The Missionary Problem in Early Modern Protestantism: British, Irish and Scandinavian Perspectives

Ryrie, Alec

Abstract

Alec Ryrie considers why, despite rhetorical commitment to the enterprise, British and Scandinavian Protestants were so slow to engage in cross-cultural mission. After surveying the lacklustre efforts made, the chapter briefly considers the theological obstacles to early Protestant mission, before examining the “missions” to the “barbaric” peoples within these kingdoms’ European territories: the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland, and the Sámi of northern Scandinavia. The chapter argues that conformity, civility and state-building were the keynotes of those efforts; that figures like Bishop William Bedell in Ireland who bucked that trend were swimming against the tide; and that that model was exported to the New World. After a brief consideration of missions to slaves in the English Caribbean, the chapter concludes by observing the change of tone in the early eighteenth century and by comparing structural, institutional explanations of this history with theological, conceptual ones.

Citation

Ryrie, A. (2020). The Missionary Problem in Early Modern Protestantism: British, Irish and Scandinavian Perspectives. In J. E. Kelly, H. Laugerud, & S. Ryan (Eds.), Northern European Reformations: Transnational Perspectives (377-403). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54458-4_15

• Online Publication Date: Sep 23, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-09
• Deposit Date: Feb 22, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 23, 2022
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Pages: 377-403
• Book Title: Northern European Reformations: Transnational Perspectives
• Chapter Number: 15
• ISBN: 9783030544577
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54458-4_15
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1661450
• Additional Information: Title changed prior to publication. Previous title: The Curious Incident of the Early Modern Protestant Missionary
• Contract Date: Mar 20, 2018