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

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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.