Progress of Missions in the Hundred Years After Carey

Although Delavan Leonard’s history of missions covers early church and medieval missions, his primary focus is in “The Great Century” following William Carey. He provides an overview of progress of the Great Commission by Continent as well as a chapter of work still to be done. My thanks to Redcliffe College for providing me with a copy of this book to scan. This title is in the public domain.

Delavan L. Leonard [1834-1917], A Hundred Years of Missions or The Story of Progress Since Carey’s Beginning. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1895. Hbk. pp.430.  [Click to download complete book in PDF]

Contents

• Preface
• Introduction

1. The Christian Idea of Missions
2. Missions in the Early Centuries
3. Conversion of Northern and Western Europe
4. The Non-Missionary Centuries
5. Reformation ad Discovery of America
6. Roman Catholic Missions
7. Preparation For Foreign Missions
8. Protestant Missions Before Carey
9. The Carey Epoch
10. The Great Missionary Revival
11. Genesis of Missions in America
12. The Phenomenon of Missionary Expansion
13. Missions in India
14. Missions in Africa; Madagascar
15. The Islands of the Sea
16. Turkish Empire: Persia
17. Chinese Empire’ Korea
18. Missions in Japan
19. Missions in Spanish America
20. Missions Among the American Indians
21. The Land Which Remains to be Possessed

Introduction

It is sometimes a question how far an introduction helps the book it introduces. If the author is well known he needs no such formal entrance into the literary world; if he is as yet unfamiliar to a wide circle of readers, his book itself is his best recommendation.

Dickens used to say that it was an easy thing to ” come out into society, but a difficult thing to prevent going in again.” And so a book or an author that proves unworthy of the introduction to the public, cannot long float, notwithstanding the outside supports intended to give it buoyancy. [Continue reading]