The Unity of the Race.—In this survey it will be of great value to remember that God "made of one every nation of men" (Acts xvii. 26). The unity of the race is a great and solemnizing truth. Men can not be classified by the color of their skin or their language. It is impossible for a scientist to tell the difference between the blood of an Arab, a Chinese, and an Englishman. Sin is not a heathen characteristic, it is a human characteristic. If the gospel had gone eastward instead of westward civilization would have traveled that way. As we speak about the backward races let us remember that the chief difference between them and us is that we have Christ and they have him not.
Explanation of Terms.—It is essential that the meaning of three terms which are current in the literature and discussion of missions be understood before we proceed. These terms are, the evangelization of the world, the naturalization of Christianity, and the Christianization of the world. What do these terms mean, and whose task is indicated by each?
The Evangelization of the World.—This phrase means the giving of every person in the world an adequate opportunity to know and receive Jesus Christ. This is the present and urgent task of all Christians. It is a universal obligation organic in the gospel. By this we do not mean simply giving the message of Christ once in the hearing of all men. That is not adequate. There must be repeated instruction in the gospel, until the need of Christ is made clear and influence brought to bear upon the will so that an intelligent decision to accept and follow Christ is made possible. Many will reject the message, no doubt, but the responsibility of Christians to any man is not discharged until that man has had opportunity to know and receive Jesus Christ. Wherever there are belated countries and races, or religions that do not meet the deepest needs of mankind, wherever there is no adequate opportunity to enjoy the deliverance from sin, the freedom, the intelligence, the purity, the safety, the justice and equality, the rewards of honest labor, which the gospel of Christ brings, it is the duty of those who possess all these to pass them on to others.
The Naturalization of Christianity.—By the naturalization of Christianity in a country is meant the permanent planting of the Christian Church and Christian institutions in that land. When a foreigner becomes a naturalized American he must meet certain educational and financial requirements and take the oath of allegiance to the United States, in return for which he is guaranteed the privileges and rights of citizenship. The process of Americanization is not completed by this act of naturalization; it is only well begun. Many years are required to thoroughly assimilate the spirit of our institutions and life. Naturalization is a first not a final process, Americanization is the goal.
Christianity may be said to be naturalized in a land when the native Church has reached the point where it is capable of governing and supporting itself and of completing the work of evangelizing the country. Therefore the naturalization of Christianity is the joint task of the foreign missionary and the native Christian Church. In the process the foreign missionary must decrease, as the native Church increases.
The Christianization of the World.—This involves the application of the principles of the gospel to the total life of mankind. In a strict sense this is not yet true in any country. There are of course many countries where the evangelization of the people is being vigorously carried out and the naturalization of Christianity is without question; but the complete redemption of society is not yet a fact. This final stage in the missionary enterprise is the task of the native Church in each land. There will still be fellowship with the Church in all lands and interchanges of ideas and service. There will no doubt be greater unity than ever, but the final responsibility rests with the naturalized Church in each land to complete the Christianizing task.
While the definitions given must not be interpreted too strictly, since the processes overlap and there is no absolutely sharp line of distinction between them, in general it is true that it is the duty of each generation of Christians to evangelize its own generation; it is the joint duty of Christendom and the native Church to naturalize Christianity in every land and among all races, and it is the task of the native Church in each land to press with all possible urgency the Christianization of the country. Evangelization and naturalization are the immediate aim: Christianization the final aim of the Church of Christ in the world.
I. America's Home Problem
A primary missionary obligation is to purify the fountains out of which the missionary streams flow. Unless there is a genuine Christian civilization in America the impact of America on the non-Christian world will not be life-giving. As Dr. Love well says, in The Mission of Our Nation:
"The man who minimizes the importance of any department of missions leaves himself without ground for the strongest appeal for any department of missions.