The Kingdom of Character

<p class=p1><b>The Unseen Heroes of the Global Missionary Movement</b></p><p class=p2><br></p><p class=p1>The Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions was a Protestant missionary recruiting organization.<span class=Apple-converted-space>  </span>Launched in the late nineteenth century it played an indispensable role in the creation of the modern missionary movement.<span class=Apple-converted-space>  </span>While it was influenced by the optimism and expansiveness that characterized Americans at the turn of the century it also mirrored the period's provincialism and ethnocentrism. <span class=Apple-converted-space> </span></p><p class=p2><br></p><p class=p1><i>The Kingdom of Character</i> provides a thorough history of the Student Volunteer Movement (SVM) exposing both its strengths and weaknesses. Parker highlights how these student leaders addressed issues such as gender roles the social impact of World War I and various internal controversies while emphasizing an American middle-class worldview that stressed the Victorian idea of character in their hope to spread the gospel around the world.<span class=Apple-converted-space> </span></p><p class=p2><br></p><p class=p1><i>The Kingdom of Character</i> is a great read for those interested in the creation of the modern missionary movement.</p>