DISSERTATION CHRONICLE Le Grand Siã¨Cle D'une Mission
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DISSERTATION CHRONICLE Le grand siècle d'une mission protestante. La Mission de Paris de 1822 Ã� 1914 by Jean-François Zorn1 Introduction by Jean-François Zorn.2 Several books in English deal with the activities of the Paris Evangelical Missio- nary Society (PEMS), which extend from 1822 to 1971.' This is explained by the fact that the first French Protestant missionaries landed in 1829 in a region which was soon to be under British influence: the Cape Colony of Southern Africa. They were followed some years later by three other French missionaries who founded in 1833 the Basutoland Mission: the Rev. Eugene Casalis and Thomas Arbousset and the lay craftsman Constant Gosselin.' In 1885, yet another Frenchman, Francois Coillard, moving on from the Basutoland Mission, founded the Barotseland Mission.5 1. The paradox of the first PEWS involvements One paradox in the history of the PEMS which my book attempts to explain is why French Protestant missionaries were led to begin their work in Southern Africa and not in Western Africa, for example, where French influence was already felt at the beginning of the 19th century. 1 Doctoral thesis defended on June, 10 1992 at the University of Paris IV (Sorbonne). Paris: Editions Karthala and Les Bergers et les Mages, 1993, 79 1 p. ISBN 2.85304.106.9. 2 Jean-Francois Zorn is 45 years old, sociologist, Dr. in history of the University of Paris IV (Sorbonne), ordained minister of the Reformed Church of France, and responsible for the continuing education of pastors of the Lutheran and Reformed Churches of France, as well as for lay training in the Reformed Church of France. Responsible also for courses in missiology at the Protestant Institute of Theology in Paris and Montpellier and at the Catholic Institute in Paris. 3 For Example, R. Lovett, 77ie History of the London Missionary Society (2 vol.), London: 1989. This book includes a list of the books written by French missionaries and which were translated into English. C.P. Groves, The Planting of Christianity in Afiica. (4 vol.), London: Lutterworth Press, 1948-1958. The PEMS disappeared in 1971 and was replaced by the CEVAA (Evangelical Community for Apostolic Action) a fellowship of 23 Churches from Africa, Europe and the South Sea Islands that had supported the PEMS. On the CEVAA, see Andr6 Roux, Mission des Eglises, mission de I'Eglise; /)MM/rc d'une longne marrhe, Paris: Cerf, 1984, 341p. 4 Victor Ellenberger,A Century of Mission Work in Basutoland, 1833-1933, Morija 1938. 5 Francis Coillard, On the Thrcshold of Central Africa, translated by C.W. Macintosh, London, 1897. In 1802, the Protestant churches of France which had experienced persecution and clandestine existence for a century, were given a legal or juridic standing thanks to the Organic Articles of Protestant Worship. It represented an extension of the Concordat signed the previous year between Bonaparte and the Vatican, which recognized also the freedom of Catholic worship. But, under this new regime, the only right of the now "official" Reformed and Lutheran Churches was to worship inside religious buildings. The right of association being still forbidden, the churches could not organize any activity of a social, cultural, or - obviously - political order. These would have been considered activities endangering public order. Nor could the Protestant churches organize activities outside the national territo- ry. They would have been suspected of entering the field of the international politics of France, conducted by the National Navy which was beginning to flourish. This did apparently not apply to the Catholic Church, since at the time of the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1814, French sailors would help Catholic missions to spread in the colonial empire. Under these conditions, French Protestants caught up in the religious revival at the beginning of the 19th century could envisage neither the organizing of the missionary movement within the framework of the "official" churches nor in the context of the French colonial empire. That is why they created religious societies de facto (and not de juue) whose boards of directors remained informal and did not number more than 20 people, since the penal code prohibited gatherings beyond that number... The French Bible Society, the Paris Evangelical Missiona- ry Society and many other societies of this kind were born under these difficult conditions. 2. The PEMS facing the open alliance between the French government and the Catholic Church Nevertheless the founders of the PEMS sought to become involved in a French colony. In spite of the liberalization of the French regime from 1830 onwards, they only succeeded thanks to the intervention of the governor of Senegal, the Protestant Jean Bernard Jaureguiberry. A missionary was then sent to this country in 1862. But in order not to arouse the suspicion of the Catholics, the governor had to have him appointed as his personal chaplain.b 6 Jean Faure, Hisloire des Missions et Eglises proleslal11es en Ajiique occidenlale des origines à 1884. Yaound6: CLE, 1978, 363p. .