FROM CHINAMWALI TO CHILANGIZO:

zeal for missions abroad was a 'continuation and extension of home missions.' There
was 'vigorous evangelism' which aimed at individual commitment 'yet recognised the
family unit and created and strengthened local communitas' (Walls 1996:228). Ameri­
can overseas missions 'began not with the official machinery of the churches, but with
voluntary societies' (Walls 1990:12). The surge of new societies outside the major
denominational boards had the effect oftransferring 'overseas many ofthe attitudes and
values that had produced the evangelisation ofthe frontier' (Walls 1990:12).
American Southern Baptists must be seen in this context of the country's missionary
success. In addition to vigorous evangelism, Latourette (1975:1037) attributes the Bap­
tists' missionary success also to the peculiar way their messages appealed to the rural
masses - simple but effective language, simple democratic type of church government,
and the informality of the services. Other factors, such as the inclusion of religious lib­
erty into the bill ofrights, the founding of academies, colleges and theological seminar­
ies, as well as emphasis on the importance of conscious conversion, facilitated further
growth ofthe Baptists (Hastings 1996: 1036-37). In the 1950s, Baptists were the largest
ofthe Protestant denominational families.
From the early nineteenth century, Baptist churches throughout America responded with
zealous missionary activity resulting in the opening of new mission fields in Asia,
Africa, and Europe (Latourette 1975:1038).
The zeal to evangelise the whole world must also be viewed from the broader Western
cultural background ofthe eighteenth century Enlightenment that produced in the West­
ern mind rationalism which, together with the scientific and technological advances,
gave the West a superior attitude over the rest of the world, both culturally and relig­
iously. Thus the Western world was seen as 'advanced,' 'enlightened,' or 'civilised,'
and 'Christian,' while the rest was classified as 'primitive,' 'animistic,' 'pagan,' and
'non-Christian.' 18 The feeling of superiority brought the conviction to civilise and
christianise the entire world, 'primarily by means ofthe program ofcolonialism and the
planting of Western-type churches in all parts of the world' (David Bosch 1994:343).
Hence exploration and colonialism worked togethel with missions. As Akosua Perbi
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