| Popis: |
The study of history is the interpretation of events in their relationships at a particular time. This is a subjective exercise with some degree of objectivity and this thesis is no exception. It is a study by a Jamaican Baptist minister who has always been a Baptist, examining the changing relationships of four events which find a focus in one of them - a mission of the Jamaican Baptist Church to Africa in 1843. Firstly, this is a study of the development of a 'church consciousness' among the Baptists in the island between 1783 and 1843, for without this a mission would have been impossible. There has been an investigation of the church structure and programme in an attempt to discover whether there existed a relationship between their ethnic composition and an African mission. Simultaneously, there has been an assessment of the importance of 'Africa' as an ideal both for the Anti-Slavery Movement and for the freed-slave in the churches. Secondly, this is a study of rivalry between Missionary Societies in the local situation. There has been an examination of the changing relationships between the B.M.S and both the Jamaica and African missions, especially after 1843. This assessment has proved a useful model with which to examine the tensions which are likely to occur between a missionfield and missionary-agency. With this in mind, the Missionary Societies have been examined as regards the events of 1842 and the independence of the Jamaican Baptist churches. Thirdly, this is a study of the settlement and penetration of Fernando Po (Santa Isabel) and the adjacent mainland by the Baptists between 1841 and 1853, with an emphasis upon the life and work of the Jamaica-related missionaries. Fourthly, this is a study of the changing policy of the B.M.S. to Blacks. It examines the place of 'Race' or the interpretations of 'Race' in the outworking of Committee decisions and assesses its influence upon financial policy and ecclesiological definitions of the mission church. |
