Module THEO3571: Gospel, Mission and Empire: Proclaiming Christianity to the World, 1830-1980

Department: Theology and Religion

THEO3571: Gospel, Mission and Empire: Proclaiming Christianity to the World, 1830-1980

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• • To expose students to the age of colonial empire through the lens of the active Christianization of Africa and Asia.
• • To acquaint students with the varied dynamics of missionary activity in East Africa, India and China across two centuries.
• • To explore the multi-faceted nature of the relationship between missionaries and indigenous converts, not least the degree of independent agency exercised by non-European Christians.
• • To hone students’ skills in the close reading of and critical engagement with primary texts.
• • To offer a modern church history module at a time when few such options exist at the undergraduate level.

Content

• While much missionary activity went hand in hand with the development of empire, it was by no means inevitable that the missionary would be the subsidiary partner. This module will trace the scope and character of missionary activity in East Africa, India and China across the greater part of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with particular (though not exclusive) reference to its Anglican component. It will explore how missionary work both complemented and conflicted with the imperial project and ultimately gave rise to local churches with very different agendas and modes of thought. It will explore the evolution of the theology of mission in light of Christian engagement with indigenous religions (including Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam) and examine the missionary contribution to the development of new societies in these regions and its interaction with existing civil authority. It will also look directly at how missionary interactions fostered a climate of ecumenical dialogue that ultimately gave rise to the Church of South India. It will conclude with an assessment of how the missionary legacy today defines the outlook of the churches of the Global South.

Learning Outcomes

• • In-depth knowledge of mission and missiology during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• • Understanding of the Christianization of Africa and Asia during the era of colonization, with special reference to the impact of Christianity on indigenous societies and the emergence of native churches distinct from the missionary societies that gave them birth.

• • Ability to read, interpret and evaluate primary sources relating to modern missionary activity.
• • Ability to recognize the subsequent and continuing influence of the missionary worldview on ecumenical dialogue and on the character of the churches of the Global South.
• • Ability to situate missionary activity in the context of wider developments in Christian thought and practice in the recent past.
• • Ability to understand and critically evaluate contemporary scholarship on missions and missiology.

• • Skills in the acquisition and interpretation of information through close, nuanced reading of primary and secondary sources.
• • Skills in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• • Skills in the conducting of research.
• • Skills in thinking theologically and historically.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• • Lectures convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject-matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information.
• • Seminars enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff, promoting awareness of different viewpoints and approaches.
• • Formative essays develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• • Summative essays develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.
• • Examinations assess subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the structured presentation of information in written form under time constraints.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 2500-word essay

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University