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At
Last! The DAC Arrives
 A
copy of A Dictionary of Asian Christianity has finally
come to hand after many years of patient waiting. It is a monumental
piece of work, spanning the whole history of the Christian movement
in Asia, although concentrating on South, Southeast, and East
Asia exclusive of Mongolia and the nations and regions that formerly
comprised the Soviet Union. While the labor of many, many people,
Dr. Scott W. Sunquist (now at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary)
and Trinity Theological College, Singapore, deserve the lion's
share of credit for its completion. The DAC is an invaluable
addition to the resources available for studying and teaching
Asian church history.
The Office
of History was involved in producing articles on Protestantism
in Thailand and gave some advice on who to contact for assistance
with Thai Catholicism and for some of the other articles on Protestantism.
The DAC editors did an excellent job of pushing, prodding,
and pleading with those of us in Thailand. The result is that
Thailand is well-represented, especially considering its relatively
minor place in the Asian Christian constellation. The article
on Thai Catholicism ("Thailand, Roman Catholic Church,"
pages 834-37) is particularly important since so little information
is available in English (or Thai!) on the history of the Catholic
Church in Thailand.
An hour's
time spent leafing through the DAC indicates both the
grand scope and the inevitable limitations involved in such a
project. Information on the churches of Thailand found in some
general articles is less than accurate. In one case, the information
on Thai Protestant seminaries in the article on "Theological
Education" is fine, but the article puts an asterisk (*)
to the "Laos* Mission" (page 840), indicating a related
entry. While "Laos" in the theological education entry
refers to the five principalities of historical "northern
Siam," the linked entry is, inevitably, an introduction to
Christianity in the modern day nation of Laos. The fact that the
Laos entry acknowledges our own Rev. Daniel McGilvary as the first
Protestant missionary to visit and do work in what is now the
nation of Laos (page 469) only adds to the confusion. Admittedly,
the matter is a minor one. What it suggests is the vast complexities
and difficulties that faced the editorial team in trying to squeeze
a hugely multi-faceted Asian Christianity into 937 pages (plus
maps). Some mistakes, inaccuracies, imbalances in presentation,
and misapprehensions are inevitable. The editors explain and acknowledge
some of the many problems they faced in collecting the entries
for the DAC. (Another minor error that I don't want to
pass up here is that in the entry for Ach. Lek Taiyong, his name
is consistently misspelled as "Lek Talyong." Fortunately,
Thai names are alphabetized by first name.) These inevitable mistakes
in detail must be weighed in the balance of the DAC's
larger positive achievement.
Bibliographic
Citation: A Dictionary of Asian Christianity. Edited
by Scott W. Sunquist. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans,
2001.
34
A
Malaysian Church Survey
In
January, I received a complimentary copy of the "NECF Survey
of Churches, Pastors, and Christians, 2001" published by
the Research Commission of the National Evangelical Christian
Fellowship Malaysia (NECF). This is a preliminary report of the
survey's findings, containing mostly the percentage responses
(frequency distribution) to each question on the survey. Included
is a section entitled "Snapshots of Results," which
highlights some of the findings in categories of positive and
negative factors. The survey is handsomely produced and shows
that a great deal of care was taken to proceed in a professional,
academically credible fashion. The survey itself included only
NECF churches, which evidently comprise about 30% of the total
Christian community in Malaysia and is made up largely of Pentecostal
and Charismatic churches. A number of the questions reflect that
ecclesiastical "culture," such as the question asked
of pastors regarding how long they have been "Born-Again
Christians."
This preliminary description of the survey's results is hampered
only by the fact that a copy of the survey questionnaire is not
included, making it difficult at some points to tell precisely
the wording of the questions. Still, all in all, the NECF has
done an excellent job and sets a standard for the rest of us in
Southeast Asia.
Those who are interested in obtaining a copy of the results should
contact: Edmund Eng, familyn@pd.jaring.my
McGilvary
Reprint
The
mails also delivered a freshly minted copy of the White Lotus
Press reprint of McGilvary's autobiography, A Half Century
Among the Siamese and the Lao, which includes an Introduction
and annotated bibliography prepared by yours truly. White Lotus
has made an important contribution to the study of the church
in Thailand by reprinting a number of older missionary works,
including most recently McFarland's Historical Sketch of Protestant
Missions in Siam 1828-1928 and a compilation of
the missionary journals of Gutzlaff, Tomin, and Abeel printed
under the title of Early Missionaries in Bangkok. This
reprint of McGilvary's autobiography is obviously an important
addition to the list.
Bibliographic
Citation: McGilvary, Daniel. A Half Century Among
the Siamese and the Lao. 1912. Reprint. Bangkok: White Lotus
Press, 2001.
A
New Project
In January,
the Office of History (meaning yours' truly again) joined a new
research project headed up by Dr. Don Swearer, Swarthmore College,
studying "Christian Identity in Buddhist Thailand."
Funded by the Luce Foundation, this three year project will explore
issues in the formation and expression of Protestant Christian
identity in Thailand, focusing largely on northern Thailand. In
the project's initial stage, Don is looking at the story of the
martyrdom of Nan Chai and Noi Sunya, two of the first seven Christians
in northern Thailand, in 1869 and how that story has been used
by the Christian community in the formation of its own identity.
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Office
of History Plans for 2002
At
its annual planning and evaluation retreat last December, the
Office of History staff worked out the following plans for 2002.
- Conduct a preliminary church life survey (CLS) of the CCT's
District Four churches, Phrae-Uttaradit, using six students
from the McGilvary Faculty of Theology to conduct part of the
survey beginning this March.
- Train six students from the Center for the Uplift of the
Hill Tribes to study the histories of churches of the Zion Association,
Karen Baptist Convention (District Nineteen, CCT) and study
those histories. February-April.
- Support 11 previously trained students from the Lahu Bible
Institute in their study of five to ten churches of the CCT's
District Eighteen (a.k.a. the Lahu Baptist Convention). March-May.
- Initiate a church research for renewal project in the Mae
Wae Church, Pai Association, District Nineteen beginning in
May
- Initiate a church research for renewal project in the Mae
Chuey Church, District Four beginning in May.
- Initiate a church research for renewal process for the District
Four churches located in Uttaradit Province.
- Complete a study of the CCT's programs for leadership training,
prepare a report of its findings, and hold a seminar on those
findings in August.
- Complete by year's end a study of the history of the Dara
Academy, Chiang Mai, and produce a memorial volume.
- Complete by year's end a book on the history of the Musikee
Association, District Nineteen, and its churches.
- Complete by year's end a book on the history of the District
Four churches in Uttaradit Province.
- Sponsor a two day conference in November on the Karen church
and culture.
- Sponsor a five day church & culture camp in October for
the churches of the Musikee Association, District Nineteen.
- Hold a two day workshop in November on the old northern Thai
hymnology.
- Lead a two day workshop in May for pastors on research for church renewal
& administration. This will be the third in a series of
workshops
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