Dana Robert distils a quarter of a century of her research into an erudite and accessible single-volume account of how Christianity became the largest religious tradition in the world. There is no better place for any reader to start becoming informed about this important subject.
David Hempton, Harvard University

Remarkable for the range and depth of the material Robert is able to pack into so short a book. Reliable and readable, it is especially valuable for its treatment of the relation between western and non-western missionary activity.
David A. Hollinger, University of California, Berkeley

Dana Roberts richly textured book shows us that the history of Christian missions is far from being merely a European colonial story, and will be immensely valuable to students and general readers who are concerned to uncover the historical roots of Christianitys current status as a truly global faith.
Brian Stanley, University of Edinburgh

The Gospels record that Christ commanded his disciples to go forth and teach all nations. Thus began the history of Christian mission, a phenomenon which brought about massive shifts in the nature and practice of Christianity, and one that many say reflects the single most important movement of intercultural encounter over a sustained period of human history.

To understand Christianity as a global movement, therefore, it is essential to study the role of mission defined as the transmission of the Gospel across cultures. Erudite and enlightening, this brief book explores the 2,000 years of mission history, covering topics such as the meaning of the missionary through history, gender and missions, and missions in culture and politics. Given that in the twenty-first century, Christianity is now largely practiced outside the West,Christian Mission is an inspirational and invaluable resource to broaden our understanding of the nature of Christianity as a truly multi-cultural world religion.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

Part I: The Making of a World Religion: Christian Mission through the Ages:.

1. From Christ to Christendom.

From Jerusalem into All the World.

The Creation of Catholic Europe, 4001400.

2. Vernaculars and Volunteers, 1450.

Bible Translation and the Roots of Modern Missions.

The Revitalization of Catholic Missions.

The Beginnings of Protestant Missions.

Voluntarism and Mission.

Protestant Missionary Activities in the Nineteenth Century.

3. Global Networking for the Nations, 1910.

The Growth of Global Networks.

International Awakenings.

Awakening Internationalism.

Post-Colonial Rejection of Christian Mission.

Africans, Asians, and Latin Americans in Mission.

Part II: Themes in Mission History:.

4. The Politics of Missions: Empire, Human Rights, and Land.

Critiques of Missions.

Missionaries and Human Rights.

Missionaries and the Land.

Missions and Ecology.

5. Women in World Mission: Purity, Motherhood, and Womens Well-Being.

Women as Missionaries.

Purity and Gender Neutrality.

The Mission of Motherhood.

Womens Well-Being and Social Change.

6. Conversion and Christian Community: The Missionary from St. Patrick to Bernard Mizeki.

Who Was St. Patrick?.

Bernard Mizeki, Apostle to the Shona.

Missionaries and the Formation of Communal Christian Identities.

7. Postscript: Multicultural Missions in Global Context.

Bibliography.

Index