A post war survey of the Philippine Baptist mission

Abstract

In May 1950 the Philippine Baptist Mission celebrated its Golden Jubilee which marked the end of the first fifty years of Baptist mission work in the Philippines. During these first fifty years, and the nearly three years since 1950, the event which effected the mission work more than any other one thing, was World War II. The story of the war years and their destruction has been published at least briefly in such Baptist publications us Missions Magazine and Crusader. No complete study has been published which gives a picture of the Philippine Baptist Mission since World War II. It will bo the purpose of this survey to present as accurate a picture as possible of the Philippine Baptist Mission from the close of World War II until the present time which is the early part of the year 1953. My interest in this subject comes from the fact that as a Baptist missionary, sent to the Philippines shortly after the war, I have been an integral part of the rebuilding and the advance which has taken place there in the past few years. Often during our missionary service we have felt that history was being made, and because it was not being recorded, it might be lost permanently. Therefore, this survey has been undertaken in order that some record of this period in the Philippine Baptist Mission might be kept. In searching for materials which have been published relative to the subject of this survey, it was possible to find some excellent books on the history of the country. Such books as <em>The Philippine Islands</em> by William Cameron Forbes, and <em>The Philippines, A Study in National Development</em>, by Joseph Ralston Hayden, give a very good background and history of the country itself. Both of the above mentioned books have been revised and brought up to date to about the beginning of World War II. Such books as <em>The People of the Philippines</em> by Frank Charles Laubach, <em>All Kindred and Tongues</em> by Peter Hugh James Lerrigo, and <em>A Short History of Baptist Missions</em> by Henry C. Vedder, all give excellent accounts of the beginning and early work of the Philippine Baptist Mission. The book <em>Darkness of the Sun</em> by Richard Terrill Baker has a chapter which tells of the religious life of the people in the Philippines during the and tells of some interesting attempts on the part of the Japanese during the occupation period to unite all the denominations into one united church. In order to find published material about the specific subject of the Philippine Baptist Mission since World War II, however, it was necessary to turn to periodicals and other publications of the American Baptist people. While no article has been found in any magazine which deals directly with the subject, there are many articles from which it has been possible to glean facts which along with our personal knowledge has made this study possible. Articles have appeared in Missions Magazine freer time to time since the war which have furnished most of the background of the period during the war and since the war. The annual report of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, which is published in booklet form under the title Along Kingdom Highways has been a rich source of facts. Other publications and books listed in the bibliography have helped to reveal facts on the subject, which when gathered together, give something of the total picture. It must be stated however, that without the personal experience and knowledge of the author from having served as a missionary, it would have been most difficult to assimilate these facts into the survey here presented. Further it has been necessary from time to time to present facts which have not been published in any book or magazine, and yet they are facts which help complete the picture. In such cases footnotes have been added which support the statement only with the reference, "Personal knowledge of the author." It is felt that this is a justifiable inclusion in a research survey such as this, primarily because of the peculiar position which it has been my privilege to hold in the Philippine Baptist Mission, and which has given me an accurate and complete knowledge of the work of all phases of the mission. Upon arrival in the Philippines in November 1946 we were assigned to work as general evangelistic field missionary in the Province of Iloilo. In November of 1948, however, the missionaries in the Philippines elected me to the position of Mission Secretary. At that time the position was in addition to my field work, and was primarily that of carrying on the necessary correspondence with the Foreign Secretary of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society in New York. It did however, enlarge the scope of work to include a knowledge of the total program of the mission. In November 1950 a change of policy on all Baptist mission fields was inaugurated, which was an attempt to improve the administrative work of the mission fields. The Mission Secretary was then appointed directly by the Board of Managers of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society with the approval of the missionaries on the field, and he became a liaison officer between the mission and the home office in America. This meant not only added responsibility, but it meant that the mission secretary became an ex-officio member of all boards and committees of every part of the mission work. Having held this position part time since November 1948 and full time from November 1950 until we returned to the United States on furlough in April 1952, I feel competent to deal with the subject of this thesis. Part of the research has been done from various publications which touch on the subject, but part of it has been done by an actual personal investigation on the field, and a taking part in the events as they happened over a period of several years.