Impact of the Keswick and Cambridge Holiness Movement on British Protestant Missions in Asia (1881- 1906), with special reference to the Church Missionary Society and the China Inland Mission

Abstract

The religious revivals in later nineteenth-century Britain promoted significant commitment to the cause of overseas mission. One outgrowth of these revivals was the holiness movement, and particularly its expressions in the Keswick movement and in missionary zeal among students at Cambridge University. This thesis explores the contributions of the holiness movement to overseas missions, especially in Asia. It draws on Keswick periodicals, missionary archives, journals, and letters in exploring the connection between the holiness movement and missionary activities in India and China, giving particular reference to three case studies of Asian missionaries: Keswick missionaries, the Cambridge Seven, and Ridley Hall missionaries. The thesis explores how the holiness movement played an important role in the resurgence of Protestant overseas missions during the later nineteenth century. Holiness teachings were influential both in inspiring British Christians to take up missionary cause and in shaping their mission work. The thesis shows how Holiness-inspired missionaries in India and China engaged in evangelistic, pastoral, educational, and translation and literary work. They were also involved in promoting social welfare programmes among the local people. Their missionary careers continued to reflect certain key holiness emphases, including maintaining personal prayer and Bible reading, emphasising the importance of moral character, and living a simple life. This thesis also shows that holiness-influenced missionaries made important contributions to the development of an indigenous church leadership in Asia.