Between End and Means

Abstract

Timothy Richard spent over forty years in China as a member of the English Baptist Missionary Society. His career has yet to be critically examined as a whole. This article focuses on an interregnum in its long span that Richard called “years of trial and suspense” (1886–1891), during which he clashed with his colleagues in Shanxi province over mission goals and methods. He insisted, for instance, that China’s “complete salvation” must consist of both soul and body. Despite the dual emphasis, however, in practice, he shifted more and more attention to matters of the body, that is, the needs of this life on earth. Herein lay the tensions of his approach. Ever mindful of the evangelical imperative, he distanced himself nonetheless from basic missionary activities like street-chapel preaching and sought to cultivate ties with the “upper classes” and utilize education and literature (translated and original) as tools for China’s “uplifting.” His message, audience, and method intersected a growing Chinese demand for change and rendered him relevant to the late Qing discourse of reform. As a pointer for future research, it is suggested that more Chinese sources are needed to illuminate and corroborate Richard’s account of his China experiences. Also, his cultural role will be better understood in a comparative context alongside the work of other Protestant figures.