Chapter 3 World Mission to World Christianity: The Changing Identity of a Mission Library through a Century of Historical Change in Church and Society

In: Theological Libraries and Library Associations in Europe
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Ruth MacLean
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Abstract

The Henry Martyn Library was named after the renowned Anglican priest, missionary, former student and Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge. Opened in 1898 at a time of increased evangelical zeal, its aim was to inspire university students into lifelong overseas missionary service. Yet, as the 20th century unfolded, unforeseen changes in church and society led to a demographic shift of Christianity to the global South. One hundred years on, the now Henry Martyn Centre reimagined its purpose for the 21st century, facilitating academic research, teaching, and dialogue of World Christianity to study this remarkable story of Christianity’s worldwide expansion.

Résumé

La bibliothèque Henry Martyn porte le nom du célèbre prêtre anglican, missionnaire, ancien étudiant et membre du St John’s College de Cambridge. Ouverte en 1898, à une époque où le zèle évangélique s’intensifiait, elle avait pour but d’inciter les étudiants universitaires à servir toute leur vie comme missionnaires à l’étranger. Cependant, au cours du 20e siècle, des changements imprévus dans l’Église et la société ont entraîné un déplacement démographique du christianisme vers le Sud. Cent ans plus tard, le désormais Henry Martyn Centre a réimaginé son objectif pour le 21e siècle, en facilitant la recherche universitaire, l’enseignement et le dialogue sur le christianisme mondial afin d’étudier cette histoire remarquable de l’expansion mondiale du christianisme.

Zusammenfassung

Die Henry Martyn Library wurde nach dem berühmten anglikanischen Priester und Missionar, ehemaligen Studenten und Fellow am St John’s College in Cambridge, Henry Martyn, benannt. Die Bibliothek wurde 1898 in einer Zeit gegründet, in der evangelikale Kräfte rasant erstarkten. Sie sollte Studierende ermutigen, sich nach dem Vorbild des Namensgebers Henry Martyn für einen lebenslangen Missionsdienst in Übersee zu entscheiden. Durch unvorhersehbare Entwicklungen in Kirche und Gesellschaft im Laufe des 20. Jahrhunderts verlagerte sich allerdings die demografische Verteilung der Christenheit in den globalen Süden. Hundert Jahre später hat sich das heutige Henry-Martyn-Zentrum deshalb für das 21. Jahrhundert neu ausgerichtet und seine Aufgaben neu definiert: Es fördert Forschung, Lehre und den Dialog des Weltchristentums, um den bemerkenswerten Verlauf der weltweiten Ausbreitung des Christentums zu untersuchen.

This chapter tells the unlikely story of a tiny library that, against all the odds, survived into the 21st century to become one of the world’s leading academic libraries for World Christianity. It started out as a small collection of books to inspire Cambridge scholars to devote their lives to overseas mission at a time of great evangelical zeal. Christians then were 80% European or Anglo-American, and missionaries were being sent out from Western nations to the ‘unreached’ nations of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The 20th century, however, proved to be tumultuous, with decided shifts taking place. As the century unfolded, a remarkable reversal took place. The growth of Christianity in the Southern hemisphere was so expansive, that today nearly 70% of Christians are African, Asian, or Latin American, with nearly half of full-time missionaries serving across cultures coming from the South. The West, meanwhile, has secularised, self-identifying as post-Christian, and the UK has become increasingly atheistic. Theology here has been marginalised.1

The little missionary library was nearly handed over to another library and forgotten. And yet, a small group of Trustees decided to preserve it, and in due time, the library was transformed and developed into a rich collection of resources on World Christianity that tell the story of this remarkable rise in Christianity throughout the Global South.

1 Early History

The Henry Martyn Library, as the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide was first known, was the inspiration of a group from the University of Cambridge with a collective interest in building a missionary library.2 In the early 1890s, this predominantly Anglican group with connections to the Wesleyan Missionary Society and Congregational London Missionary Society, formed the idea to extend a recent initiative of a new Hall, purpose-built for “Christian converse and counsel; especially about missionary matters.”3 The Hall had been built as a memorial and named the Henry Martyn Hall in honour of the Cambridge University scholar, Anglican priest and pioneer missionary to India and Persia, Henry Martyn (1781–1812).

The desire was to house this library in the Henry Martyn Hall (‘the Hall’) “to meet the increasing thirst for Missionary knowledge4” and give special prominence to missionary biographies. A printed appeal in 1895 set out the following challenge:

In this era of missionary information let every University, but Cambridge above all others, have a library of missionary books, well supplied and attractive, as a witness that God’s work is as well worth study as any work of man’s, and as an inspiration to those that come after…. Will you not help us to remove that ignorance which is at the root of our indifference to Missions? … So shall the knowledge of His Kingdom spread from shore to shore, till He shall be seen coming again in His glory, and we shall no more study the Book of Missions, but He will open the Book of Life.5

The following year, 1896, the Library Trust was formed. It was an unprecedented year of enthusiasm for mission, largely the result of a massive Student Missionary Conference that took place in Liverpool that year, organised by the Student Volunteer Missionary Union (SVMU). That same year, nineteen university students volunteered for missionary service and one hundred took up the study of a new mission course devised by SVMU’s Educational Programme on missionary history and principles.

The library Trustees had conversations with the Hall Trustees to discuss the possibility of housing the proposed new library in the spacious ground floor of the new Hall, hoping that the high level of enthusiasm for mission would gain them the support needed to achieve this. Whilst this initial hope was not realised, space was found and given to the library Trustees for storing the books within a smaller part of the Hall and so the Henry Martyn Library opened, somewhat smaller than anticipated, in 1898, overseen by a volunteer student librarian.6 Opening hours were 10.00 AM to 5.00 PM on weekdays during university term time and when meetings were held at the Hall. The collection comprised books primarily on mission in Africa, Madagascar, China, India, Ceylon, and Japan, but also other parts of the world. There were also books on other world faiths and, in particular, Islam and Hinduism.

The hope was that the influence of the Henry Martyn Library would grow and inspire many in the university to devote their lives to missionary service so that the whole world might be evangelised within a generation.

2 Henry Martyn (1781–1812)

Naming the library after the former Cambridge University scholar and missionary, Henry Martyn, identified it strongly within the Protestant cause of mission.7 Henry Martyn was an ordained priest in the Anglican Church and the doctrines he expressed in his journals were clearly in line with the 39 Articles of Religion of 1571 of the Church of England. His undaunted devotion, sacrificial labours, expansive translation work, and witness throughout his travels distinguished him in the eyes of the church so that they regarded him on a par with other great missionaries before him, such as William Carey (1761–1834) and David Brainerd (1718–1747).8

Seven years after his premature death, aged 31, in Tokat, Armenia (present- day Turkey) The Life and Letters of Henry Martyn by John Sargent was published in 1819. Sargent’s memoir of his friend was widely read and became one of the most influential missionary biographies in the history of Protestant missions.9 It presents Martyn as a passionate missionary seeking the conversion to Christianity of all those whom he met, as the following excerpt shows:

I asked him, ‘Whether he had any thoughts of changing his religion’. He replied with a contemptuous smile, ‘No; every man is safe in his own religion’. I asked him, ‘What sinners must do to obtain pardon?’ ‘Repent’, said he. I asked, ‘Would repentance satisfy a creditor or judge?’ ‘Why, is it not said in the Gospel’, rejoined he, ‘that we must repent?’ I replied, ‘It cannot be proved from the Gospel, that repentance alone is sufficient, or good works, or both’. ‘Where, then, is the glory of salvation?’ he said. I replied, ‘In the atonement of Christ’.10

Figure 3.1
Figure 3.1

Portrait of Henry Martyn (1781–1812), painted in Calcutta by the artist Thomas Hickey. A framed photograph of the original hangs in the CCCW today.

This original and simple view of mission, which inspired the founding of the Henry Martyn Library, would change significantly over the course of the following decades.

3 The Changing Contexts of the 20th Century

The 20th century brought changes in church and society, and these external changes were to significantly impact the development of the Henry Martyn Library. One of these changes was the increasing influence and rise of ecumenism and liberalism as a result of three World Missionary Conferences – Edinburgh 1910, Jerusalem 1928, and Tambaram 1938 – and their impact on approaches to world mission. Another was the end of colonialism in the 1950s in many parts of the world and attending attitudes to Christian missions. Yet another was the sharp decline in Christianity in the West and rise in new social values such as pluralism, feminism, and environmentalism which reshaped the liberalised mainstream church and the nature of its mission. These changes can begin to be seen in the great World Missionary Conferences of the early 20th century.

3.1 Edinburgh 1910 and Its Fruits

The first World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910, has been described as the most definitive moment for the emerging shape of Christianity in the 20th century in Protestant church history.11 Its lasting influence on approaches to world mission lay in its role in advancing the ecumenical cause.

The conference was innovative in its day by its diverse gathering of delegates from varied Protestant and Anglican foreign missionary societies from around the world.12 The Conference was noted for calls to “co-operative witness” and “visible unity.” It also saw the abandonment of the mindset of mission societies being the parent, and the indigenous church the child.13 These themes of Christian unity and the increasing voice of indigenous churches would grow in importance as the 20th century progressed. Given this legacy, historians and theologians have pinpointed Edinburgh 1910 as the juncture at which The Great Century for Missions ended.14 That is, it marked the end point of an era of mission endeavour in which a strong emphasis lay on the organised advance of the conversion of the non-Christian world and simultaneous advance of ‘civilising’ it.15

The conference formed a Continuation Committee to keep alive Edinburgh 1910’s vision.16 In 1911, it launched the International Review of Missions, the first international and ecumenical journal.17 Two further movements were also initiated: Faith and Order, focusing on doctrinal issues of the various churches, and Life and Work, looking at social and political responsibilities.18 These three movements – mission, doctrine, and social responsibility – remained separate until later in the 20th century.

3.2 Jerusalem 1928

Shortly after Edinburgh 1910, a number of calamitous historical events occurred.19 First came World War I (1914–18), and then the Spanish flu pandemic (1918–20). Faith in human nature and its innate capacity for good was shaken, and the credibility of Western Christianity was also damaged, as those outside the West saw Christians killing Christians. Against this backdrop, the Second World Missionary Conference was held in 1928 in Jerusalem.20 This IMC conference was a deliberative meeting with around 200 delegates, 60 representing churches from the mission field, to consider what constituted the Christian message.21 It was felt that a clear definition must be agreed in order to address the problems of non-Christian faiths and “non-Christian systems of thought and life,”22 especially given the rising trend of secularism presenting a new challenge for mission.

The main legacy of Jerusalem 1928 was an advance in readiness around interfaith dialogue. On Buddhism, for example, Kenneth Saunders wrote: “The great fact … [is] that behind all religions there is Religion and the religious consciousness of man.”23 Therefore, missionaries in the East were to “enter into partnership with the people of Asia in a great spiritual quest.” Trends towards ecumenism were thus accelerating into interfaith dialogue.

Whilst this move was not without opponents, many took the line that Christianity is the fulfilment of the values of other religious faiths and called for inter-religious collaboration in order to hold back the rising tide of secularism.24 E. Stanley Jones contended that what they should really be asking is whether Jesus is universal, rather than whether he is superior or unique.25 In his view, truths in other religions were all part of the perfect truth found in Christ.26 In the final message, the following statement was made: “Just because in Jesus Christ the light that lighteneth every man shone forth in its full splendour, we find rays of that same light where he is unknown or even is rejected.”27 The trends of Edinburgh 1910 deepened at Jerusalem 1928 and would continue to progress in influence.

3.3 Increasing Participation of Younger World Churches, and Tambaram 1938

The 1930s onwards continued to see missionary thinking build on the foundation of Edinburgh 1910. One of these developments was the increasing participation of younger world churches.28 Tambaram 1938 gathered 470 delegates from 70 nations, with an equal 50% participation by younger churches.29 Tambaram marked a shift in the task of mission. No longer was it primarily focused on the salvation of individuals, but now it took on the role of dealing with problems of justice and peace.30 A.H. Ward’s review of the conference for the International Affairs Journal the following year is enlightening:

There was newness at Madras. New intention to act in face of world chaotic problems, the status of women, literacy, agriculture, health; and to engender vitality, no demoded nationalism but free interdependence. Those without defined creed will gain by reading this Report.31

3.4 Further Trends and Developments

A theological underpinning for this was found when, in 1934, Karl Hartenstein, a German missiologist, coined the term missio Dei (the mission of God).32 In his view, God is sovereignly at work extending his kingdom in the world.33 Under this idea the missio ecclesiae (the mission of the church) is subordinate to the already ongoing missio Dei. This meant that mission was not primarily about soteriology (a missionary call to be saved) or about ecclesiology (the growth of a denomination) but rather to “participate in the movement of God’s love toward people, since God is a fountain of sending love.”34

These ideas were discussed at the IMC’s Willingen 1952 conference, credited for the theological direction it gave to Protestant missiology.35 Mission now began to be regarded less and less in the traditional evangelistic mindset.36 Theologians like David J. Bosch (1929–1992) carried these ideas forward,37 as did Max Warren (1904–77), General secretary of the Church Missionary Society (CMS).38 Other influential voices at this time were J.C. (Hans) Hoekendijk and his radical missiological views, speaking of missio Dei and God’s work in the world independent of the church,39 Lesslie Newbigin (IMC secretary 1959–61),40 and Stephen Neill, with his 1964 maxim: “The age of missions is at an end; the age of mission has begun.”41

These trends were mirrored in the Roman Catholic Church. The Second Vatican Council (1962–65) embraced revised perspectives on ecumenical efforts with other Christian denominations and interfaith dialogue with other religions.42 Vatican II spoke positively of peoples of other faiths: of Jews as “most dear to God” and of Muslims as those holding to the faith of Abraham, adoring “the one merciful God.”43 They went as far as to offer the possibility of hope of salvation to people of other faiths if they lived by their conscience. Moreover, missionaries were encouraged to engage in ecumenical action, collaborating with “their separated brethren” (non-Roman Catholics) and associating with all those fighting famine, ignorance, and disease and working towards peace, animating their service with God’s love.

3.5 Painful Legacies and Reverse Mission

The 1950s onwards were marked by an end to colonialism in many parts of the world. Pressure came from society to decolonise and to apologise. The concept of mission was caught up in this movement and became widely distasteful and reminiscent of Western imperialism. The combination of preaching the gospel and pursuing an agenda to ‘civilise’ non-Christian societies, for example, was now met with self-criticism. In the words of Ian M. Ellis, the “curious linking of sacred and secular goals … betrayed what can only be described as a certain Western arrogance.”44

However, Lamin Sanneh (1942–2019), the D. Willis Professor of World Christianity at Yale, from Gambia, West Africa has argued that, whilst mission had certainly advanced through the spread of the colonial empires, when these empires eventually faded away from their colonies, the new Christian communities deepened.45 Rather than disappearing, these churches flourished; so much so, that over the course of the 20th century, Christianity emerged as a world religion. Thus, whilst Christianity declined over the 20th century in most of Europe, Australasia, and parts of North America, the church was growing and expanding rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia.46 At the same time, however, Christianity met with resistance and strong persecution in the Islamic world and most of India. This resulted in the movement of Christians away from places in West Asia and the Middle East, previous strongholds of Christianity. Latin America and Oceania saw an increased following of newer expressions of Christianity, particularly Pentecostalism, over older forms of the Christian faith.

Consequently, reverse mission occurred as Christians migrated from the new churches of the Global South and East and from the old Orthodox churches of the Middle East into Europe and North America.47 The newer theologies emerging from the Global South and East were theologies of liberation and social justice – new interpretations of Jesus and the gospel, of salvation and the purpose of the church and mission.48 Greater focus was given to this world and delivery from its corruption and injustices than on the eternal world to come.

4 Henry Martyn Hall and Library in the 20th Century

4.1 Henry Martyn Hall and Library, 1900–1940s49

As can be seen from this survey of the world context of mission, the Henry Martyn Library had to operate in a context of seismic theological and cultural shifts. Against this background, from 1900 until the First World War, the Henry Martyn Hall (‘The Hall’) was used primarily by CICCU, the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union.50 CICCU had a Protestant evangelical stance, providing for the spiritual growth of Christian university students, organising outreach within the university, holding daily prayer meetings, and highlighting international missionary work. The Hall was also used as a venue for Protestant organisations with a vision for mission, evangelism, and spiritual growth.51

Following the Great War, in the 1920s, it was observed that the library collection was outdated, and no system was in place for purchasing new materials. With little support from the library Trustees and no employed librarian, nothing changed. From 1934, however, the interests of the library were taken up by the Henry Martyn Trust (HMT) which amalgamated with the library Trust. A library committee was formed of six people, half Anglican, and half non-Conformist. The library committee’s main purpose was to develop the library into a place of study. Conversations took place, but nothing initially materialised. At this point, in the 1930s, missionary societies’ attendance at the Hall dropped, as they began to use their own church halls instead. New users of the Hall included the Cambridge Female Refuge, the Cambridge Choral Society, and the Cambridge District Nursing Institution.

The HMT’s connection with overseas mission continued, with CICCU’s continued daily prayer for missions overseas, and the addition of Max Warren as ex-officio Trustee in 1936. Max Warren, a former missionary in Nigeria, was a well-known leader in the missionary world and the Trusteeship came with his role as newly appointed minister of Holy Trinity Church. Paul Gibson, a former missionary with the CMS and Principal of Ridley Hall, was another Trustee. Together they agreed that the library needed to purchase new books on world mission and that members of both the SCM and CICCU should be encouraged to make use of the collection. They also decided to extend library membership to users outside the university with an interest in mission. John Wenham, an Anglican biblical scholar, and member of Pembroke College took on the task of looking through books in the library collection not obviously related to mission to weed out ones better placed in other theological libraries.

During World War II, HMT’s connection with CICCU continued. The HMT also connected with a new Christian work in Cambridge, Tyndale House, set up by the Biblical Research Committee of the Inter-Varsity Fellowship (IVF), an evangelical organisation helping students share Christ within the university. Its first warden, Norman Anderson, was also Chair of the HMT library committee, having served with the Egypt General Mission.

In 1945, the library’s volunteer librarian, Michael Blair, a member of CICCU, reported that the collection consisted of 1000 books. With the Hall’s mortgage about to be finally paid off in 1946, and with the Hall improved, it was decided to purchase Bibles and NTs for overseas university students and new materials on the subject of world mission for the library. Regius Professor of Divinity, Charles Raven, an ex-officio Trustee, gave acquisition advice. Biblical studies materials, it was decided, would be purchased by Tyndale House to keep the two collections unique.

By the later 1940s, the library committee had dwindled down in number as people moved away from Cambridge, so CICCU and SCM were invited to suggest new members. The revitalised library committee reached out to local churches to ask how the library could best serve their needs.

4.2 Henry Martyn Hall and Library, 1950s and 1960s52

The 1950s were a high point for CICCU within the university, and its connections with the HMT remained strong. In 1948, CWICCU (the Cambridge Women’s Inter-Collegiate Christian Union formed in the early 1920s) joined with CICCU, adding its 60 members. CICCU’s membership now stood at over 400. Its daily prayer meetings filled the Hall every weekday, and on Sundays they filled the library.

Whilst there was much general mission activity in Cambridge, with both John Stott and Billy Graham speaking and a group of CICCU students known as ‘the Cambridge seventy’ committing to mission, the 1950s were not trouble free for the HMT and for CICCU.53 Tensions were stirring between CICCU and both Holy Trinity and Ridley Hall. Holy Trinity had installed Stanley Betts as their new vicar in 1949. Although an evangelical, trained in Ridley Hall and former RAF Chaplain during the war, he was not considered doctrinally sound enough by the CICCU executive. Then in 1951, Ridley Hall chose Cyril Bowles as their new Principal, a liberal evangelical. In 1957, however, Cyril Tucker took over as Holy Trinity’s new vicar, and he had a strong mission outlook that aligned with CICCU. He encouraged the HMT to consider supporting overseas mission with its surplus funding and went on to serve overseas himself as Bishop of Argentina and Eastern South America, in 1963.

Whilst the HMT was maintaining its close connections with the strongly conservative evangelical CICCU, theologically, it was embracing the ecumenical and liberal movements. This is unsurprising since the Trustees represented various institutions and Anglican churches which embraced the newer ecumenical and liberal views. One notable HMT Trustee from this time, for example, was Michael Ramsey, later Archbishop of Canterbury.54 Regius Professor of Divinity and ex-officio Trustee for the HMT, Ramsey was a strong supporter of the ecumenical movement, with a respect for other faiths and honest unbelief, not regarding these as an automatic barrier to salvation. Another was ‘Charlie’ F.D. Moule.55 One of the best-known 20th-century NT scholars, he affirmed the deity and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, but on the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit and “many other matters,” he was described by a close acquaintance as far from evangelical.56

The 1960s brought new challenges. CICCU continued its daily prayer meeting at the Hall, praying for world mission and ‘the Cambridge seventy’. Two emerging influences, however, put CICCU in a quandary. One was the notion of immediate short-term missions promoted by Operation Mobilization (OM), begun in the late-1950s by George Verwer. International travel was easier and quicker, and increasing numbers of CICCU members were attracted to the short-term experience overseas without the lifelong commitment and long formal training. The CICCU executive were not convinced that this was a positive development for mission. They thought that studying mission history in the Henry Martyn Library might help clarify the matter but were unsure how to borrow its library books. Meanwhile, the HMT were happy to promote short-term mission among the university students and promoted OM opportunities in the Hall.

The other was the Charismatic movement, with its teaching of speaking in tongues, healing, and gifts of the Spirit as in the times of the apostles, and new style of worship. It had emerged early in the 20th century, but its influence was now expanding and raising controversy among members of CICCU and Ridley Hall. The HMT became aware of the rapid growth of Pentecostalism in Latin America, and this initiated a commitment to the cause of theological education in the majority world. It contributed £700 in the first instance to a clergyman to teach in Latin America.

Moule set about strengthening links between the HMT and the university, aware that the Divinity programme did not at the time include anything on global mission. He suggested that the HMT should sponsor lectures in the Divinity Faculty on the subject of ‘Missionary Matters’. They did so, contributing £100 to the lectures between 1964–5. Two decades later, this idea was picked up again with the introduction of biennial lectures.

Finance was discussed towards the end of the 1960s. Upgrading the Hall was considered, with a major shared project worth £20,000 with Holy Trinity Church, involving a mortgage for half the amount and a funding appeal shared with CICCU’s many contacts for the remaining money. The library’s ongoing viability was discussed. Chair of the library committee, Ruth Hardy, contended for the library to benefit from the Hall improvements and remain there. Another suggested that it be moved to Tyndale House, but Hardy argued that it would lose its identity. Ultimately, plans for upgrading the Hall were dropped.

4.3 Henry Martyn Hall and Library, 1970s57

In 1971, Rachel Haddow became the new librarian. At the October Trustee’s meeting, however, it was again reported that use of the library had been minimal, with space now an issue. The Hall had been asked if it might house books from the Cambridge Evangelical Association (CEA) which had a Saturday market book stall. The idea of re-housing the library elsewhere where it might gain more attention was again mooted. The following year, Haddow was authorised to donate 100 books to the Neale House community.

In 1972, Michael Rees became the new vicar of Holy Trinity and, whilst thoroughly evangelical, he was also respected in Liberal, Anglo-Catholic, and ecumenical circles. Not long after becoming a Trustee of the HMT, he was made its Chair. Since Rees was strongly connected with CICCU, with its Sunday evangelistic services continuing to be held in Holy Trinity, he was asked to speak with the executive to find out how best the HMT could support the work of CICCU. The response was continued use of the Hall for its meetings to support world mission and the need to reach out to international students.

Rees advised that the Hall continue to focus on missionary organisations, such as CMS and newer groups, like OM. He noted the increasing numbers of international students needing to be reached. Regarding the library, he advised against continuing the tradition of taking on temporary librarians from CICCU. He recommended finding a senior librarian for on-going continuity. He chose the Vicar of Eltisley, in Cambridgeshire, Wilfred Stott.

Stott reinstated a library committee, including Rees and a representative from CICCU and CMS. Rees then got the backing of the library committee and wrote to various contacts, telling them that the library was now basically ‘defunct’ and needed reviving. Gifts of mission books were sought to revitalise the collection and make it current and relevant. Stott then removed books deemed to have no value or relevance to mission, and biblical studies books were once again offered to Tyndale House.

Redevelopment of the Hall finally became a reality in the mid-1970s, with better space allotted to the library, further rooms for meetings and a better purposed kitchen. Use of the newly developed Hall rose considerably. CICCU continued to use it for its daily prayer meetings, and also other events, such as missionary breakfasts. Holy Trinity used it for children’s clubs and youth work.58 Summer outreach work among international students was started by the Kairos Trust. The Hall served up to a hundred lunches to overseas students as part of this outreach and named its café ‘Harry’s’ in honour of Henry Martyn. Their work continues to this day, now known as Friends International Cambridge.59

4.4 Henry Martyn Library Begins to Take Shape, 1980s60

With finance secure, the HMT once again looked at developing the library. By 1980, the library was described as being ‘in good shape’. It now had a dedicated room, three Trustees keen on developing the library, including Tyndale House librarian, and three volunteers to catalogue the collection: Wilfred Stott, June Smith, and Margaret Ball. £500 was allotted for new book acquisitions and the library now had donated books from Archbishop of Canterbury Donald Coggan’s personal library. He had spoken at the reopening of the renovated Hall a year earlier.

The Trust committed itself to providing salary, insurance, and expenses to an Overseas Advisor responsible for “helping and energising Christians who are considering work abroad” and to manage the library. John Cooper was appointed. Both he and his wife had extensive experience in secular roles and local ministries overseas and had also worked with overseas students in England. They were both therefore commissioned for the work in February 1983. They made strong early connections with CICCU and became members of Holy Trinity Church.

The daily prayer meetings, a previous focus for world mission, had now been replaced with one weekly central prayer meeting. The Coopers connected in various ways with CICCU’s international mission interests, becoming involved in their world prayer groups and connecting with students through Bible studies and talks. A few months after their commissioning, more than 40 students had expressed interest in service overseas. The appointment of the Coopers was hailed a great success.

With the agreement of the Trustees, John Cooper’s work advanced beyond the university student world and Anglican missionary societies. He crossed denominational boundaries and met with university deans and chaplains, local church leaders, and representatives of many missionary societies through the Evangelical Missionary Alliance.61 He also created a leaflet on Christian service overseas and the Coopers distributed it widely. Even the University Careers Advisory Service mentioned the HMT in relation to short-term mission opportunities. The Coopers were equally keen to connect with the increasing numbers of postgraduate international students who were well-placed to communicate the gospel back in their homelands with the tools of language and cultural heritage.

In all this, Cooper did not neglect the library. With healthy library funds, new books were acquired and mission journal subscriptions started. On the recommendation of Bishop Stephen Neill, a well-known mission historian, a list of books was purchased. The library’s resources were promoted to those studying mission. The library began to see groups from All Nations Missionary College visit the library outside of term, and CICCU members were now able to borrow books for the duration of the term. The library was gaining ground as a useful academic resource, but it still lacked the consistent presence of a dedicated librarian.

From 1984, Rees opened talks with Divinity about reinstating the Henry Martyn lectures. Graham Davies, a new Trustee from Divinity teaching OT, and former International Secretary of OICCU (Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union), then progressed the idea after Rees’ departure. With several Faculty members on board, Lesslie Newbigin, missionary Bishop of the Church of South India, theologian, and ecumenical statesman, was appointed to give the lectures in 1986 on “Mission then and now,” jointly funded by the HMT and Divinity.

The Coopers spent two months travelling in East Asia, seeing the church and its needs and opportunities. The experience served to help them see for themselves and communicate the shift that had taken place in the Christian world, from its previous centre of gravity in the West to the East. It also reinforced their desire to increase engagement with international students.

Meanwhile, the new HMT Trustee team decided to implement a scheme for students to visit the church overseas to learn from the experience, named the ‘Henry Martyn Trust Overseas Experience Scheme’. This would be markedly different from short-term mission, as the emphasis was on learning from the world church. Various missionary societies supplied feedback on the idea, and positives included broadening the vision of those considering ministerial ordination. A priority was given to Anglican applicants under the age of 40.

A second initiative was mooted, to employ a lecturer to teach mission studies. Increased rent on the shop below the Hall would pay for this new role. First, however, links were strengthened with Link House and the Kairos Trust with their work among international students, and with Romsey House, dedicated initially to women’s theological training and church leadership, later including men.

4.5 Henry Martyn Library, 1990s62

As the HMT entered the 1990s, finances were good, connections were strong, and the Henry Martyn lectures had helped raise HMT’s profile in the academic community. The library itself had benefitted from the work of Alan Foster from Royston Baptist Church, who had computerised the library card index.

Talks now resumed on how the HMT could help advance the academic study of missiology. Liaising with various people, the suggestion was made by Hugo de Waal, Principal of Ridley Hall, to appoint an academic theologian as lecturer of mission for the Cambridge Theological Federation. It was agreed that on the Coopers’ departure, the HMT would part-fund this new appointment.

In January 1992, Graham Kings, formerly Vice-Principal of St Andrew’s College, Kabare, Kenya, was duly appointed half-time Overseas Advisor to the HMT and half-time Henry Martyn lecturer in Mission Studies to the CTF. He took particular interest in the library and archives, having recently set up the St Andrew’s College Library and Archives Centre in Kenya. His inspiration for that venture was a conversation with Andrew Walls and his Henry Martyn lecture in 1988 in which Walls spoke of the tragic destruction of many Nigerian church archives he had collected during the 1960s during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–60).63 Further inspired by Walls’ work in founding the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World in Aberdeen, and its subsequent relocation to Edinburgh in 1986, Kings’ vision was that the HMT and its library should likewise become a serious centre for academic research of the church and mission in the non-western world, with a quality library and archives holding primary and secondary sources from the Global South.64

The 1990s saw significant developments towards this goal. The Henry Martyn lectures had an established reputation and were well attended, attracting eminent speakers. Kwame Bediako (1945–2008), African Christianity theologian from the Akrofi-Christaller Institute, Ghana was the 1993 speaker, later publishing the lectures in his seminal book, Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion.65 Kings launched two new mission studies courses in the CTF and began research seminars for CTF staff, students, and members of the Divinity Faculty. He additionally took on academic engagements beyond the HMT, making significant connections with church organisations such as EFAC (the Evangelical Fellowship of the Anglican Communion) and BIAMS (the British and Irish Association of Mission Studies).

Meanwhile, Gill Stedeford was appointed part-time Assistant Overseas Advisor and Assistant Librarian, continuing the administration of previous initiatives, such as the bursary scheme which was benefiting up to 20 people a year by the mid-1990s. The Hall continued to be used by Holy Trinity for youth work and by others.66 Stedeford connected with 17 College Christian Unions, with CICCU members interested in overseas service, and with various missionary organisations through her work to arrange overseas experience for undergraduates and ordinands. She also instigated the Trust’s membership of the Evangelical Missionary Alliance.

The Henry Martyn scholarship was set up as a new initiative to encourage the study of mission, and Griphus Gakaru, a Ugandan Anglican, became the first recipient. The new mission courses increased use of the library. Four hundred second-hand books were bought and added to the library in 1994 on the mission history of Africa and India. There were hopes to do the same for Chinese mission history in time to come. Rosemary Matthew was taken on in 1994 to work four hours a week reclassifying the library books in the Dewey system and adding them to the online Cambridge University catalogue.

Kings continued making connections with theological Colleges overseas and in Britain, thereby raising the profile of the work of the HMT in academic theological circles.67 His next aim was that the HMT should establish itself as an Institute for Christianity in Africa and Asia. Whilst this did not come to fruition, other project proposals were successful. Kings, together with David Ford, Regius Professor of Divinity, were given a grant from the Pew Charitable Trusts for a consultation in Cambridge on the subject of ‘Searching for God in Europe and Africa’. Kings also initiated the ‘Christianity in Asia’ project in the Divinity Faculty, who subsequently appointed him to the role of Affiliate Lecturer.

Kings obtained a further grant award of $200,000 a year for five years from the Pew Charitable Trusts for the ‘North Atlantic Missiology Project’ (NAMP). This looked at world mission theologies in Britain and North America and their development from the mid-18th century onwards over two centuries. Brian Stanley, a well-known mission historian, was appointed director of NAMP in 1996, with John Casson as research assistant. This project later expanded internationally to become Currents in World Christianity, occasioning a series of 27 books on mission and world Christianity, and the Mission Periodicals Database.

Through the combined work of Kings and Stanley, Cambridge was becoming a recognised centre for the study of missiology. Kings was already teaching a course in the CTF on the ‘Theology of Mission’. He now introduced a new course on ‘World Christianity’. The Henry Martyn research seminars invited visiting scholars and were well attended. Study days were also held, to which the Divinity Faculty and African Studies Centre contributed funding. In 1995, Lamin Sanneh, Professor of Missions and World Christianity at Yale Divinity School, was the speaker at the Henry Martyn lectures, speaking on “Interreligious Challenge and Opportunity in Public Policy Issues in Africa.”

With the increase in academic teaching and research, the development of the library became a high priority. Reviving the Library Committee, its first meeting agreed that the library should become a specialist resource for the academic study of World Christianity and mission for the CTF and Cambridge University. It was agreed therefore to seek out a librarian with technological skills as well as theological understanding and preferably, with overseas experience.

By 1995, 1,600 of a total 2,300 books had been added to the online catalogue. Appeals for book donations yielded a contribution from Kenneth Cracknell, Senior Tutor at Wesley House, Cambridge of 300 books. Further acquisitions followed, with Kings buying 100 books in Nairobi, and 100 books in Pretoria, South Africa whilst on his travels. The library now had 3,000 books.

The HMT now sought a new location for the library and entered into talks with Westminster College, Cambridge to rehouse the collection there. This was granted in November 1994, with a section of Westminster’s own library offered, along with an additional two offices for Kings and other staff. The move took place in the summer of 1995. The books were transported from the Hall to Westminster library, and Kings moved offices from Ridley to Westminster.

On 22nd January 1996, an official opening for the Henry Martyn Library (HML) took place. This date has since been marked as the founding of the Henry Martyn Centre (HMC), although it did not receive this name until 1998, and Graham Kings has been distinguished as its Founder.

The move to Westminster College initiated a number of changes. The staff team were expanded, the link with the Hall diminished, giving way to an increasing emphasis on teaching and research, strengthening ties with Cambridge University and the CTF, and a new partnership with Anglia Ruskin University. Dr. Sue Sutton, having prior experience working for the Singapore National Archives, became the HML’s new volunteer archivist. Jane Gregory was appointed part-time librarian and she continued as the HML’s librarian for 17 years, faithfully advancing the library and providing help to library users.

Links that had been forged in earlier years were not forgotten. Connections continued, for example, with the Langham Trust, IAMS, and OM, and events were initiated and held in local churches to promote prayer for, and awareness of, the world church and mission. However, in 1996, CICCU moved its prayer meeting to St Andrew the Great, ending 100 years of CICCU prayer in the Hall. Connections were not entirely severed, however, as Sue Anderson, the HML’s World Mission Advisor, continued meetings with CICCU members interested in mission.

In 1998, the Henry Martyn Library formally became the Henry Martyn Centre. The following year, the Trustees discussed whether or not the HMC should become a formal member of the CTF. Cause for hesitation was that the Federation was ecumenical, whilst the HMC was strongly Anglican. It was decided that it should become an Associate member.

5 Henry Martyn Centre, Moving into the 21st Century

5.1 Henry Martyn Centre, 2000 onwards68

In 2000, Graham Kings moved on to parish ministry in London. He was followed by a succession of directors who advanced the work of the HMC, building it up into the leading World Christianity Centre that it has become today. These were Dr. Sebastian Kim, Dr. Brian Stanley, Dr. Emma Wild-Wood, Dr. Jesse Zink, and Dr. Muthuraj Swamy, CCCW’s current director. Each contributed significantly to its advancement, bringing their individual expertise and experience to the work.

In 2014, the HMC had the opportunity to relocate to a purpose-built new premises on the Westminster College site, with its own front door and its own library space and offices. The move took place over the summer, and advantage was taken of the formal reopening of the Centre to give it a new name. The Henry Martyn Centre became the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide. It was thought that this new name would better reflect the new emphasis of the Centre.69

At this point, the current librarian, Ruth MacLean, took over from Jane Gregory. She was appointed at a time when Cambridge University Library was upgrading its online catalogue with the new cloud-based library management platform Alma, by Ex Libris. The journal subscription provider was also going into administration, so subscriptions were reviewed and transferred to EBSCO. She established a new social media presence for the Centre, created new flyers to raise awareness of the library, contributed to the design and creation of a CTF libraries guide, and was involved in improving CCCW’s online presence on its new website. Other advancements followed, and the library became the recipient of a number of significant donations, including the St Augustine collection70 and the personal libraries of John Iliffe and Graham Kings.

In 2015, Dr. Philip Saunders became CCCW’s archivist. He took over from Lucy Hughes, appointed in 2013 as CCCW’s first archivist appointment with a professional qualification in archives management. Formerly Principal Archivist for the Cambridgeshire County Council, Saunders’ expertise has greatly advanced the archive, improving its organisation and preservation, remaining in contact with past contributors and contacting prospective donors, and facilitating the addition of many papers to the collection since his appointment.

In 2020, under the leadership of Dr. Muthuraj Swamy, an additional teaching role was created, with Dr. Jenny Leith becoming CCCW’s first Dean of Studies. In addition to sharing CTF teaching responsibilities with the director, her role in supporting the academic progress of CCCW’s own postgraduate students has been critical in enabling the Centre to increase its intake of students.

In the same year, CCCW became a full member of the CTF, fully embracing its ecumenical principles of partnership.

5.2 Current Context

The CCCW has expanded into so much more than a library. The library itself has become a world-class collection of rich and diverse academic and confessional materials on historic and contemporary World Christianity. The Centre, as a whole, initiates many projects to engage people’s understanding of global Christianity, supported by a worldwide network of ‘Friends of the CCCW’.

It has a long-established postgraduate teaching programme through its connections with the CTF, Cambridge University, and Anglia Ruskin University. It enrolls Research Associates, develops seminar and lecture series and other outreach events. It has ventured into publishing an Occasional Paper Series and teamed up with Tearfund for a short-term collaborative research project. It has a long history of awarding bursaries for young people in Cambridge to encounter the world church and has now introduced an annual Summer Institute to bring scholars together from across the globe for a week of learning and collaboration.

Figure 3.2
Figure 3.2

The Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide today, in its purpose-built premises at Westminster College, Cambridge

In the words of Prof. Brian Stanley, Professor in World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh, and former CCCW director:

For 25 years the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide has consistently reminded church and academic communities in Cambridge of the vital significance of world Christianity and its missionary emphasis for the understanding of the Christian faith.71

5.3 A New Identity, with Vital On-Going Relevance for the 21st Century

Changes in church and society through the 20th century have taken their toll on theological libraries across Europe, and many fine libraries have had to close. Yet, whilst secularism reigns in the West and theology is relegated to the margins, the demographic shift of Christianity to the Global South has seen Christianity thriving in other parts of the world, something which surprises many Christians in the West. CCCW’s new identity as an academic Centre for World Christianity has therefore been a major reason for its success.

The study of World Christianity has emerged as a vital and relevant subject in the 21st century which can encourage Christians throughout the world, particularly in the West, to study, understand and appreciate the local expressions of Christianity globally. This global perspective has often been neglected by Western Christians, and yet in our globalised world with its technological advancement and advances in transport and communication, World Christianity has become an exciting new area of research to foster richer conversations and cooperation among Christians in different parts of the world.

CCCW’s outward looking focus on the global church and desire to attract a diverse group of scholars from around the world, sits well with today’s pluralist society. New book acquisitions and teaching address many 21st-century values and challenges, as the world church grapples with many of these modern issues in their local contexts.

The effects of the current pandemic have challenged the Centre to generate most of its income through its activities, rather than rely on its assets and occasional financial gifts. The expansion of its education programme has therefore been a priority. Creating an annual Summer Institute for the collaboration of scholars from around the world is a new initiative starting in 2022, and the vision of CCCW’s current director, Dr. Muthuraj Swamy. Challenges have included obtaining funding from sources willing to set this new project in motion and commit to the next five years.

Through successive directors, librarians, and archivists, CCCW’s library and archives have become a rich and valuable resource for World Christianity and continue to grow and advance. Teaching has also progressed so that CCCW is able to accept increasing numbers of Research Associates, with growing numbers of scholars also enrolling on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and attending lecture and seminar series. These increasing numbers of students have subsequently increased use of the library and archives.

CCCW plans to strengthen and expand its online presence with increased use of video and conferencing technology for education and marketing, and the creation of podcasts. Tying in with this, the librarian’s immediate plans are to build the library’s digital resources, in collaboration with the CTF, in preparation for CCCW’s new annual Summer Institute and future online ventures.

This online digital library presence will be critical for engaging scholars around the world, particularly in the Global South, so that they too can benefit from CCCW’s teaching programmes and resources.

The words of Revd. Dr. Lydia Mwaniki, All Africa Conference of Churches, Nairobi, are an encouragement for the work of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide going forward: “What a special gift the CCCW is to God’s world! You provide a fount of knowledge, a symbol of unity across cultures, and a focus for integrated mission.”72

Whilst the focus has shifted from World Mission to World Christianity, mission is integral to World Christianity. CCCW research associate, Lionel Young, in his World Christianity and the Unfinished Task (2021), concludes that “the twentieth century has ushered in a new era of worldwide Christianity” in which “the task remains unfinished.” Yet “the Western church does not have all the answers to these challenges and the next chapter remains to be written – together.”73

I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

Rev. 7.9–10. KJV

Acknowledgments

This chapter is dedicated to the memory of my father, Rev. David L. Winch (1934–2020), who spent his life serving the people of Turkey and was inspired by Henry Martyn.

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1

F. Lionel Young III, World Christianity and the Unfinished Task: A Very Short Introduction (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2021), 1.

2

This section is based on Ian Randall, Muthuraj Swamy, and Graham Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity: Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide (Cambridge: Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, 2022), chapter 2.

3

The group was led by G.T. Manley, a Fellow of Christ’s College, who later worked with the CMS as Africa Secretary.

4

HMH 5/1 Henry Martyn Library correspondence relating to the early development. CCCW archives.

5

HMH 5/1.

6

To gain the space hoped for, the commercial renting of this building would have to stop. The Hall Trustees responded that they would only grant this if £3000 could be raised to end the Hall’s mortgage of £1500, replacing the income they were receiving from Lilley & Co. The money was not forthcoming, so Lilley & Co. received an extended lease.

7

For a recent reflection on Martyn, see “Henry Martyn: Missionary Scholar for Our Age?,” in Graham Kings, Nourishing Mission: Theological Settings, Theology and Mission in World Christianity 21 (Leiden: Brill, 2021), 61–74.

8

For recent studies on William Carey, see Thomas Schirrmacher, ed., William Carey: Theologian, Linguist, Social Reformer (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018). For David Brainerd, see Jonathan Edwards, The Life of David Brainerd, The Works of Jonathan Edwards Series, 7 (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1984).

9

It was reprinted many times after initial publication and reprinted again in 1986 by the Banner of Truth Trust.

10

John Sargent, The Life and Letters of Henry Martyn (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1986), 285.

11

David A. Kerr and Kenneth R. Ross, ed., Edinburgh 2010: Mission Then and Now (Oxford: Regnum, 2009), 17. See also, Brian Stanley, The World Missionary Conference: Edinburgh 1910 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009).

12

See, Stanley, World Missionary Conference, 9, and Kerr and Ross, Edinburgh 2010, 7.

13

See, e.g., John Gibaut and Knud Jørgensen, eds., Called to Unity, for the Sake of Mission (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2014), 9.

14

Scott, W. Sunquist, The Unexpected Christian Century: The Reversal and Transformation of Global Christianity, 1900–2000 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2015), 17.

15

Ian M. Ellis, A Century of Mission and Unity: A Centenary Perspective on the 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary Conference (Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Columba Press, 2010), 60.

16

Ellis, Century of Mission, 62.

17

For future developments and transformations of the Continuation Committee, see William R. Hogg, Ecumenical Foundations: A History of the International Missionary Council and its Nineteenth-Century Background (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2002).

18

Ellis, Century of Mission, 60.

19

Ellis, Century of Mission, 62.

20

Ellis, Century of Mission, 65.

21

James L. Cox, “Jerusalem 1928: Its Message for Today,” Missiology: An International Review, 9, no. 2 (April 1981): 141.

22

Cox, “Jerusalem 1928,” 142.

23

As cited by Cox, “Jerusalem 1928,” 143.

24

See, Cox, “Jerusalem 1928,” 144–5.

25

Cox, “Jerusalem 1928,” 145–6.

26

See particularly, E. Stanley Jones, The Christ of the Indian Road (New York: Abingdon, 1925).

27

As cited by Ellis, Century of Mission, 65.

28

Ellis, Century of Mission, 80–82.

29

International Missionary Council, The World Mission of the Church: Findings and Recommendations of the Meeting of the International Missionary Council, Tambaram, Madras, India, Dec. 12–29, 1938 (London: International Missionary Council, 1939), 184.

30

IMC, Tambaram, 186.

31

A.H. Ward, review of The World Mission of the Church: Findings and Recommendations of the International Missionary Council, Tambaram, Madras, India, Dec. 12–29, 1938: Through Tragedy to Triumph, by Basil Mathews, International Affairs 18, no. 4 (July–August 1939): 547, https://doi.org/10.2307/3019324.

32

Paul S. Chung, Reclaiming Mission as Constructive Theology: Missional Church and World Christianity (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2012), 112.

33

Gerold Schwarz, “The Legacy of Karl Hartenstein,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research (July 1984): 125–130, https://www.scribd.com/doc/115918401/Legacy-of-Karl-Hartenstein?secret_password=p1wwyqdxb0v9rluqfbj.

34

David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991, 2011), 400.

35

Ellis, Century of Mission, 83.

36

For some reflections on Willingham and Missio Dei, see Mark Laing, “Missio Dei: Some Implications for the Church,” Missiology: An International Review 37, no. 1 (January 2009): 89–99.

37

Bosch, Transforming Mission, 400.

38

Timothy Yates, Christian Mission in the Twentieth Century (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 137.

39

Yates, Christian Mission, 164.

40

For a reflection on Newbigin, see Deanna Womack, “Lesslie Newbigin’s Missional Theology of Religions,” Chestnut Hill, MA: Theology Dept., Boston College, 2007, https://dlib.bc.edu/islandora/object/bc-ir:102749/datastream/PDF/view.

41

Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions (New York: Penguin Books, 1964), 572.

42

See Gerald O’Collins, The Second Vatican Council on Other Religions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013).

43

As cited by Yates, Christian Mission, 169.

44

Ellis, Century of Mission, 60–61.

45

Lamin Sanneh and Joel A. Carpenter, eds., The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 3.

46

This section draws on: Brian Stanley, Christianity in the Twentieth Century: A World History (Princeton, NJ and Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2018), 357.

47

See, for example, Israel Olofinjana, Reverse in Ministry and Missions: Africans in the Dark Continent of Europe: An Historical Study of African Churches in Europe (Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse, 2010).

48

For example, Michael Amaladoss, The Asian Jesus (New York: Orbis Books, 2006).

49

This section draws on Randall, Swamy, and Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity, chapter 3.

50

In 1906, CICCU evidenced a continuing commitment to a conservative evangelical stance when it voted (narrowly) to come out of the Student Christian Movement (SCM) which had widened its theological position. CICCU continued to be a strong supporter of world mission and set up the Cambridge Volunteer Union (CVU).

51

Its main user was the Church Mission Society (CMS). Other users included the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG), the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS), the Evangelical Alliance and the Keswick Convention.

52

This section draws on Randall, Swamy, and Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity, chapter 3.

53

For the ‘Cambridge Seventy’ see, Ian Randall, The Cambridge Seventy: A Missionary Movement in Twentieth-Century Britain (Cambridge: Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, 2016).

54

For information on Ramsey, see Peter Webster, Archbishop Ramsey: The Shape of the Church (Farnham: Ashgate, 2015).

55

Affectionately known as ‘Holy Mouley’. Charles Moule, Christ Alive and at Large: Unpublished Writings of C.F.D. Moule, ed. Robert Morgan (London: Canterbury Press Norwich, 2010), 14.

56

Dan Wallace, “C.F.D. Moule: Last of the Gentlemen-Scholars,” October 4, 2007, Credo House, https://credohouse.org/blog/c-f-d-moule-last-of-the-gentlemen-scholars. See also, Moule, Christ Alive, 14–18.

57

This section draws on Randall, Swamy, and Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity, chapter 4.

58

Other groups that hired the Hall included a Chinese Christian fellowship, a Christian dance class, and an overseas students’ Bible study, which met previously at Tyndale House.

59

FI Cambridge moved from the HMH in the summer 2016 as CIO teams were growing smaller, the terms of the HMH lease were changing, and Holy Trinity began a lengthy refurbishment project on it. They decided to focus on their other café ‘Andy’s,’ named after St Andrews Street Baptist where it was started.

60

This section draws on Randall, Swamy, and Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity, chapter 4.

61

These included Operation Mobilisation (OM), the Bible and Medical Missionary Fellowship (BMMF), African Inland Mission (AIM), Tearfund, and Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ (WEC) – organisations that were now attracting students for overseas experience in the summer vacation.

62

This section draws on Randall, Swamy, and Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity, chapter 5.

63

Graham Kings, “Foundations for Mission and the Study of World Christianity: The Legacy of Henry Martyn BD,” Graham Kings: Theology, Mission, Poetry: Nourishing Connections, Lecture given by Canon Graham Kings in Westminster College, Cambridge 22 January 1996 https://www.grahamkings.org/chapter/foundations-for-mission-and-the-study-of-world-christianity-the-legacy-of-henry-martyn-bd/.

64

Young, World Christianity, 34–35. See also Jeremy Weber, “Remembering ‘Prof’ Andrew Walls, Founder of the Study of World Christianity,” Christianity Today, August 17, 2021, https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/august/andrew-walls-world-christianity-edinburgh-yale-tributes.html.

65

Kwame Bediako, Christianity in Africa: The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1995).

66

For example, by Kairos for international outreach, by Link House for coffee mornings, and by the Chinese Christian Fellowship. New users included African and Japanese Christian Fellowships, Christians in Sport, and the Cambridge Christian Music Society.

67

As examples, one of these visits was to a mission conference in Bangladesh, another to Yale University in the US, another to the Universities of Edinburgh and Birmingham where specialist studies in mission were now established.

68

This section draws on Randall, Swamy, and Kings, From Henry Martyn to World Christianity, chapter 6.

69

It was also felt that no one remembered who Henry Martyn was.

70

This was a complete mission library collection originating from the missionary College of the Church of England St Augustine’s College (Canterbury, Kent), given to the CCCW by Canterbury Cathedral in 2015.

71

Brian Stanley, Email to director, Muthuraj Swamy, on the occasion of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide’s Silver Jubilee, January 2021.

72

Lydia Mwaniki, Email to director, Muthuraj Swamy, on the occasion of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide’s Silver Jubilee, January 2021.

73

Young, World Christianity, 129.

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Theological Libraries and Library Associations in Europe

A Festschrift on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of BETH

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