tologie." In Georg F. Vicedom, ed., Theologischie Stimmen aus Asien, Ray, Benjamin C. 1976. AfricanReligions-Symbols, Ritual and Community, Afrika und Lateinamerika, vol. 3. Munich: C. Kaiser Verlag.) Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall. --. 1975. The Prayers of AfricanReligion. London: SPCK. Sawyerr, Harry. 1968. Creative Evangelism-Towards a New Christian En­ --.1978. Prayer and Spiritualityin AfricanReligion (The Charles Strong counterwith Africa. London: Lutterworth Press. Memorial Lecture, Australia, August 1978). Bedford Park: Australian --.1970. God: Ancestoror Creator? Aspectsof Traditional Belief in Ghana, Association for the Study of Religion. Nigeria and Sierra Leone. London: Longman. --.1986. Bibleand Theology inAfricanChristianity. Nairobi, Kenya: Oxford Setiloane, Gabriel. 1976. The Image of Godamong the Sotho-Tswana. Rotter­ University Press. dam: A. A. Balkema. Mulago, gwa Cikala Musharhamina (Vincent). 1965. Un visage africain du Tutu, Desmond. 1978. "Whither African Theology?" In E. W. Fashole­ Christianisme-L' union vitale bantu face a l' unite vitale ecclesiale. Paris: Luke et al. (eds.), Christianity in Independent Africa. London: Rex Coll­ Presence Africaine. ings. --.1980. LaReligion traditionnelle desBantuet leurvisiondu monde. Kin­ Walls, Andrew F. 1978. "Africa and Christian Identity." In Mission Focus shasa, Zaire: Faculte de Theologie Catholique. 6, no. 7 (November), pp. 11-13. Nyamiti, Charles. 1984. Christas our Ancestor-Christology from an African --. 1981. "The Gospel as the Prisoner and Liberator of Culture." In Perspective. Gweru, Zimbabwe: Mambo Press. Faith and Thought 108, nos. 1-2, pp. 39-52. (Reprinted in Missionalia Oduyoye, Modupe. 1984. The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men-An 10, no. 3, November 1982, pp. 93-105.) Afro-Asiatic Interpretation of Genesis 1-11. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Westermann, Dietrich. 1937. Africaand Christianity (Duff Lectures, 1935). Books. London: Oxford University Press. Okot p'Bitek. 1970. African Religions in Western Scholarship. Kampala, World Missionary Conference 1910, Report of Commission IV. 1910. The Uganda: East African Literature Bureau. Missionary Message in relation to Non-Christian Religions. Edinburgh & Pobee, John S. 1979. Toward an AfricanTheology. Nashville, Tenn.: Abing­ London: Oliphant, Anderson & Ferrier. don. The Legacy of Roland Allen Charles Henry Long and Anne Rowthorn oland Allen served briefly as an Anglican missionary in ford he was steeped in Anglo-Catholic tradition at Leeds Clergy R China at the turn of the century and even more briefly as Training School. He was described by the principal, Winfred Bur­ a parish priest in England. He never held important office in rows, as being "a refined intellectual man, small, not vigorous, church, mission, or academic institutions, yet few men have had in no way burly or muscular. He is not the sort of man to impress such broad and lasting influence on movements for renewal and settlers or savages by his physique."l reform in Christian mission. His prophetic message was largely In 1892, while at Leeds, Allen had applied to the Society for ignored in his own day, but subsequent generations have redis­ the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG), because "I am simply covered the legacy of his writings on such themes as Missionary thirsting to go to the foreign mission field, and I am ready to go Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?and Spontaneous Expansion of theChurch wherever and whenever the Society has a vacancy.... From my and the Causes Which HinderIt. These small books contain a radical earliest years I was as .firmly convinced of my vocation as I was criticism of missionary policy and practice current at that time of my existence.:" After serving as a curate in Darlington, Allen's and set forth an alternative vision of what might be done to request was granted and he joined the North China Mission in establish truly indigenous, self-supporting churches. 1895. It was intended that he take charge of a small school in Peking A Sketch of Allen's Life "to train men for a native ministry." While preparing himself for the task and learning Chinese he served as chaplain to the Roland Allen was born in Bristol, England, on December 29, 1868. British Legation. In that capacity he had a firsthand view of the He was the youngest of five children; his father was an Anglican Boxer Rebellion of 1900 when the entire foreign community came priest who died when Allen was quite young. He attended St. under siege at the British compound until their rescue by foreign John'S College, Oxford, on a scholarship and came under the troops. Allen kept a diary, which he later published as The Siege influence of F. E. Brightman, the great liturgist at Pusey House, of the Peking Legations (1901). whom Allen considered "my great father in God." After Ox- Following the defeat of the Boxers, Allen went home on fur­ lough. He met and married Mary Beatrice Tarlton, daughter of an admiral and a keen supporter of the SPG. They later had a Charles Henry Long, an Episcopal priest, is Editor and Director of Forward son and a daughter. In 1902he returned to North China, as priest­ Movement Publications in Cincinnati; Ohio. He was ordained in the Episcopal in-charge of a rural mission in Yungching. This lasted only a few Diocese of North China and his first assignment was as chaplain to the British months as his health broke down and he had to return again to Legation Chapel where Roland Allen first served when he arrived in Peking. England with his wife and child. Anne Rowthorn, a lecturer at Hartford Seminary, is a member of the Standing Allen then took a parish in Buckinghamshire, Chalfont St. Commission on World MissionoftheGeneral Convention oftheEpiscopal Church, Peter, but resigned in 1907 on a matter of conscience. The rules and is chair of the Connecticut Diocesan World Mission Committee. She edited of the Church of England required priests to baptize any infant Samuel Seabury's Journal for publication, Miles to Go before I Sleep (1982), from the community "on demand" without regard to the par­ and is theauthorof Samuel Seabury: A Bicentennial Biography (1983), The ents' Christian commitment or lack of it. He could not believe it Liberation of the Laity (1986), and Caring for Creation: Toward an Ethic to be right to extend the sacraments of the church to those who of Responsibility (1989). gave no evidence of faith. After this crisis he never again held April 1989 65 any formal ecclesiastical office or missionary appointment but seriously until about 1960!Nevertheless he grew increasingly iso­ became a voluntary priest, earning his living by writing or in lated and embittered. In 1932 he moved permanently to Kenya other ways until his death forty years later. In the last years of to be near his son, then working in Tanganyika. He learned Swa­ his life he exercised his priesthood only in the celebration of the hili and did some translations from English. Allen died in Nairobi Eucharist at home for his family and close friends. on June 9, 1947. A Literary Legacy The Major Themes of Allen's Teaching This brief missionary and parish experience led Allen to a radical David M. Paton, an authority on Roland Allen and editor of post­ reassessment of his vocation and theology, much as in the 1950s humous editions of his work, has summarized Allen's basic ideas the Communist Revolution and the difficulties of re-entry to or­ as follows: dinary church life at home changed the lives and thought of many young China missionaries. In 1930 Allen wrote: 1. A Christian community which has come into existence as the result of the preaching of the gospel should have handed over to it I have been a stipendiary missionary in China where I tried to the Bible, the Creed, the ministry and the Sacraments. prepare young men for the work of catechists with a view to Holy 2. It is then responsible, with the Bishop, for recognizing the Orders; and there I learned that we cannot establish the Church spiritual gifts and needs in its membership and for calling into widely by that method. Then I was in charge of a country district service from that membership priests or presbyters to preside at in China; and there I learned that the guidance of old experienced the Eucharist and to be responsible for the Word and for pastoral men in the Church, even if they were illiterate, was of immense care. value. Then I held a benefice in England and there I learnt the 3. It is also required to share the message and the Christian life waste of spiritual power which our restrictions involve at home. 3 with its neighboring communities not yet evangelized. 4. The Holy Spirit working on the human endowment of the In 1912, just two years after the celebrated World Missionary community's leaders is sufficient for its life. Don't "train" these Conference at Edinburgh, Allen published his most enduring leaders too much. Don't import from the outside. work, a brief but serious criticism of Western mission policy, 5. A Christian community that cannot do these things is not yet Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? The year 1913 saw the a church, it is a mission field. publication of his Missionary Principles. In 1914 he met a wealthy 6. The Bishop and his staff (cf. Timothy, Titus, etc.) are crucial, congregationalist layman, Sidney J. W. Clark, who recruited him both for oversight and to serve as visible links with the rest of the Church.6 Each point represents a question Allen raised against the IIAllen took seriously accepted policy and practice of his day. He did not intend to outline a complete theology ofmission or a strategy for planting what we would call the the church in every situation.