Customer Reviews

On the Missionary Trail: A Journey through Polynesia, Asia, and Africa with the London Missionary Society

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Picked up this book fairly randomly and found myself glued to it! A story in magnitude to Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" - where Lewis & Clark explored the newly discovered US, these two explorers mapped the new evangelical movement of Christianity. Their journey spanned the entire globe, making the travel log incredible and interesting, even for those not keen on religious history. The book includes fascinating descriptions of foreign lands; intriguing accounts of cannibalism, infanticide, drug addiction; and a portrayal of amazing spiritual courage in the attempt to complete this journey. I was also surprised by the honest portrayal of the inescapably political setting. I detected no agenda on the part of the author (either for against missionaries). In the end, some of the missionaries embodied the values of charity and giving, while others committed horrible acts. Both are portrayed in very human terms, so you can almost imagine being there. A great read and an incredible, if not important part of our history.

Slave trading, Captain Cook, pirate ships, David Livingstone, cannibalism and human sacrifice, Captain Bligh and mutiny on the high seas -- it's all in here.

Tom Hiney's book puts the pioneering missionary experience in historical perspective with this account of a two-man deputation sent out by the London Missionary Society in the early 1800s.

Here is a factual record that refutes the popular perception of missionaries as namby-pamby, white-bread spoilsports. Instead, the reader meets hardy and fearless Christians who leap into unknown worlds propelled by a rock-solid faith that we comfy Christians today can only envy.

I wouldn't call it an easy read -- the writing style is a little formal -- but the settings, the action and the writer's views on the broad social changes brought about by early missionary efforts make this a compelling book.

When I noticed this book at my local library in the new history book section, I had no interest in learning more about the spread of Christianity. But on a whim I took it home, and after the first page, I couldn't wait to read more. You don't have to be fired by missionary zeal to marvel at the worlds conquered by the men and women of the London Missionary Society. The author follows two men who attempted to visit mission stations around the world, in the days before steamships, and it is a trip beyond belief. The narrative is fast-paced, and you'll encounter worlds you never imagined - read this book!

A story full of anecdotes and tales of the 'great figures' of British legend, like Raffles and Clive of India (not such a great guy after all), the book is full of interest; not for its religious content (though there's obviously a lot of that), but for the way that our two heroes view the cultures that they are trying to enlighten.
At one point we feel that they are almost ready to embrace Buddhism, they are so impressed with the simplicity of their creed and freedom from internal squabbling - unlike their Christian church.
We get insights into the way cultures are developed or destroyed, either by religion, commercial greed or both and how countries bend the rules in order to get a political or commercial advantage - here the British are at their worst in promoting the opium trade, precipitating the war with China.

The book is a nice marriage of the narrative of the two Envangelists and Mr Hiney's well-researched commentary, the two parts blending seamlessly into a very enjoyable read.

This is the story of one of the most remarkable journeys ever undertaken. In 1821, two pious Englishmen, George Tyerman and Daniel Bennet, departed England to visit the far flung missionary stations of the London Missionary Society. They were both in their 40s and neither had any previous foreign experience. Given the slowness of communication some of the LMS missionaries had literally been out of touch with their headquarters for years.

It wasn't a pleasure trip. It took them four and one half months by sail to reach their first port of call: Tahiti. Over the next eight years they journeyed on to visit missionaries on other Pacific islands, Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, Java, Singapore, China, India, Mauritius, Madagascar -- where Tyerman died -- and South Africa. Moreover, in addition to ship travel, they did some heavy-duty inland trekking, especially in India where they stayed for 18 months. They weren't explorers, or especially adventurous, and probably neither of them would have taken the job had they realized it would take them eight years.

This is a snapshot of their travels compiled from their joint diary and supplemented by background material on the people they ran into and the places they visited. Its quite a story and I developed of bit of admiration for the intrepid travelers and the missionaries they met.

The non-religious can enjoy this book. There is little theology here, beyond the judgements of Tyerman and Bennett about "pagan" religions and exotic customs. On the whole they seem level-hearded, ordinary men who undertook an extraordinary task.

Smallchief

I loved this book. Being a missionary in the Philippines, I could relate to most of what the guys experienced as they traveled around the world, visiting the miss'ies who were at that time (early 1800's) serving in far-flung places with the London Missionary Society. Hiney adds in a lot of world history happening at the time, too, making the book even more interesting. This book was in good condition. I'd buy from the same vendor again.

While the born again crowd will no doubt love this book, those who respect cultural and religious diversity will be appalled.