American Protestant missions and the Vietnam War
The thesis examines two American Protestant Missions - the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) and the Mennonites - in the light of the Vietnam War. The CMA was chosen because it was the oldest and largest Protestant Mission in Vietnam. It was a typical American evangelical mission which mentally divided the world into two spheres: the realm of the spirit and the realm of matter. Therefore it understood its primary task as spiritual: to verbalize the Christian message with the hope of establishing a Vietnamese Church. It accomplished this in the birth of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam in 1927. The missionaries assumed a role of non-involvement in politics but had no qualms about revering the American government and its policies, or in being patriotic citizens. This was a paradox. The Mennonites stood essentially in the evangelical tradition (Anabaptist) but stressed service to all people in need; suffering as an essential mark of a Christian and the necessity for a peace witness. They entered Vietnam in 1954, specifically to administer relief to the refugees who had fled from the North. The Mennonites did not compartmentalize the world into two neat spheres as they believed that the affairs and dictates
James, B. Violet
History
American Protestant missions and the Vietnam War. The thesis examines two American Protestant Missions - the Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA) and the Mennonites - in the light of the Vietnam War. The CMA was chosen because it was the oldest and largest Protestant Mission in Vietnam. It was a typical American evangelical mission which mentally divided the world into two spheres: the realm of the spirit and the realm of matter. Therefore it understood its primary task as spiritual: to verbalize the Christian message with the hope of establishing a Vietnamese Church. It accomplished this in the birth of the Evangelical Church of Vietnam in 1927. The missionaries assumed a role of non-involvement in politics but had no qualms about revering the American government and its policies, or in being patriotic citizens. This was a paradox. The Mennonites stood essentially in the evangelical tradition (Anabaptist) but stressed service to all people in need; suffering as an essential mark of a Christian and the necessity for a peace witness. They entered Vietnam in 1954, specifically to administer relief to the refugees who had fled from the North. The Mennonites did not compartmentalize the world into two neat spheres as they believed that the affairs and dictates
american protestant mission vietnam war examine american protestant christian_missionary alliance light vietnam war chosen large protestant mission vietnam typical american evangelical mission divide world sphere realm spirit realm matter therefore understood primary task spiritual christian message hope establish vietnamese church accomplish birth evangelical church vietnam missionary assume role non involvement politics american government_policy patriotic citizen paradox stand essentially evangelical_tradition stress service people need suffer essential mark christian necessity peace witness enter vietnam specifically administer relief refugee flee north world sphere believe affair dictate