresponsible; what is more, as if they would never become able to manage their own finances in Church and educational work. (5) The missionary commonly hesitates to entrust authority of any sort even to those whom he has trained. He is, therefore, likely to find him self, in such countries as China, suddenly confronted with a situation where he must surrender authority. Because men and women have not been taught the use of power, he fears disintegration for the work he has wrought so faithfully. (6) The missionary has too often related himself unwisely to the poli- tical situation. Sometimes, with friendly intent, he has defended those involved in legal difficulties, while at other times he has withheld sym- pathy from national movements that sought to establish or to regain a country’s rightful independence, (7) The missionary board, back of the missionary, has, in many instances, thought of itself as permanently in control of the activities of those it has sent out. It has hesitated to transfer authority into the hands of local organizations in the Orient. (8) The organization which the missionary has built up is likely to prove far too complex for the Orient. Many of its buildings are too extensive and too costly; its institutional plans and administrative mach- inery are often too cumbersome to be easily naturalized. (9) The missionary organization is, in a great many cases, entirely too Western in its atmosphere. It has been created by Westerners who have not understood the East and who have not learned to adjust their own systems to an Eastern environment. (10) The missionary organization appears to be intimately related to the politics of Western lands. Each transfer of property must be regis- tered at a consulate; every missionary’s movements must be controlled by Western consular officials; in times of trouble the consul is expected to demand protection or indemnity. ‘The common people are apt to gain the impression of an intimate connection between missions and governments. (11) The missionary movement as a whole appears to be dependent, in many instances, upon gunpowder and armed force. Many are pointing out that this seems quite foreign to the spirit of Jesus as illustrated in the Sermon. on the Mount Now it is undoubtedly true that such criticisms as these emanate from a minority in the Orient. By far the larger part of those in touch with missions are genuinely friendly to the missionaries in their midst and deeply appreciative of the constructive work they have done. At times of national upheaval, however, as in the case of China today, criticism is apt to burst out with unusual violence. During the storm of a poli- tical revolution, with excitement running high, even the man on the street, ordinarily so friendly, may begin to find fault with missionaries for the 4 inconsistencies in their lives. The communist, finding opportunity to pro- claim his doctrines, is apt to call out that religion is nothing but an opiate for the soul, while the materialist asserts that science is displacing religion, which men now believe, he says, to be little more than a super- stitution, well enough adapted to simple folks in uneducated and uncul- tured social groups. At such a time, too, the nationalist may insist that the missionary teacher is restraining his pupils or his employes from participation in current patriotic movements. Such a sudden breaking loose of a storm of complaint is not to be wondered at. In the political sphere, the insistence on “self-determination” is becoming widespread, leading to much unrestrained abuse and conflict. The issues are serious and require thoughtful study. 4. The Occidental Reflects: Hitherto many Western Christians had taken missions for granted. They had become accustomed to maps of the world in which the Orient was represented in solid black and the Occident as wholly white, with a few white rays penetrating the dark- ened areas and beginning to dispel the universal blackness. Many are beginning to reflect on the phenomena now taking place, and realize that: (1) The missionary movement has developed during, and been an ac- companiment of, the great era of colonial expansion on the part of West- ern powers. (2) It has been an outgrowth of and, often, an expression of, the’ idea of the Church militant. (3) It has often carried a very dogmatic, creedally formulated message. (4) Some of the missionaries of this era have been true iconoclasts, not only literally breaking down idols, but also attacking with violence whatever they regarded as a sign of religious opposition. (5) The missionary movement has built up in the West a vocabulary of antithesis. We were Christians; those of the Orient were heathen. (6) There has been rejoicing, both private and public, in the political openings that have made it possible for Christianity to enter one land after another, even when the entrance of missionaries into a given area has been practically forced. When missionaries suffered persecution or even death, our political agents usually demanded heavy indemnities. (7) The West has, in general, been quite unaware of the spiritual values in other religions, and too often unappreciative of their quest for eternal truth. (8) Our missionaries have had far too little intimate fellowship with the people of the countries among whom they have worked. Too often they have isolated themselves. Too often they have been so busy pro- claiming their own message that they have failed to hear the desires and complaints and, in particular, to discover the deeper spiritual feel- ings that those about them would have liked to express. (9) The missionary attitude has been too often that of “doing for” instead of “working with.” Now as the West thus reflects, it appreciates that such states of mind, such outward conduct and attitudes, while often regrettable, were a pro- duct of the period. We ourselves, as well as our missionaries, were part and parcel of our medieval conception of life. We lived in a military age; we had cultivated an attitude of superiority. When our missionaries went to the Orient, they were not apt to shed these elements derived from their environment. On the other hand, unless there had been deep conviction with regard to their message, our missionaries would not have cared to give their lives to an extraordinarily difficult task. Unless our early missionaries had been possessed by a unique devotion, they would not have dared to face the perils incident to their endeavor. It was the union of conviction and of devotion that enabled these pioneer workers to stand firm under the difficult conditions they faced during this war-trusting period, which, we now begin to hope, is coming to an end. 5. A Changing Spirit: Certain clear signs are to be seen that a new day is at hand. (1) The spirit of science is compelling us to be tolerant, to listen to the other man’s opinion, to test our own work in the laboratory, and to cultivate a spirit of humility in the presence of the eternal facts of the universe. (2) Realizing that religion is the quest of the soul for God, we have begun to discover the significance of the spiritual search in Buddhism, in Hinduism, and in other Oriental religions. (3) We are recalling that. Jesus was_an Oriental figure and that the traits of character he emphasized in the Sermon on the Mount were, many of them, more readily understood by the Oriental than by the Occidental. The man from India, China and Japan may, therefore, find in Jesus much that had never been understood by the West. (4) We are recognizing that if Jesus is to influence the Orient, he must become naturalized there. He can scarcely come close to the Oriental mind if he continues to be regarded as a foreigner. (5) We are beginning to see that the work of missions is likely to — consist more largely in interpreting the life and message and _ sacrifice and spirit of the Founder of the Christian religion, rather than merely in philanthropic activities, however significant these may be. Thought- ful persons throughout the Orient record their deep appreciation of the educational and medical contribution made by Western missions. With- out them, the revolutionary changes in the social structure, now so con- spicuous everywhere, would scarcely have come about in the way they have. And yet, as to the future, the Orient is likely to call for effective interpreters of the religious spirit, rather than for technical skill only. (6) We are discovering that the missionary boards in the Occident and the various Church constituencies that support them must be awakened to a new attitude of confidence in the Orient, of determination - to minimize denominationalism, and of willingness to pledge aid in men and money to indigenous bodies that stand ready to take up the work brought into being by missionaries. il. POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF THE PRESENT SITUATION 1. Christianity may cease to be a force in the Orient. The record of the Nestorian missionary approach to China in the 7th century, fol- lowed by its total disappearance within a couple of hundred years, due in large measure to religious compromise, indicates the possibility of failure in a religious movement. The Franciscans who came in the 13th century, led by John of Monte Corvino, failed, similarly, to leave a mark in China. The ultra-foreign character of their work was undoubtedly their undoing. A third and a very promising missionary movement in 6 China was started by the Jesuits late in the 16th century, but it, too, after 140 years of progress, encountered proscription and faced possible extermination. The Emperor had been offended, there were controversies between contending orders, and the prospect that Christianity might again disappear was very real. The crisis facing the missionary movement in China today is of a different sort, but even more basic and perplexing. Some of the reasons for this crisis grow out of causes indicated in the earlier paragraphs of this statement. In China, as elsewhere, Christianity may lose all vital influence, unless the missionary movement of the new day revises its pro- gram and methods. In those countries where a strong nationalism has arisen, it is not un- natural that political leaders should view with concern, if not with sus- picion, the presence in their midst of foreigners who advocate methods devised in other lands and adapted to different civilizations. The prim- ary question today is as to whether the missionary movement is really making it possible for the message of Christianity to become naturalized. If so, it will endure. 2. Materialism May Become Widespread. The disappearance of Christ- ianity from one land or another may be followed by a setting up, even though for but a limited time, of materialism as a dominant philosophy. In Russia, governmental authorities would like to see religion banished. The continued observance of religious forms in that land and the wide- spread clinging to worship at the shrines everywhere gives evidence of the way in which the religious instinct is basic in the human soul. Of late, apostles of modern materialism have visited the Orient and pro- claimed their gospel. They have had wide hearing and have made a lasting impression in many quarters by their assertion that the West is materialistic and that it cares little today for Christianity. 3. Loss Of Religious Cooperation. More serious even than that Christ- ianity should appear to have lost its influence in this land or that, and more serious even than that it should be replaced by materialism, is the danger that the West may lose the opportunity to cooperate with the Orient in the spiritual realm. China, for example, has reached a stage where she is unwilling to have her soul saved for her by the West: What a calamity if the West should lose the opportunity to work alongside of her in spheres other than mechanical and commercial! Living alone religiously, China might become so chauvinistic in her inner religious attitude as to prevent the normal growth of her spiritual being. No country can afford to give up the sense that others are working with her in the realm of religion as in that of politics, of commerce and of science. ill, AN APPROACH TO A NEW PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONS 1. Whatever our conclusions as to the ethics of religious propagation in countries other than our own, and whatever we find as to the desire for religious interchange between East and West, four requirements stand out as fundamental in formulating a new philosophy of missions. (1) We must have a new interpretation of Christianity and of its founder. Clearly neither Western nor Eastern peoples are likely to be interested much longer in Christian dogma, or even in medical and educational work merely, important though these philanthropic activities 7 may be. The Orient is asking today for a frank statement about and an honest interpretation of the person, the teaching and the spirit of Jesus. The Oriental will himself be able increasingly to establish and conduct the schools he needs and to administer the hospitals he needs. From the West he is sure to desire something deeper. It is more than probable that the early Buddhist missionaries from India to China secured their foothold by the humble life they lived and the sincerity with which they taught the truths of their master. Clearly enough, their religious message had no accompaniments of militarism, of commerce, or of modern science. (2) We must seek a new understanding of the spiritual values in Oriental religions. They, too, are engaged in a quest. They, too, are attempts to find a way of life. Theirs is an honest search for Eternal Truth, Theirs are earnest endeavors to find God. The founder of the Christian religion must have had this in his consciousness when he said: “T came not to destroy but to fulfill.” We need to understand a great deal more about the major religious emphases in China and India. In China, for example, to select three of the major words in its religious vocabulary: hsiao, ho, jen; the first lays emphasis on the filial relationship; the second, on spiritual harmony ; the third, on what we may call for lack of a better term, humanity. The Chinese character- jen, humanity, is that of a man beside two hori- zontal strokes, the upper representing heaven and the lower our earthly existence. Humanity is the thing that links the eternal with the tem- poral. (3) We must secure, as representatives of Christianity in the Orient, men who have accepted the new conception of Christianity, who are willing to seek a new understanding of the Oriental religions and who seek to bring these two into harmony. They must approach the Orient as humble students of religion, and must remain students all their lives. They must share consciously with their Oriental brothers in a co-operative search for Eternal Truth. They must be unassuming, co-operative fel- low-workers in a spiritual task, working in genuine fellowship, sharing with their Oriental colleagues in success and failure, joy and sorrow. They must seek no office, desire no authority, but must join, rather, with those of other religious faiths both in seeking fuller understandings of religious truth and in seeking to spiritualize the entire social order. (4) There must be messengers from the Orient who bring a religious message to the West. They must not only give us an understanding of religion as the Oriental sees it, but must be men who will enlarge and enrich our conceptions of Christianity. 2. For some, this new approach to a philosophy of religion will be an easy achievement. They have already lived in the atmosphere of understanding and appreciation. For many in Western lands, however, a process of education will be needed so that they may better understand this enlarged view of life, and, grasping it, throw their influence in the direction of establishing it. They must be willing to think of all re- ligious endeavor as a common task, providing, when needed, financial support for the day’s work without hesitancy. Where confidence exists in those who lead a movement, material support cannot be withheld. Their emphasis must be, not so much on the word devolution, as on the 8 thought of recognition that India and China must naturally take leader- ship and control in the field of religion. IV. SOME OF THE STEPS IN THE PROCESS Given the new philosophy of missions hinted at above, men and women from different lands will meet and outline a program of procedure with such emphasis on method as is congenial to their setting. A few simple steps suggest themselves: 1. Not organization but fellowship is required. Men and women whose attitude transcends narrow nationalism must be set free to move about in Occident and Orient to develop a sense of comradeship. Their task will not be to create bodies with officers and by-laws, but rather to help citizens of different nations to meet each other and to under- stand each other’s religious approach. 2. Administrative organization must be simplified. Fewer officers and more co-operating workers, less machinery and more of the spirit of the common task, will be called for. 3. The new spirit and the new attitude that unite those thus engaged in religious activities will have to find statement in the simplest terms, so that others may understand something of the process and of the goal. 4. So far as possible, the activities hitherto conducted by Westerners will secure Oriental leadership. If committees are formed for church or school or orphanage, Westerners may or may not be asked to serve thereon. Their services must be at the disposal of the Oriental leaders who need their aid as counsellors or professional workers. 5. Unadapted and. unadaptable Westerners will naturally drop out of the picture... Those who lack pliability of temperament and buoyancy of spirit will not understand how to share in this new endeavor. 6. Mission boards in the Occident and missions in the Orient will come, more and more, to put their property, as they put their personnel, at the disposal of indigenous bodies. Initiative and leadership, which have hitherto been repressed, will be given all possible encouragement, and the material goods which the West has been able to bring together will be at the service of the common task. 7. Mission boards in the Occident will soon discover that their largest function will be to act as co-operating groups, who offer financial and professional aid, and who provide, above all, an understanding personnel for the task in the Orient. The above statement records an attempt to think through a few of the aspects of the present situation, facine frankly the criticisms of the missionary movement and reflecting on their significance and on certain present dangers. It records a conviction that the new dav needs a new philosophy for missions, as for other activities of human life. If religion is a universal human instinct, its origin in the human soul is the same in the Orient as in the Occident. The Occident needs to learn the lesson that the religious horizons of the human race are not broadened by dominance and assertiveness so much as by a dedication of men as brothers to a spiritual quest. Missions reconstructed on this under- standing of their task are likely to find permanent welcome from the Orient.