The foreign missionary movement of the early 19th century grew out of the efforts of churches in New England to deal with the changes then taking place in society. The erosion of traditional institutional structures and social values plus the rise of Unitarianism threatened the destruction of the traditional faith. The author holds that the Congregational clergy used foreign missions not only to implant New England culture in heathen lands but also to awaken a sense of community at home.
John A. Andrew III is assistant professor of history at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
A valuable addition to the scholarly re-examination of early nineteenth-century reform; its provocative new insights deserve close attention. —Catholic Historical Reviewhttps://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_history_of_religion/1002/thumbnail.jp
