Tag Archives: Books published in the 1890s

Review: Pilkington of Uganda

Language Learning: Nature or Nurture?

Pilkington was widely regarded as having uncommon facility in learning languages. But he believed that language learning was not a matter of inborn talent or having the “knack”. Pilkington attributed his success to stick-to-it-iveness and methodological plodding:

He frequently stated that, in his opinion, it was not so much an essential to be possessed of rare abilities, as it was to follow definite methods of study . . .
Harford, Pilkington of Uganda, ch. 13

He encouraged all incoming missionaries to study phonetics—specifically, a book called Sweet’s Primer of Phonetics—before applying themselves to an unfamiliar language. He believed that background about language in general, rather than a language in particular, would help missionaries on the field.

Translation and Language Work

Throughout his letters, George Pilkington describes an apparently bottomless need for Christian literature in Swahili—the regional language of east Africa—and Luganda—the mother tongue spoken by the most people in Uganda.

Continuing the work of his predecessors, Pilkington carried on the translation of the Bible into Luganda to its completion. While he spearheaded the work, he had two native translators that worked tirelessly to give Pilkington a perfect grasp of Luganda usage: Sembero MacKay and Henry Duta. Henry in particular is mentioned as having worked daily with Pilkington on checking translations.

He writes that, not being perfectly equipped himself, several members of his team providentially had deeply honed skills they could use for Bible translation: they knew Swahili, were accustomed to translating from Swahili to Luganda, and also had discussed Christianity in Luganda for years in a discipleship setting. Monolingual speakers of English can hardly imagine what this means for an agglutinative, tonal language—let alone one that has not developed a writing system.

Pilkington’s team-oriented method sounds somewhat closer to modern translation methods. Previous translators focused on a single translator, usually a European missionary. In time, more stock was given to mother tongue translators. Today, exegetical consultants also check new translations for theological comprehension and doctrinal clarity.

Pilkington finished his translation of the Old Testament while on furlough. He was able to do this by first taking copious notes with Henry Duta, the lead mother tongue translator. Then he wrote the translation in Ireland with help from his sister and other helpers.

At the time of his death, Pilkington harbored hopes of writing a Luganda grammar and dictionary in the service of future work; and the plan for both was apparently already thought out and partly drafted. He also had copious notes on the vocabularies of languages closely related to Luganda. While the dictionary was never realized, a friend of Pilkington later arranged his notes into a book on Luganda grammar.

Revival: Personal and National

In the 1890s, many Anglicans came under the conviction of the need for the Holy Spirit. In particular, they believed in a “second blessing” after salvation, in the filling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17). Late in 1893, after an extended time of discouragement, Pilkington experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit during a retreat at the island of Komé. The experience is recounted in Chapter 12, “A Revival.”

On December 7th, 1893, Pilkington returned to Mengo from Komé, and everyone noticed the wonderful change in Him. His very face told of the reality of the change.
Harford, Pilkington of Uganda, ch. 12

The title of the chapter has a double meaning, since Uganda also experienced a national revival. Near the end of 1894, Pilkington wrote in a letter:

To sum up, the year’s work has been by far the most encouraging that I have been privileged to witness, and I venture to think that the Church here is only just beginning its course of testimony and victory. I anticipate that next year will see an enormous accession.
George Pilkington, Letter dated December 12th, 1894, qtd. in Harford, Pilkington of Uganda, ch. 12

I have not made space to recount all of the missionary successes in Uganda or the social forces at work. Suffice it to say, by the end of the book’s narrative, there are fifty baptisms a week in Uganda. Pilkington writes that baptisms began to decrease because, after many years of great expansion in Christian work, the country had reached a saturation point.

The increase in the number of adherents is not going on as it was two or three years ago. Why is that? . . . The greater part of the country has now been evangelised . . . Then again, a considerable number . . . don’t think it worth while to persevere.
George Pilkington, Letter dated May 19th, 1897, qtd. in Harford, Pilkington of Uganda, ch. 15

“Becoming All Things”

In his letters, Pilkington reveals a great deal about his missionary strategy and his approach to culture. An important aspect of missionary strategy, for Pilkington, was to live as natives do to the degree attainable. An important aspect of “becoming all things to all people” was simplification in travel. In subsaharan Africa, where roads were comparatively difficult, it was then stereotypical for Europeans to travel with large entourages of porters. But the easiest road from Uganda to the coast for Europeans, was not an easy road for Ugandans. Pilkington writes that he more than once came across travellers dead or near death on the road; there was a long section without water. It reduced the danger for locals if foreigners would pack more lightly, and travel more hardy.

Pilkington returned from furlough late in 1896. He left two months after the rest of his missionary party. In the interest of improving the road to Uganda—something much discussed by his predecessors Alexander MacKay and James Hannington—Pilkington decided to cycle much of the way from Mombasa to Kampala. This story is recounted in Chapter 17, “By Bicycle to Uganda.” Though he was in peril of wild beasts for much of the journey, he arrived in Kampala only 74 days after London, five weeks before his colleagues, who had left a full two months before him. He thus cut the usual travel time in half. Cycling was rather a new trend in the 1890s, and Pilkington had to deal with many vexing issues about improving his “kit” for overland travel where there were no roads—and it showed there was ample room for improvement in getting missionaries to and from the field.

Pilkington wrote in his letters about seeking self-sufficiency on the mission field.

My beans are growing splendidly. I have two little broods of fowls (four and six respectively), one hen sitting, and another laying; six goats, nine sheep, a ram, three lambs, a bull, fourteen cows and eight calves. . . . The produce of my flocks and herds supports me. Leopards are my bugbears. The rennet powder works beautifully; milk in various forms is my chief food; the other men despise skim milk—I think it the thing for this country.
George Pilkington, Letter dated September 3rd, 1892, qtd. in Harford, Pilkington of Uganda, ch. 10

Pilkington also wrote often of the evangelization of Africa. He believed that, given the time and resources, Uganda would send missionaries to many other countries in subsaharan Africa. He also keenly followed advances in missionary work in the Middle East, and longed to see Muslims turn to Christ both in Africa and Asia. Chapter 15 of Harford’s book, “The Church in Uganda: A Retrospect”, shows to what degree Pilkington’s dream was realized.

Pilkington was at the cutting edge in Bible translation and missiology, and there is more detailed missiology in his letters than I can fit in the space of this already-long book review.

The evangelisation of Africa must be carried out by Africans, and it will be accomplished when we have a hundred native evangelists to every European missionary.
George Pilkington, Address at the Conference of the Student Volunteer Missionary Union at Liverpool, in 1896; qtd. in Harford, Pilkington of Uganda, ch. 13

Conflict and Death

Not long after he finished his furlough and returned to Uganda, Pilkington was killed defending Uganda from a mutiny. In the 1890s, the British kept a number of Sudanese soldiers as security forces for Uganda. These mutinied twice while Pilkington was there, the second proving very dangerous for all the Europeans around Uganda. Pilkington acted as a translator for British officers trying to recover peace.

The sectarian conflict in Uganda had a unique flavor: Catholics were called Wa Ferenza (French) and Protestants were called Wa Ingreza (English). Uganda also had many Muslims, some of whom in this case turned to join the Sudanese mutiny.

Pilkington saw several Ugandans killed because of the conflict, which was really between Sudanese and the British. Pilkington told Henry Duta that he felt it was not right that so little British blood had been spilt; it proved prophetic, as he was shot while seeking to put down the mutiny. He was buried in Mengo, in a place called “Church Hill”. He was given military honors, and his colleagues Baskerville, and Henry Duta, the translator, conducted his funeral.

Conclusion

This book is filled with food for thought for missionaries and those interested in the mission field. Missionary biographies from this time period usually give plenty of air time to consecration and sacrifice, but do not talk enough about what doing missions was actually like; Harford’s book is thoroughly practical and grounded by letters by and about its subject. For this reason, this book is a definite standout among the missionary biographies I have read recently, and I recommend it heartily.

Review: George Müller of Bristol and His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing God

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Rating: ★★★★★

Author:

Arthur Tappan (A. T.) Pierson (1837-1911) was an American Presbyterian pastor and a prolific author of biography, theology, and especially missions. He succeeded Charles Spurgeon in the Metropolitan Tabernacle pulpit and was a key influencer in the Student Volunteer Movement.

Overview:

George Müller of Bristol and His Witness to a Prayer-Hearing God (1899) is one of the great classics of Christian biography. George Müller served Christ for more than sixty years, managing Bible schools and an orphanage, as well as being a prominent public supporter of overseas missions. He is most famous for his orphanage and his lack of soliciting funds. The BBC writes,

When Müller died at the age of 92 in 1898, the Daily Telegraph wrote that he had “robbed the cruel streets of thousands of victims and the workhouses of thousands of helpless waifs”.

The author, Arthur Pierson, was his son-in-law, and had a personal knowledge of Müller’s life. The book was published in the year after Müller died and, brief as it is, is the authoritative biography of George Müller. It also masterfully explains the principles by which Müller lived, Pierson himself being a famous preacher and teacher.

Müller was strongly influenced by Anthony Norris Groves, who went to Baghdad in 1829 under a banner of Christian primitivism—meaning, he chose to travel with salary or no institutional backing. George Müller married Mary Groves in October 1830, and thus, Anthony Norris Groves became his brother-in-law; around this time, Müller also renounced his salary, believing that God called his ministers to live without a fixed income. This is known among evangelicals as “living by faith”, though it is something of a misnomer—implying, as it does, that those with fixed incomes are not living by faith—and thus, I place it between quotation marks for lack of a better term. For historical context, it’s worth noting that Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission and popularizer of “faith” missions, was not yet born at the time! Groves and Müller were very early adopters of the principles of evangelical “faith” missions.

In 1831, the Memoirs of August Hermann Francke was published, Müller soon read it. Francke had been a seminal figure in the beginnings of Protestant missions in the late 1600s and early 1700s, and he also educated and supported thousands of poor children.

Reading the life of Francke was likely a watershed moment for Müller who became, according to Pierson, “in [many] respects [Francke’s] counterpart”. Both Francke and Müller were Germans; both supported and educated poor children; both lived and ministered for decades without a fixed income; both distributed over a million Bibles and New Testaments; both supported the work of pioneer missonaries.

In February, 1832, [George Müller] had begun to read the biography of A. H. Francke, the founder of the Orphan Houses of Halle [in Germany]. As that life and work were undoubtedly used of God to make him a like instrument in a kindred service, and to mould even the methods of his philanthropy, a brief sketch of Francke’s career may be helpful.

August H. Francke was Müller’s fellow countryman. About 1696, at Halle in Prussia, he had commenced the largest enterprise for poor children then existing in the world. He trusted in God, and He whom he trusted did not fail him, but helped him throughout abundantly.

The institutions, which resembled rather a large street than a building, were erected, and in them about two thousand orphan children were housed, fed, clad, and taught. For about thirty years all went on under Francke’s own eyes, until 1727, when it pleased the Master to call the servant up higher; and after his departure his like-minded son-in-law became the director. Two hundred years have passed, and these Orphan Houses are still in existence, serving their noble purpose.

In 1834, Müller began a school in Bristol for teaching children the Bible. In 1836, this work was expanded to include an orphanage. This orphanage was the work for which Müller became most well known; but, like Francke, he was involved in a vast variety of charitable and educational endeavors. As he is presented here, Müller led a profoundly impactful life of charity based on faith and biblical principles.

The chapter on “The Word of God and Prayer” is noteworthy and is worth reading by itself. I have no other work that so clearly states the importance and practicality of using scripture in prayer. According to Pierson, Müller’s prayers were steeped in the Word of God, and were grounded in God’s promises.

The author gives ample space to describing both the principles and outcome of Müller’s prayer life; throughout the book, he often departs from the narrative to describe the theological background in which the events took place. In my view, this book is a perfect blend of biography, theology, and devotion. It constitutes a transition point between nineteenth-century memoirs, which merely list dates and events, and modern reflections which merely meditate on their meaning without giving a full historical account.

Plymouth Brethren and “Faith” Missions

One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the description of Plymouth Brethren principles practiced by Müller, which are unfamiliar to many Americans. Several of my favorite theologians came out of the Plymouth Brethren, and they were a profound influence on Watchman Nee. As Pierson describes it, Plymouth Brethren doctrine involves an outright rejection of hierarchy in church organization. Thus, even group meetings do not have an appointed leader. “you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged.” (1 Corinthians 14:31, NIV)

There are certain aspects of this book that have been exaggerated in the context of Christian fundraising. In certain circles, greatly influenced by lives like August Francke, Hudson Taylor, and George Müller, direct soliciting of funds is practically taboo, and ministers must be supported on a “faith” basis. In reality, Francke and Müller at least, had important believing patrons that had some awareness of the day-to-day needs of their institutions. Nonetheless, these lives are remarkable confirmations of Jesus’ words:

Food and clothing “dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.” (Matthew 6:32, NLT)

I highly recommend this book to anyone embarking on a faith venture without a fixed salary. I would not advocate any restrictive version of this wherein no one may make their needs known to believers who are willing and ready to help. That’s not a principle I see in the New Testament. In my opinion, it is similar to denying medicine because you believe in healing; medicine may also be a method of healing! For all that, I have personally tested Jesus’ principles and found that our heavenly Father does know all our needs, and he does provide for his people out of his abundant mercy.

Read: You can read this book for free at Project Gutenberg, in the Kindle Store, and you can listen to it on LibriVox.

Review: The Greater Life and Work of Christ

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Rating: ★★★★★

Author: In addition to The Greater Life and Work of Christ, Alexander Patterson is the author of The Other Side of Evolution: Its Effect and Fallacy (1903), and Broader Bible Study.

Overview:

The Greater Life and Work of Christ (1896) is a novel take on a genre known well in Patterson’s day: “the life of Christ.” Many famous theologians published attempts at biographies of Jesus in the second half of the nineteenth century, most of them titled simply The Life of Christ. The focus of this genre was to present a kind of narrative gospel harmony, and sometimes a more introspective, speculative, or biographical look at how Jesus interacted with people and went about his day. Some popular and typical examples include that of Dawson (1874), F. W. Farrar (1875), James Stalker (1880), Joseph Parker’s Inner Life of Christ (1883), and Edersheim’s Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (1883). Some more modern examples include R. J. Campbell’s Life of Christ (1921) and Fulton Oursler’s The Greatest Story Ever Told (1948).

Patterson’s book differs significantly from all of the above. In the preface to his book, he states his theme:

It will be seen at a glance that this is not a life of Christ in the usual sense. It is not a review of the events of the earthly existence of our Lord. There is a greater life and a larger work of Christ of which his life on earth is but a single chapter. . . . The great defect in the study of Christ is to consider him in but a single chapter of his life and work.

Thus, literally, “Christ in His Earthly Life” is only one of Patterson’s seven chapters. The table of contents is worth a long look:

I. Christ in the Eternal Past
II. The Word: Christ in Creation
III. Jehovah: Christ in the Old Testament Age
IV. Jesus: Christ in His Earthly Life
V. Jesus Christ: Christ in His Present State and Work
VI. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords: Christ in the Day of the Lord
VII. Christ in the Eternal Future

Chapter IV has its source texts mainly in the Gospels; chapter VI and VII have their source texts mainly in the Revelation. The other chapters, though, are fascinating composites of thoughts drawn from a variety of Scriptures. When you read about “Christ in Creation” you will marvel at how many Scriptures speak of Jesus at Creation, and wonder why you have so seldom heard a sermon on such a worthy topic. I also enjoyed the meditations on “Christ in His Present State and Work”—the comfort of the intercession of Christ for us was a topic constantly on the lips of the Puritans, but it is a topic seldom explored at any length today.

Patterson is rather ahead of his time on some topics. He takes a bird’s-eye view of Scripture that is attractive for its thoroughness. The first three chapters are often in innovative territory as he draws together Scriptures in new ways. Interestingly, he was an early opponent of evolution, and there is one section of “post-colonial” thoughts that sounds like it was in yesterday’s Christiantiy Today, even though he lived at the height of the British Empire.

Because it follows a chronological scheme, this book may seem at first like dispensational theology, but that is really outside its goal. Rather, Patterson’s purpose is to present the unity in Christ’s work throughout history, over against its disparities.

Meat:

The very idea of this book is thrilling in itself, beginning in eternity past and ending in eternity future. There is such a variety of thoughts and Scriptures that it is difficult to choose only a few quotations.

One high point of the book is that Patterson takes an essentially missional view of the Church.

The church exists for a specific work—the proclamation in all the world of the gospel of the cross of Jesus Christ as declared by himself and his apostles. This we dare not neglect for any other mission, however good.

Along these lines, in Chapter VI, he usefully differentiates Christians from Christendom—meaning the historically-Christian or majority-Christian nations of Europe and the North America. His comments here were remarkably ahead of their time, written in the 1890s, and I felt it was worth sharing the whole section:

What will be the record of Christendom? It has laid hands on the fairest regions of the world “for their good” and ostensibly to “extend civilization,” really to extend national power and trade and to enrich the merchants of the dominant nations. It has taken, without compensation, from weaker nations their God-given heritage . . . The work of the missionary of the gospel has been taken advantage of, and has been followed by the trader, and he by the soldier. There has followed them the train of evils which have destroyed these peoples. Opium was forced into China by Christendom. Rum is being poured into Africa by Christendom.

Where the so-called Christian civilization has appeared, the native races have gone down by its drugs, drinks, and diseases. It has put into the hands of these races, arms and material of most diabolically consummate perfection for the destruction of human life. It calls the arming of these peoples with these infernal weapons “advancing in progress and civilization.” It lends them money for this purpose and sends them teachers who instruct them in the satanic art of wholesale butchery of human life, and sets them at war with each other, and profits by their mutual destruction.

There has been given the nations of whole continents, in place of their original paganism, a bastard Christianity more difficult to overthrow than their pagan faith. . . . The God of heaven and earth is not oblivious to the awful sins of Christendom.
(p. 273-274, 2017 ed.)

Bones:

This book is very long but very good. The only part where I felt very bogged down was the eschatology. A reader cannot help but think that many of the thoughts presented are speculative. That being said, I highly recommend that you finish the book if you can, because the conclusion masterfully synthesized all that preceded and fully compensated for the less exciting sections.

Read: You can read this book for free on the Internet Archive, or you can listen to it free on LibriVox.

Review: James Gilmour of Mongolia

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