Postwar Churches of Christ Mission Work: the Philippines As a Case Study
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Abilene Christian University Digital Commons @ ACU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 5-2018 Postwar Churches of Christ Mission Work: The Philippines as a Case Study Brady Kal Cox Abilene Christian University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd Part of the Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, History of Christianity Commons, History of Religion Commons, Missions and World Christianity Commons, and the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Cox, Brady Kal, "Postwar Churches of Christ Mission Work: The Philippines as a Case Study" (2018). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 78. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ACU. ABSTRACT There was a large increase in the number of Churches of Christ missionaries and missionary efforts following World War II (WWII). There were also significant changes and developments in American religious culture following WWII—Churches of Christ were not exempt from these changes. This study examines the question of how postwar developments in American religion influenced missionary efforts of American Churches of Christ by looking at examples of American missionaries in the Philippines. The study relies heavily on primary sources, including letters and news reports from archival collections, Churches of Christ periodicals, and email correspondence with people familiar with the main church leaders during this time. Secondary sources set the larger context of postwar American religious culture, especially using the historiographical model of “big religion,” to explain the postwar American religious context. Additionally, secondary sources describe the history of the debate over the use of institutions among Churches of Christ. American Churches of Christ missionaries brought postwar developments in American religious culture (e.g., institutionalization and professionalization) with them to the mission field. Mainline Churches of Christ trained native preachers and built churches in the Philippines. Their “American” institutions and expectations created problems of reliance on American financial support, which negatively affected their work. Churches of Christ missionaries also brought American theological debates and disagreements with them to the mission field. The noninstitutional debate among American and Filipino members of the Churches of Christ in the Philippines provides a key interpretive lens for understanding the progress of the churches. Postwar American Churches of Christ missionaries who went to the Philippines were influenced by developments and changes in postwar American religious life. These changes and developments directly influenced their missionary methods in the Philippines, created problems of reliance on U.S. financial support, and led to the introduction of American theological debates. Postwar Churches of Christ Mission Work: The Philippines as a Case Study A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Theology Abilene Christian University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts By Brady Kal Cox May 2018 To Christiana. Thank you for feeding me. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my committee members for their time, effort, and encouragement during this process. Dr. Douglas A. Foster guided and supported me throughout my work on this project. Dr. Carisse Mickey Berryhill was very encouraging, and she provided helpful feedback as I struggled through the end of this project. Dr. Yukikazu Obata provided constructive feedback for my work; thank you for participating in my thesis defense through Skype after 10 p.m. in Japan. I am indebted to the many libraries that I used during my research. First, thank you to the circulation desk and interlibrary loan staff at Abilene Christian University. My thanks to Zeny Maravilla at the National Library of the Philippines (Manila, Philippines), John Mark Wade and David Kiger at the Emmanuel Christian Seminary Library (Elizabethton, TN), and Pam Evans at the Sunset International Bible Institute (Lubbock, TX). Concerning archival materials, I am indebted to Mac Ice and the Center for Restoration Studies at Abilene Christian University (Abilene, TX); Bob Turner, Don Meredith, and the Meredith Restoration History Archive in the L. M. Graves Memorial Library at Harding School of Theology (Memphis, TN); Wanda Dickey and the Special Collections in the William F. Chatlos Library at Florida College (Temple Terrace, FL); Wenxian Zhang and the Archives and Special Collections in the Olin Library at Rollins College (Winter Park, FL); and Kevin D. Arms with the Lake-Sumter State College Libraries (Leesburg, FL). Conversations, email correspondence, and shared documents with people who lived during the events I describe, or who have firsthand knowledge of the topics I examine in this work were very helpful. Thank you to Charles Gunselman, Ken Gunselman, Roberto J. Braña, Teofilo G. Alcayde, Eusebio Tanicala, Ruth Glori Trinidad, Thelma M. Lopez, Willie Franco, Danilo P. Padua, Dominador Belo, Ken Wilkey, Bob Buchanan, Wynell Lecroy, Charles Sheppard, Bonnie Sheppard, Sonny Guild, Janine Paden Morgan, Connie W. Adams, David Tant, David Edwin Harrell, Jr., and Ron Halbrook, who helped me better understand the material explored in this thesis. Thank you for sharing your experiences and your knowledge with me. I had opportunities to present research at a number of conferences while working on my thesis. Thank you to Jeremy Hegi and Christopher Flanders for inviting me to present my research at the 2017 Christian Scholars’ Conference held at Lipscomb University (Nashville, TN); to the Australian Association for Missions Studies for providing me with the Junior Scholars Bursary, which enabled me to attend and present research at their 2017 conference held at Whitley College (Melbourne, Australia); and to Hiroki Takeuchi for the opportunity to present at the 2017 joint meeting of the Southwest Conference on Asian Studies and the Western Conference of Association for Asian Studies held at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX). These opportunities were helpful as I was able to receive feedback concerning my research findings. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................1 Literature Review ..................................................................................................2 Scope and Methodology .......................................................................................5 Scope .........................................................................................................5 Methodology .............................................................................................6 Delimitations .............................................................................................8 Definition of Terms ...................................................................................9 Chapter Outline ...................................................................................................12 II. CHAPTER II: POSTWAR AMERICAN RELIGIOUS LIFE AND THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST ..................................................................................13 American Postwar “Big Religion” ......................................................................13 History of Debates Over Institutionalism Among Churches of Christ ...............20 Postwar Churches of Christ ................................................................................27 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................38 III. CHAPTER III: MAINLINE CHURCHES OF CHRIST MISSION WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES ............................................................................................40 Prewar Mission Work .........................................................................................41 Postwar Mission Work ........................................................................................43 Mission Work in Manila .....................................................................................50 William Douglass Gunselman in Quezon City ...................................................55 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................65 IV. CHAPTER IV: NONINSTITUTIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST MISSION WORK IN THE PHILIPPINES ..........................................................................67 The Beginning of the Noninstitutional Churches of Christ in the Philippines ...68 Backlash ..............................................................................................................70 Correspondence ..........................................................................................70 Publications ................................................................................................75 Debates .......................................................................................................80 Debates Between Noninstitutional Leaders ........................................................86 Conclusion ..........................................................................................................93