To “Elevate Unfortunate Humanity” On-screen: Linking World War I and Protestant Missions through Silent Film

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to examine how post-World War I American Methodists used silent film to link the progress of the U.S. military with the advances of denominational missionaries overseas. Both the American army and the largest Protestant denomination in the U.S. were on separate yet intricately intertwined missions – one to promote the extension of American “democracy” and “civilization” by rescuing foreigners from the clutches of menacing dictators, the other to promote a version of U.S. Protestantism by saving foreigners from the grasp of non-Christian religions and religious practices