Review of Tucker's From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya

Ruth Tucker published From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Christian Missions to chronicle missions activity, but it also chronicles cultural conflicts. Tucker’s book is a missions survey from the time of Paul through the 1970s. Most interesting is the cultural phenomenon that ensued during the 20^th century as a changing America became the prime missionary sender. Issues like women’s rights and the waning primacy of evangelism in mission work became controversial, but they spilled over onto the mission fields. Because it is clear that these cultural issues of the sender affected the field during the 20^th century, there is a question as to how much cultural issues of the 21^st century will affect missions today.  

Single Women in Missions

Gender discrimination in the late 19^th century was met with some missionary activism, notably by Lottie Moon. Although some missions groups created entire “female agencies” (p. 232), the Foreign Mission Board had to contend with an independent streak in Miss Moon that caused a significant amount of contention with supervisor T. P. Crawford. Outspoken on women’s rights and equality, Miss Moon wrote forcibly in her letters about the needs for single women to be treated on the same level as ordained men.

            Her plight raised the question as to the effectiveness of a single woman on the mission field. There are some advantages to being free from family responsibility. But loneliness and depression often overtake singles. We don’t know whether Moon ordained men to be pastors, but she did start churches. This is not necessarily acceptable in all cultures, so the role of a single woman serving under authority raises the question as to just how much can be accomplished without the presence of a man. Regardless of her poor interpersonal relationships on the mission field and aversion to mission authority, Lottie Moon was successful later in her mobilizing more women to go to the mission field. Working out a theology of missions based on Scripture demands some restrictions to be placed upon certain activities of women in church planting still today.  

Evangelism Replacement in Missions

The story of John Mott and his insistence on the primacy of evangelism in missions became a sore spot for the work of the Student Volunteer Movement (SVM). If missions’ “aim should not be conversion” (p. 273), then social ministry, anthropology or ecumenism replaces the unique claims of the gospel and thereby invalidates missions. But this liberal element that affected SVM during the early 20^th century bled over into the mission field, and many missions efforts began to be defined by their benevolent work or student activity rather than by souls saved or churches planted. Unfortunately, there are still elements of this displacement today as missionaries question the validity of missiometrical reports on annual salvations and baptisms. Tucker inadvertently raises the issue of what constitutes real mission work if there is no gospel shared.

Nationalization in Missions

Yet another missiological issue that Tucker raises is the growing trend of nationalization among those who are being saved. MacGavran and Winter were key players in the late 20^th century in the indigeneity debate. America began to transition from a colonialistic model of missions to more contextualized and indigenous work. Although this has been a welcomed change, it raises crucial questions regarding what elements the indigenous cultures will now throw into their own theologizing and missions endeavors. More missionaries are now embarking from what was once considered mission fields themselves, and they will be taking with them their own culturally controversial ingredients.

Conclusion

A major contribution of this book to missiology is not just the historical mini-biographies but the lessons that each teaches for future work. Issues like women's rights and the minimalization of verbal evangelism blush at the mention of some more recent cultural controversies of the western church. As the sending of missionaries is shifting from the West to other cultures, these new senders should become aware of and learn from the mistakes of the American past century. Hopefully, some errors can be avoided in doing so.