Baring Baring-Gould

Last updated

Baring Baring-Gould
Portrait of Reverend B. Baring-Gould.png
The Rev. B. Baring-Gould in 1895
Personal details
Born1842
Died1917
Denomination Anglican
ChildrenElizabeth Baring-Gould
OccupationMissionary(Education, Medical, Religion)
Alma mater Corpus Christi College, Cambridge


Baring Baring-Gould was a late 19th and early 20th century Anglican missionary who is known for his work in China and India overseeing and reporting on all sites. He began his missionary work in the UK working for the Church Mission Society (CMS) straight out of schooling. Traveling abroad for the first time in 1899, Baring-Gould was sent to oversee the progress of missions across the “Far East” (India, China, Japan) and report his findings back to the CMS. Appointed as the CMS secretary of Far East and India missions, Baring-Gould's daughter, Edith Baring-Gould, accompanied her father on these missions and recorded their findings and opinions. Deeply rooted in the CMS organization, Baring-Gould was a key member to organizational and especially faith related aspects of mission projects.

Contents

Early life and education

Baring-Gould was born in 1842 and died at the age of 74 in 1917. [1] Through the CMS, he worked alongside his daughter, Edith Baring-Gould, for many years. [2] Baring-Gould graduated Corpus Christi College at Cambridge in 1865 and immediately began his work with the CMS. [1]

Mission

Work with the CMS

In 1869, Baring-Gould was appointed incumbent reverend of All Saints’ church in Sidmouth, U.K. and in 1878 transferred to St. Michael and All Angels church in Blackheath, U.K. [1] After 10 years at Blackheath, he joined the staff of CMS in Salisbury Square. [1]

Call

Baring-Gould's calling to missionary work was driven from religious Christian affiliations. Baring-Gould described his internal conflict between prioritizing education or promoting Christianity. [3] Baring-Gould celebrated colleges opening in various Chinese cities as evidence of the progress of westernizing the education system in China. [3] Baring-Gould weighed the impact of taking over these colleges and making them institutions that promoted Christianity rather than allowing them to exist independently in China (still utilizing the Westernized education systems that were enforced by the CMS missionaries). [3] Baring-Gould's desire to create sustainable institutions for westernized education in China contrasted with his personal interest in spreading Christianity. Although he regularly proposed sending Christian missionaries to teach at these newly established schools and colleges to promote Christianity among Chinese students, Baring-Gould understood the importance of implementing sustainable institutions that could exist without foreign aid and personnel. [3]

Journey and service

Edith Baring-Gould's journals

Baring-Gould's missionary work is understood through the writings of his daughter and fellow missionary, Edith Baring-Gould (widely known as E.B.G.). [2] She documented their missionary experience in Japan through a series of journal articles, describing Japanese culture and norms through the eyes of a westernized Christian. Edith Baring-Gould was introduced to missionary work when young through her father's participation in the CMS. They shared very similar values in terms of the place Christianity held in missionary work. [3] As an appointed secretary of the India and Far East CMS sponsored missions, her accounts of these missions (on which she traveled to support her father's work) a good sense of their thoughts and opinions regarding the importance of Christianity in their work.

India

Jeypore Wall, Rajputana, India Jeypore Wall, India.png
Jeypore Wall, Rajputana, India

Baring-Gould's first mission focused heavily on India, contemplating his efforts to cause a mass conversion to Christianity. On December 6, 1899, Baring-Gould (along with his daughter, Edith Baring-Gould) left with other missionaries for India. [4] He arrived in Bombay on December 16, 1899, and spent a few weeks traveling to different CMS sponsored mission locations. [4] The Baring-Goulds' purpose in India was not specific to one mission project but instead related to many projects in the region. [3]

Outpatients at Hospital in India -- photo taken by Edith Baring-Gould Outpatients at Hospital in India.png
Outpatients at Hospital in India -- photo taken by Edith Baring-Gould

During their time in India, the Baring-Goulds reported on projects such as the Robert Money School in Bombay as well as other schools and churches in Jeypore (the capital of the Native State of Rajputana). [4] [5] In her recount of their travels in India, Edith Baring-Gould focused on their time in Jandiala, overseeing the CMS medical mission piloted by an Indian Christian doctor who opened a small hospital. [4] Edith Baring-Gould described the physical condition of the patients, from a multitude of diseases to blindness, and everything in between. [4] However, instead of focusing on the physical aid that the hospital provided (which she admits was beneficial to physical health), E.B.G. chose to describe the healing of souls due to exposure to Christianity. [4] Baring-Gould expressed his belief that it is more of a blessing to help the patients understand the healing process of God and the Bible than to help their physical state. [4]

China

Women and Children Photographed by Edith Baring-Gould during the time she spent doing missionary work in China with Baring Baring-Gould Women and Children in China.png
Women and Children Photographed by Edith Baring-Gould during the time she spent doing missionary work in China with Baring Baring-Gould

After his time in India, Baring-Gould visited missions worldwide on behalf of the CMS. [1] He quickly became a crucial figure among the CMS staff and acquired a secretary position focusing on various significant mission projects. [1] He also journeyed to China to oversee a massive effort to westernize education systems in China. During his time in China, Baring-Gould documented his cultural observations, missionary efforts, and personal opinions. The article “The Position in the Far East”  focused on the education reform efforts of missionaries in China. [3] Convinced that Chinese populations were in desperate need of a westernized education system, Baring-Gould argued that westernized education was in fact eagerly sought after in the place of the already existing education that focused on the teachings of Confucius. [3] Baring-Gould described the missionaries’ efforts to obtain the Chinese Government's support for their endeavors by illustrating the system in which Chinese governors pledged to open preparatory schools in their respective provincial capitals. [3] The missionaries encouraged the government to enforce laws that all boys older than eight years of age were required to attend school. [3] Baring-Gould commented that the implementation of a westernized education system was so well received by Chinese populations that families began wanting their daughters to attend school and men became more interested in marrying women who were considered educated from the western system. [3]

Related Research Articles

A Christian mission is an organized effort to carry on evangelism or other activities, such as educational or hospital work, in the name of the Christian faith. Missions involve sending individuals and groups across boundaries, most commonly geographical boundaries. Sometimes individuals are sent and are called missionaries, and historically may have been based in mission stations. When groups are sent, they are often called mission teams and they undertake mission trips. There are a few different kinds of mission trips: short-term, long-term, relational and those that simply help people in need. Some people choose to dedicate their whole lives to mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Studd</span> British cricketer and missionary

Charles Thomas Studd, often known as C. T. Studd, was a British missionary, a contributor to The Fundamentals, and a cricketer.

The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission partners during its 200-year history. The society has also given its name "CMS" to a number of daughter organisations around the world, including Australia and New Zealand, which have now become independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Society Partners in the Gospel</span> United Kingdom-based charitable organization

United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organization.

The Church of England Zenana Missionary Society, also known as the Church of England Zenana Mission, was a British Anglican missionary society established to spread Christianity in India. It would later expand its Christian missionary work into Japan and Qing Dynasty China. In 1957 it was absorbed into the Church Missionary Society (CMS).

Foreign Christian Missionary Society (FCMS) was a Christian missionary society established by the Disciples of Christ. The Foreign Christian Missionary Society was established toward the end of 1876. The Society was organized for three main reasons:

Andrew Jukes was a Canadian Anglican missionary and doctor. He translated the Four Gospels into the Jatki dialect of Punjabi, as well as producing a prominent bilingual dictionary of the language.

Stephen Charles Neill (1900–1984) was a British Anglican bishop, missionary and scholar. He was proficient in a number of languages, including Ancient Greek, Latin and Tamil. He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, and was a fellow there before going as a missionary in Tamil Nadu in British India. He became bishop of Tirunelveli in 1939. He believed in unification of all churches in South India and communion beyond denominations. He wrote several books on theology and church history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission school</span> Religious school

A mission school or missionary school is a religious school originally developed and run by Christian missionaries. The mission school was commonly used in the colonial era for the purposes of Westernization of local people. These may be day schools or residential schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. T. E. Rhenius</span>

Charles Theophilus Ewald Rhenius was a German born missionary of the Church Mission Society (CMS). He was the first CMS missionary to arrive at India. For his missionary work in the Tirunelveli district he came to be known as the "Apostle of Tirunelveli". He was involved in the attempt to revise the Fabricius version of the Tamil Bible and also published a Tamil grammar book. Rhenius’ split from the Anglican Church in 1830 and started his own congregation. Rhenius' work was recognized in 1980 by the Reverend Daniel Abraham, the then Church of South India (CSI) bishop of Tirunelveli diocese. Rhenius's work was given official recognition by the Anglican Communion during the Tirunelveli diocese bicentenary celebration in 1980, in which, all the bishops, including Anglican bishop Stephen Neill and all the presbyters took an oath in front of the tomb of Rev Rhenius to follow the path of the resting soul, regard to evangelism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hind (bishop in Fukien)</span>

John Hind was a missionary bishop of the Anglican Church in Fukien.

Bishop Vedanayagam Samuel Azariah was an Indian evangelist and the first Indian bishop in the churches of the Anglican Communion, serving as the first bishop of the diocese of Dornakal. A pioneer of Christian ecumenism in India, Azariah had a complex relationship with Mahatma Gandhi, who at least once called him postcolonial Indians' "Enemy Number One."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Missionary Society in India</span> Missionary Society in India

The Church Missionary Society in India was a branch organisation established by the Church Missionary Society (CMS), which was founded in Britain in 1799 under the name the Society for Missions to Africa and the East, as a mission society working with the Anglican Communion, other Protestants, and Orthodox Christians around the world. In 1812, the British organization was renamed the Church Missionary Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Missionary Society in China</span>

The Church Missionary Society in China was a branch organisation established by the Church Missionary Society (CMS), which was founded in Britain in 1799 under the name the Society for Missions to Africa and the East; as a mission society working with the Anglican Communion, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians around the world. In 1812, the organization was renamed the Church Missionary Society. The missions were financed by the CMS with the local organisation of a mission usually being under the oversight of the Bishop of the Anglican diocese in which the CMS mission operated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew P. Happer</span> Presbyterian missionary in South China (b. 1818, d. 1894)

Andrew P. Happer (1818–1894) was a nineteenth-century American Presbyterian missionary who is known for his educational, medical, and religious endeavours in South China. Happer's missionary service lasted from 1844 to 1891, and during this time he worked in the suburbs and city of Canton. In the field of medicine, Happer created two dispensaries, the first was established in 1847 and the second in 1854. He also introduced higher Christian education to the Chinese youth of Canton through opening boarding and day schools, a training school, and eventually the Canton Christian College in the year 1888. Carrying out his duty as a Presbyterian missionary, Happer found the First Presbyterian Church where he was a pastor and converted many Cantonese people to Christianity, published books and other works focusing on Presbyterian faith, translated multiple religious works, and held editor positions for Presbyterian periodicals. After making his impact on the Cantonese people and laying down the foundation for future Presbyterian missions in South China, Happer left China for the last time in 1894.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Anglicanism in Sichuan</span> History and status of the Anglican Church in Sichuan

The history of Anglicanism in Sichuan began in 1887 when Anglican missionaries working with the China Inland Mission began to arrive from the United Kingdom. These were later joined by missionaries from the Church Missionary Society and Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society. Or according to Annals of Religion in Mianyang, in 1885, a small mission church was already founded in Mianyang by Alfred Arthur Phillips and Gertrude Emma Wells of the Church Missionary Society. Missionaries built churches, founded schools, and distributed Chinese translations of Anglican religious texts. These efforts were relatively successful and Anglicanism grew to become one of the two largest denominations of Protestant Christianity in the province, alongside Methodism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism in Sichuan</span> History and status of Protestantism in Sichuan

The Protestant mission began in the Chinese province of Sichuan in 1877, when premises were rented by the China Inland Mission in Chungking. However, it grew rather slowly, it was not until the late 1980s that Protestantism experienced rapid growth. The two largest denominations in the province before 1949 were Anglicanism and Methodism.

Norman Cook was a British physician, medical missionary, and evangelist in Northern Nigeria from 1930 to 1933. As a member of the Hausa Band from Cambridge University, Cook was influential in the development of the hospitals and out-patient dispensaries in Zaria and Wusasa and was the leader in the building of the dispensary in Maska. His transfer of the leper colony in Zaria resulted the establishment of the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre in Zaria, Nigeria in 1991. Cook’s missionary service was brief due to his unexpected death caused by septicaemia in the operating theater.

Helen Plummer Phillips (1850–1929) educator, missionary, philanthropist, was the first missionary sent from Australia by the newly formed Church Missionary Association NSW in 1892. She was the first tutor for women students at the University of Sydney and formed the University of Sydney Women's Society in 1891 and established its settlement work, mentoring the women students until the Women's College was built and the first principal arrived. Phillips was a principal of St. Catherine's School, Waverley NSW, an advocate for women's full education, and a benefactor of St Luke's Anglican Community Church, Medlow Bath, NSW.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 česky (1917-07-06). "Death Of The Rev. B. Baringgould. - Document - Gale Primary Sources". Go.gale.com. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  2. 1 2 The Church Missionary Outlook. October 1961.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Jan 1909, The CMS Home Gazette - Church Missionary Society Periodicals - Adam Matthew Digital". Churchmissionarysociety.amdigital.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-05-03.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Baring-Gould, Edith M. E.; Young, W. Mackworth (1901). With note-book and camera: a winter journey in foreign lands. London: Church Missionary Society.
  5. Money, Charles Forbes Septimus; Money, Robert Cotton (1857). Memoir on the education of the natives of India ... With an introductory notice by the Rev. C. F. S. Money. London: Wertheim and Macintosh. Retrieved 24 Jan 2022.