The Field Is the World: A History of the Canton Mission (1929-1949) of the Churches of Christ

This volume provides a detailed account of the tireless dedicated work of a small group of missionaries sent to China by the American Churches of Christ early in the twentieth century. The account includes the difficult years of preparation (1921-1928) the establishment of the Canton Mission to the onset of the Japanese threat (1929-1937) the heroic efforts during the Japanese occupation and war years (1938-1945) and finally the work after the war until the communist takeover (1946-1949). The emphasis is on the people and their work: The Bensons and the Oldhams who opened the Canton Mission in 1929 the Davises and the Whitfields who were valuable additions to the work starting in 1933 and the Leungs and the Sos their dedicated Chinese coworkers for over a decade. Their philosophies and strategies for missionary work are highlighted and the pioneering work with its successes failures and lessons learned is discussed. Finally an attempt is made to assess the significance of the Canton Mission of the Churches of Christ within the historical framework of the early Protestant mission work in China. Both missiologists and curious church members alike will appreciate Stephen Crowders recreation of the work in China by early twentieth century North American Churches of Christ. Readable sensitive documented and lavishly illustrated by many unseen photographs the work puts flesh and blood on subjects previously known only broadly like the Canton Bible School. The work is both enjoyable and historically important. --C. Philip Slate Missiologist Author Retired Professor If you are looking for a frank unsentimental yet truly personal account of the Church of Christ mission in Canton China The Field is the World is a must-read. Carefully researched and fully documented this volume provides perspective on our missionary efforts present and past. --Elmer Prout Retired Professor Ibaraki Christian University Omika Japan With his collection of photographs letters journals and publications Crowder pieced together a captivating narrative of the early missionary effort of the Churches of Christ in China during the years 1929 to 1949. Through the prism of pictures and story he provides a glimpse of the doctrine and practice of Churches of Christ of that era and a peek into the life and times during this very tumultuous period in the history of China. Reading this chronicle puts one into the story of these tireless workers in the Kingdom under unimaginable conditions. --David Lee Former Missionary in Asia Stephen V. Crowder is Principal Member of Technical Staff in the Statistical Sciences Division at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque New Mexico. His research interests outside of the statistics profession include church history and genealogy.