Even if the supply of men and funds from Western sources was unlimited and we could cover the whole globe with an army of millions of foreign missionaries and establish stations thickly all over the world, the method would speedily reveal its weakness, as it is already beginning to reveal it. The mere fact that Christianity was propagated by such an army, established in foreign stations all over the world, would inevitably alienate the native populations, who would see in it the growth of the domination of a foreign people.
They would see themselves robbed of their religious independence, and would more and more fear the loss of their social independence. Foreigners can never successfully direct the propagation of any faith throughout a whole country. If the faith does not become naturalized and expand among the people by its own vital power, it exercises an alarming and hateful influence, and men fear and shun it as something alien. It is then obvious that no sound missionary policy can be based upon multiplication of missionaries and mission stations. A thousand thousand would not suffice; a dozen might be too many.
THE SPONTANEOUS EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH
And the Causes Which Hinder It
by Roland Allen
One reply on “THE SPONTANEOUS EXPANSION OF THE CHURCH”
Hi, Jeff. Thanks for the quote. It sounds good, and makes me want to read the whole book. Besides, I don’t think I ever saw the subtitle of it: “And the causes which hinder it”. Sounds intriguing.
Did you ever read “Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?” That was Roland Allen’s other famous book. (Just curious…)