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THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT in the AUGUSTANA CHURCH the American Church Is Made up of Many Varied Groups, Depending on Origin, Divisions, Changing Relationships

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THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT in the AUGUSTANA CHURCH the American Church Is Made up of Many Varied Groups, Depending on Origin, Divisions, Changing Relationships Augustana College Augustana Digital Commons Augustana Historical Society Publications Augustana Historical Society 1984 The iM ssionary Spirit in the Augustana Church George F. Hall Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/ahsbooks Part of the History Commons, and the Scandinavian Studies Commons Recommended Citation "The iM ssionary Spirit in the Augustana Church" (1984). Augustana Historical Society Publications. https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/ahsbooks/11 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Augustana Historical Society at Augustana Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Augustana Historical Society Publications by an authorized administrator of Augustana Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Missionary Sphit in the Augustana Church George F. Hall \ THE MISSIONARY SPIRIT IN THE AUGUSTANA CHURCH The American church is made up of many varied groups, depending on origin, divisions, changing relationships. One of these was the Augustana Lutheran Church, founded by Swedish Lutheran immigrants and maintain­ ing an independent existence from 1860 to 1962 when it became a part of a larger Lutheran community, the Lutheran Church of America. The character of the Augustana Church can be studied from different viewpoints. In this volume Dr. George Hall describes it as a missionary church. It was born out of a missionary concern in Sweden for the thousands who had emigrated. As soon as it was formed it began to widen its field. Then its representatives were found in In­ dia, Puerto Rico, in China. The horizons grew to include Africa and Southwest Asia. Two World Wars created havoc, but also national and international agencies. Augustana's part-one of support, cooperation, leadership-in missions throughout the world is a fascinating story, and a contribution to the history of mis­ sions. It is a story that the Augustana Historical Society is happy to add to its lengthening series. The Missionary Spirit in the Augustana Church Augustana Historical Society Publication No. 32 Copyright 1984 by Augustana Historical Society Augustana College Rock Island, Illinois ISBN: 0-910184-31 Library of Congress Card Number: 84-72945 , Printed in the United States Wagners Printers, Inc. Davenport, Iowa II Gratefully dedicated to DR. EMEROY JOHNSON parish pastor and church historian ADOLPH and EMILY LOKENSGAARD both deceased 1984 MR. and MRS. T. N. MAURITZ MRS. ADAIR NELSON generous contributors to the support of Missions. III CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Conrad Bergendoff ............VI, VII ACKNOWLEDGMENT ............................ VIII, IX I. THE AUGUSTANA SYNOD- A PRODUCT OF MISSIONS .........................1-3 II. INDIA AND THE GENERAL COUNCIL .............5-7 III. COLLEGE MISSIONARY SOCIETIES: THE KNANISHUS ................................ 9-14 IV. EMMY CARLSON EVALD: THE WOMAN'S MISSIONARY SOCIETY ..........................15-18 V. G. SIGFRID SWENSSON : PUERTO RICO ......... 19-21 VI. AUGUST WILLIAM EDWINS : THE CHINA FOREIGN MISSIONARY SOCIETY ..........................23-28 VII. RALPH D. HULT: SUDAN ......................29-34 VIII. TANGANYIKA AND WORLD WAR I .. : ......... 35-40 IX. GEORGE NATHANAEL ANDERSON: IRAMBA-TURU, TANGANYIKA ..................................41-47 X. RICHARD REUSCH: ORPHANED GERMAN MISSIONS AFTER WORLD WAR II ........................ .49-52 XI. THE ZAM ZAM: MISSIONARIES FOR AFRICA IN WARTIME .....................................53-56 XII. S. HJALMAR SWANSON: EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, BOARD OF FOREIGN MISSIONS ................ 57-61 XIII. ERNEST WEINHARDT : SOUTH AMERICAN PRAYER LEAGUE .............................63-66 XIV. PAUL AND JONATHAN LINDELL: WORLD MISSION PRAYER LEAGUE .............................67-69 IV XV. HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI: THE NEW AGE ..71-75 XVI. JOHN L. BENSON : LUTHERAN CHURCH OF CHINA IN HONG KONG ..............................77-86 XVII. RUEBEN LUNDEEN : THE BASEL SELF­ ESTABLISHED CHURCH OF NORTH BORNEO.. 87-90 XVIII. GEORGE L. OLSON : JAPAN EV ANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH ........................ 91-94 XIX. DR. CHUNG-AN CHIN: TAIWAN: LUTHERAN CHURCH OF CHINA; MALAYA ................95-99 XX. PAUL HUBERT BENSON : URUGUAY ..........101-106 XXI. ELMER REINHOLD DANIELSON: LUTHERAN CHURCH OF NORTHERN TANGANYIKA: THE LUTHERAN WORLD FEDERATION .....107-117 XXII. MELVIN ADOLPH HAMMARBERG: EMERGENT LUTHERAN UNITY .........................119-122 XXIII. DONALD CECIL FLATT: THE SCHOOL OF MISSIONS, LUTHERAN SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT CHICAGO ................. 123-128 XXIV. RUDOLPH CARL BURKE: MERGER DECISIONS ............................129-132 XXV. AUGUSTANA AND MISSIONARY LITERATURE: KNANISHU TO ANDERS HANSON ........... 123-140 XXVI. DAVID LUTHER VIKNER: LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA ..............................141-147 XXVII. THE BEGINNINGS VIEWED A CENTURY LATER ..............................149-155 APPENDIX .......................................156-157 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................158-162 INDEX ..........................................163-166 V Introduction With the passing of an institution, as well as of an individual, the image fades quickly away. Soon few will remember what kind of a church the Augustana Synod was before it merged and became a part of the Lutheran Church in America. It is the purpose of this book to emphasize one of its characteristics._Augustana was a missionary church. Emmet Eklund in his recent book on Peter Fjellstedt Missionary Men­ tor to Three Continents has described the influence of this Swedish churchman on the leaders of the immigrant body and their missionary concerns. From the first Augustana people thought of the world field as well as of their own. Their first cooperation with other Lutherans opened paths to India and Puerto Rico. In retrospect it seems that the flowering of missionary ac­ tivity in Augustana came after the world missionary conference at Edinburgh in 1910. The interest of college students goes back to the 19th century, but in the first two decades of the 20th there was eager response to calls from China and Africa. Not only was this on the part of individuals on campuses but also in the dedication of Augustana families whose names appear in many parts of the world. Furthermore we meet with organizations that involved whole groups of church members: the student missionary societies, the China Society, the Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society. Comparative­ ly the Synod was a small body-was there any other Lutheran church that inspired so many of its members to missionary study, to volunteer service, to financial contributions, to posi­ tions of leadership? In World Wa� 11 the map of the earth changed. We now read of necessary alterations in Africa and Asia as well as in Europe and America to meet recurrent crises. Fruits of earlier VI generations now appear in the part played by Augustana per­ sons in decisions of the Lutheran World Federation and the World Council. The Church had become ecumenical and a new chapter was written in the overseas churches. Missionary interest could not be confined to the established denominations-individuals went forth on their own to bring the message of Christ to a broken world. Augustana missions were represented in important administrative positions on several continents as well as on lonely paths of faith endeavors in obscure places. To tell the story of the missionary character of this church, especially in its later phases, Dr. George Hall has been prevailed on. Few have had access to the fields of our own generation as he has had in meeting assignments both in education and administration. His personal acquaintance with the person­ nel on the fields gives authenticity to the story he tells. His 50 years as an ordained minister has given him an almost equal portion of service before and after the 1962 merger. Knowing Augustana before and after, he speaks with experience of a church which now is history but, which also, through the grace of God, helped make history. Conrad Bergendoff VII ACKNOWLEDGMENT Appreciation is due Dr. Conrad Bergendoff, my mentor in seminary days and following who first visualized this project and has through re-writings and revisions served as advisor and editor. In addition he secured fonds for its subsidy. Our rela­ tionship in these past five years in this project has been of con­ sistent growth. H1s concern for missions was evident in his early years as he considered the missionary vocation for himself and has been expressed in his relationship to nearly all of the pastors and their wives who have served as Augustana missionaries. Readers for the first version for the Augustana Historical Society were Dr. Paul Anderson, Dr. Ellis Benson, Dr. H. Daniel Friberg and Rev. Stanley Swanson. Others also gra­ ciously read this manuscript in whole or in part and aided me and appreciation is expressed to them as well, namely Rev. Donald Anderson, Rev. Philip Anderson, Rev. Earl Bengtson, Dr. William Berg, Dr. Elmer Danielson, Mr. CharlesErb, Rev. Robert Esbjornson, Rev. Donald Flatt, Rev. Anders Hanson, Dr. Emeroy Johnson, Mrs. Hobart Johnson, Rev. Le Roy Kind­ schuh, Mr. Jonathan Lindell, Rev. Joel Lundeen, Dr. Russell Nelson, Rev. Howard Palm, Rev. Richard B. Pierson, Mrs. Hilda Benson-Powicke, Rev. Harry Victorson and Dr. David Vikner. Their help 4as been accepted with gratitude. Institutions have assisted also, namely the Archives of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, Joel Lundeen, Ar­ chivist; North Park College library and archives, Dr. Sigurd
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