Vol. 32, No. 2 April 2008 Asian Light, Asian Fruit he Nestorian Monument, featured below with frequent ries, of Western military and economic intrusion in that part of Tcontributor Jean-Paul Wiest standing in the foreground the world—which left behind alegacy that will take many more to provide some sense of the replica’s scale, is one of the most Continued next page recognizable symbols of early Christian missionary efforts in Asia. Careful examination of the inset picture, arubbing of the original monument, shows the cross rising out of the lotus flower On Page (symbol of Buddhism), shrouded by clouds and set with aflam- 59 The Protestant Missionary Movement in Korea: Current Growth and Development Steve Sang-Cheol Moon 65 At the Turn of the Century: AStudy of the China Centenary Missionary Conference of 1907 Kevin Xiyi Yao 71 Christian Literature in Nineteenth-Century China Missions—a Priority? or an Optional Extra? John Tsz-pang Lai 72 Noteworthy 77 Guidelines for Doing Theologies in Asia Association for Theological Education in South East Asia 81 The Gift of Being Number Two: A“Buzz Aldrin” Perspective on Pioneer Missions Notto R. Thelle 86 What IHave Learned About Missions from Writing The British Missionary Enterprise Since 1700 Jeffrey Cox 88 My Pilgrimage in Mission James M. Phillips ing pearl (yin and yang, symbols of Taoism). The inscription 93 The Legacy of Elizabeth Russell reads, “Memorial to the Entrance into China of the Religion of Karen K. Seat the Light from Persia.” According to the epigraph on the tablet below the cross, this monument was erected in 781 during the 100 Book Reviews Tang Dynasty (618–907). 101 Fifteen Outstanding Books of 2007 for Mission Most of the articles in this issue exploreaspects of Christian- Studies ity’s long, if sometimes tenuous, link to Asia. The articles show that, although for several centuries Christian missions were 110 Dissertation Notices sometimes deeply compromised advocates, or at least beneficia- 112 Book Notes generations to purge—nevertheless the church in asia not only with whether or not chinese believers should be placed under survived but thrives. these treaty protections as well. this issue’s lead article provides asnapshot of what is surely the missionaries’ optimism, as it happens, was warranted— one of the most astoundingmission stories of the last thirty years. though the growth of the church in china, both Protestant and steve sang-cheolMoon and his colleaguesatthe Korea research catholic, did not correspond in any way with their triumphalist institute for Missions (KriM) conducted an extensive survey prognostications. today in china, estimates of the combined between January and august of 2007. the results and analysis number of Protestant and catholic believers range from the confirm what has been anecdotally asserted: Koreans areinthe government’s conservative figureof21million to presumably forefront of christian missions today,with nearly 15,000 known morerealistic estimates that range from 50 to 80 million Prot- Koreanmissionariesworkingin168differentcountriesunderthe estants (Christian Science Monitor,March 9, 2006) to 110million auspices of 174 mission agencies. While some of these mission total christians (World Christian database,figures for 2005). as agencies areinternational with roots in the West that have been Johntsz-pangdiscussesinhisarticle,theproductionofchristian around along time, by far the majority of Korean missionaries literature, so key adimension in Western missionary strategy, (81.4percent)serveinKoreanagencies,whichrunthegamutfrom has in china become an avalanche, yielding its fruit both in the mega- to mini-agencies. the largest Korean mission agency is the churches of the Protestant china christian council and in the Global Missionary society,with morethan 1,800 missionaries. unregistered and roman catholic churches. onehundredyearsago,asKevinyao’sinsightfulstudyofthe as the “Guidelines for Doing theologies in asia” that were greatshanghaiconferenceof1907markingonecenturyofProtes- hammeredoutbetweenoctober2006andnovember2007clearly tant missionary presence in chinareminds us, the opium Wars show,the thirty-year-old “critical asia Principal” (caP), which wereover,the Boxer rebellion had been quelled, and Protestant has served as abasis for atesea and seaGst in theological missionaries wereenjoying atime of unprecedented freedom to education, is atreewhose branches arenow laden with the fruit live and move and work throughout most of that great country. of uniquely asian christian theology,born of the asian soil from the number of chinese Protestant christians associated in one which iwrite the lines of this editorial. way or another with Western missionary activities numbered this issue of the IBMR opens with an in-depth survey of a nearly 750,000. Missionary reports wereinfused with optimism vigorouslygrowingasianmissionarymovementandshowcases and confidence at the prospect of china joining the rest of the the historical depth of Western missionary investment in the “civilized” world, thanks partly to missionary educational and world’s most populous continent. at the other end of the spec- medicalefforts.althoughforeignmissionariescontinuedtoenjoy trum, notto thelle’s moving reflection about his own father’s the extraordinary privileges vouchsafed them by the so-called willingness to be “number two” speaks to us of ahumility for the unequal treaties, some weretroubled by the impropriety of try- sake of christ that represents the best that christian missionaries ing to accomplish righteous ends through unrighteous means. have ever had to offer. still, so great werethese benefits that the debate mostly dealt —Jonathan J. Bonk INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF MISSIONARY RESEARCH Established 1950 by R. Pierce BeaverasOccasional Bulletin from the MissionaryResearch Library.Named Occasional Bulletin of MissionaryResearch in 1977. Renamed INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF MISSIONARY RESEARCH in 1981. Published quarterly in January,April, July,and October by the Editor OVERSEAS MINISTRIES STUDY CENTER,490 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, U.S.A. Jonathan J. Bonk (203) 624-6672 •Fax (203) 865-2857 •[email protected]•www.InternationalBulletin.org Associate Editor Contributing Editors Dwight P. Baker Catalino G. Arévalo, S.J. Philip Jenkins Anne-Marie Kool Wilbert R. Shenk Assistant Editor David B. Barrett Daniel Jeyaraj Gary B. McGee Brian Stanley Craig A. Noll Daniel H. Bays Jan A. B. Jongeneel Mary Motte, F.M.M. Tite Tiénou Managing Editor Stephen B. Bevans, S.V.D. Sebastian Karotemprel, S.D.B. C. René Padilla Ruth A. Tucker Daniel J. Nicholas Samuel Escobar David A. Kerr James M. Phillips Desmond Tutu Senior Contributing Editors John F. Gorski, M.M. Kirsteen Kim Dana L. 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Wilson Company,The Gale Group, and University Micro�lms. Back issues may be purchased OverseasMinistries Study Center from OMSC or read on ATLAS, www.ATLA.com. Consult InfoTrac database at academic and public libraries. All rights reserved POSTMASTER: Send address changes to International Bulletin of Missionary Research, P.O. Box 3000, Denville, New Jersey 07834-3000. Periodicals postage paid at New Haven, CT.(ISSN 0272-6122) 58 international Bulletin of Missionary research,Vol. 32, no. 2 the Protestant Missionary Movement in Korea: current Growth and Development Steve Sang-Cheol Moon heProtestantmissionarymovementinKoreahasrecently aries, which still represents one of the fastest growing national tgone through aperiod of growing pains and now stands missionary movements in the world.3 at acrossroad. careful analysis is needed to determine the direc- the