The Arabian mission: a case study of Christian missionary work in the Arabian Gulf region.

Abstract

This thesis consists of seven chapters focusing chiefly on the Arabian Mission and its activities in the Arabian Gulf region. It begins with a first chapter briefly describing Arabia and its people; and since the missionaries of the Arabian Mission went to the region with the idea that Arabia was once influenced by Christianity and with the aim
of regaining it, this chapter deals also with the influence of Christianity on Arabia from the earliest times. It also discusses the impact of Islam. In addition it discusses modern times and the attempts on their relationship with the growing imperialism of the Western powers, and the way in which this imperial expansion helped the missionaries to reach many remote areas, among which was the Arabian Gulf.
Chapter II gives a survey of the Arabian Mission, its birth and plan of work, and the opening of its stations and substations, with some account of the difficulties which faced the Mission in its earlier years. This chapter
also deals with the contact of the Moslems of the Gulf with East Africa. In Chapter III there is an attempt to discuss and survey the Mission's medical approach to evangelisation, this being the main way in which it attempted to preach the Gospel. Chapter III begins with some
account of the health of the people in the region before the Mission came. Chapter IV discusses another of the Mission's evangelistic methods, education, and it begins with the concept of missionarr education and Islamic education, then gives some idea of educational conditions in the region in the past. Chapter V deals with the centrally important activity of the Mission, its evangelism, in the context of the Bible-shops, hospitals and
dispensaries, and the Churches. The tours made by the missionaries are discussed, and the kind of personal contact made with the natives. Chapter VI analyses the political involvement of the Mission, giving some idea of the relationship between the Missionary work and
imperialist expansion. There is a discussion of the relationship between the Mission and the political powers in the region : the Ottoman authorities, the British, the American Consulates and the local governments. Finally, in Chapter VII, an attempt is made to consider three important questions: What firstly has the Arabian Mission accomplished? Secondly, what are the prospects for a dialogue between Christians and Moslems - what are the motives for such a dialogue, and what the obstacles facing it? Thirdly what is the future of missionary work in
general and particularly in Arabia? This last question is considered from the missionaries' point of view and from the point of view of the Moslem inhabitants of the region, and not least, finally from the author's own point of view.