History of Christian Mission in Myanmar

History of Christian Mission in Myanmar

By

Za Biak Cung Nawl

1.      Introduction

Myanmar is a country that produces more rich natural resources than any others country among the Southeast Asia, there are a lot of historical places and public attractive cite in Myanmar where international tourists are enjoyed. This research will attempt to bring out the history Christian missions in Myanmar, and give an introduction to the land and its people, regarding socio-economic, religious, and political condition of Myanmar. However the prime focus will be the Christian mission.

2.      Overview of Myanmar

a.      Geography: Myanmar is the second largest country, after Indonesia, in Southeast Asia with 262,000 sq. miles of land area and a population of 53.7 million according to 2016 cencus[1]. Interestingly, Myanmar, a member of ASEAN (since July 23, 1997), is strategically located between South Asia and Southeast Asia and is geographically sandwiched between the two most populous nations in the world - China on the North and Northeast, and India on the Northwest. Other neighboring countries are Thailand on the Southeast, Laos on the East, and Bangladesh on the West.[2] The ethnic Christian minorities are located on all frontier or border areas.

b.      Economic: Myanmar’s economy, based on the kyat (the national currency), is one of the least developed of the region and is basically agricultural. Much of the population is engaged directly in agricultural pursuits. Of those who are employed in other sectors of the economy, many are indirectly involved in agriculture through such activities as transporting, processing, marketing, and exporting agricultural goods. Agriculture, forestry, and fishing together constitute the largest contributor to Myanmar’s economy.[3]

c.       Politic: As of 2014, the government of Myanmar is officially a unitary presidential constitutional republic under its 2008 constitution. Myanmar's government has a bicameral assembly of two houses and a president. In Myanmar's legislative houses, three-fourths of the seats of government are elected by civilians, and one-fourth are appointed by the military. Although the country's constitution was ratified in 2008, the first general election was not held until 2010. The first nominally civilian government was not installed until March 2011, with Thein Sein sworn into office as president. For the previous 50 years, Myanmar had been under military rule by a junta that wielded near absolute power.[4]

d.      Socio-Religious Context: Myanmar comprises of 135 national ethnic groups with eight major national ethnic groups: Kachin, Kayin, Kayah, Chin, Mon, Bamar, Rakhine and Shan. Bamar, the largest national ethnic group, constitutes 70%, Karen 9%, Shan 8%, Rakhine 5%, Mon 2.5%, Chin 2.5% and Kachin 2%.[5] Most Christians in Burma live in the ethnic Areas rather than the center division. In terms of population of religious adherents, the estimated percentage of Buddhists is 89%, Christians 6%, Islam 2.5%, Hindus 0.5%, and animists and others 2%. Among the Christian minorities, the Chin ethnic group is the largest, with 98% Christians of 473,000 Chin population on the hills in the Chin State and about 90% Christians of all Chin population of 1.5 million both in the Chin and other states. The Karen group comes second with 55% Christians of 1,431,377 Karen populations; Kachin group comes third with 36.4% Christians of 1.2 million. Although there is an increasing percentage of Christian population among non-Burman ethnic minorities such as Shan, Wah, Lahu, Lisu and Kayah, due to varied socio-political pressures, there is a decline in the number of Christians and churches especially among the Karen Christians today. Many from the predominantly Buddhist ethnic groups such as Burman, Mon, Rakhine, Shan and the majority Karen still strongly adhere to Buddhism.[6]

3.      History of Christian Mission in Myanmar

The existence of a Christian community in Myanmar can be traced back to the early 16th century. The first Christians who arrived in Myanmar were the Roman Catholic missionaries who came in 1554 to serve the Portuguese mercenaries. But they were rejected by the monarch and the people of that time. The proper history of Christian mission goes back to the appointment of two Italian Catholic priests in 1720. It was estimated that there were approximately 2,000 Christians who scattered all over the country by the last quarter of the 18th century.[7] Though the Catholic missionary came first in Myanmar, they fail in converting the Myanmar people and evangelizing the land that no much of their work is found in the history of Christianity in Myanmar. Therefore the work of Catholic missions would be omitted in this research here after.

a.      Protestant Mission in Myanmar 

The Protestant Mission was pioneered in 1807 by the English Baptist Missionaries, Richard Marden and James Charter, who came from Bengal (Serampore) in India to see the possibilities of a mission in the country. Marden did not stay long in Myanmar and was replaced by Felix Carey, son of William Carey. He and Charter studied the Burmese language, translated extracts from the Old and New Testaments into Burmese and compiled a Burmese dictionary and grammar. The London Missionary Society sent three more missionaries, Pritchett, Brain and the one whose name was not known.  After Brain died of illness, Pitchett abandoned the mission and left the country. Charter too gave up the mission activity and left for Ceylon.[8] Only Felix Carey remained in the land of Myanmar. Carey married an Anglo-Burmese woman, the daughter of Portuguese father and Burmese mother, and had two children. He was offered a position in the government affair to serve as a physician and a negotiator with England in India by the king of Myanmar Bodawpaya. Carey eventually gave up his missionary career and entered into the service of King. He moved out of the mission house in Yangon and left for Ava where the King lived. With his departure English Baptist Mission work was terminated.[9] The next Protestant group to arrive in Burma were Lutherans and Methodist churches. Salvation Army, Seventh Day Adventist, Assemblies of God, Church of Christ and Presbyterians came in the early part of twentieth century. Regarding the Anglican Church though there were Anglican chaplains in Burma as early as 1825 the founding of the church was dated in 1877 when the first bishop of Rangoon was appointed. The United Society for Propagation of the Gospel began its work first among the Burmese and then extended it to Karens and Chins.[10]

b.      American Baptist Mission

The most successful mission in Myanmar was the American Baptist Mission (ABM). The first American Baptist Missionaries in Myanmar were Adoniram Judson and his wife Ann; they started their journey by ship from United Sates of America on February 19, 1812 and arrived on July 13, 1813.[11] In the mind of Myanmar people, Adoniram Judson is the most important person the one who work hard the most for Burma people. Though there are some others missionaries beside Judson, there is none like him in term of his mission approaches and contribution.

4.      Profile of Adoniram Judson

Adoniram Judson, Jr. (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850) was an American Congregationalist and later Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson became the first Caucasian Protestant missionary sent from North America to preach in Burma. His mission and work with Luther Rice led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America to support missionaries. On September 19, Judson was appointed by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions as a missionary to the East. Judson was also commissioned by the Congregational Church, and soon married Ann Hasseltine on February 5, 1812. He was ordained the next day at the Tabernacle Church in Salem.[12]

a.      Judsons Mission Approach

Judson used various means in his approach to mission, such as literacy, personal evangelism, educational mission and medical mission. Judson and his wife learned first Burmese language from a Hindu Scholar who left in July 1815 and later he found a new teacher, 47 years old Burmese native U Aung Min. Judson began to translate the New Testament into Burmese in January 1816. He also produced pamphlets, religious tracts, and booklets for his mission. He completed his translation of the entire New Testament into the Burmese language on July 12, 1823. This printing of New Testament was completed on December 19, 1832. The translation of entire Bible into Burmese was completed on January 31, 1834 and the first copy of the whole Burmese Bible came out of the Press on December 29, 1835. Judson also produced English Burmese dictionary which was completed in 1843. His commitment to literature was one of his great achievements to bring the gospel to the Buddhists.[13] In 1819 U Naw was baptized by Judson and the Lanmadaw Baptist Church in Rangoon was build and called later U Naw Baptist Church in honor of the first Christian convert in Burma. The first school was opened by Ann Judson in 1821 and in the same year the first medical missionary Dr. Jonathan Price and his wife also arrived from USA. [14]

His mission target was to win the Burmese King in order to convert him to Christianity. He hoped that the conversion of the King would pave the way for the people to become Christian but he fail and changed his method to others. Judson learned Burmese culture and wore a yellow gown in Yangon to indicate that he was a religious teacher, as were the yellow gowned Buddhists priests. He built a small zayat (public gathering) in Burmese fashion near public road where pedestrians and visitors could stop and hear the gospel. The Zayat then become a place where he could converse with visitors. He held first worship service at Zayat on Sunday, April 4, 1819 and fifteen adults and some children came for worship. Judson had so many visitors at the Zayat that he did not even have time for study. Even though Judson changed his mission approach he did not gain many converts from Buddhism. As he remarked later, “To gain a convert from Buddhism is like pulling the tooth of a tiger.” Judson and the Baptists missionaries began focusing on education in mission activities. They established mission schools. In 1823 the Burmese king invited the missionaries to settle in Ava, the then capital of Burmese king in Mandalay. The King was very much impressed by Prices medical skills and requested him to stay in Ava, the capital city of Myanmar. Medical work became one of the great contributions of early missionaries in Myanmar and medical practice was a great instrument of evangelism at that time.[15] Soon after their arrival at Ava the first Anglo-Burmese war broke out and Judson and Price were taken into imprisonment.  After 18 months Judson was released to act as interpreter in the Anglo-Burmese peace talks.[16] Adoniram Judson was unforgettable powerful man of God for the people of Myanmar for his contribution toward Burma Society, his mission approach or strategies are applicable even in the status quo, the way how he changes his mission method when he fail in doing missions is one of the best example that he left for the modern missionary.

b.      Adoniram Judson's Missionary Principles

• He devoted himself to fully grasping the language and making the message of the Gospel (especially the abstract terms that that involves) understandable to the people of Burma.
• He began to print tracts and Scriptures in the language of the country.
• He worked on faithfully even though it took him six years to win his first convert.
• He even visited a Buddhist service to learn how the meetings were conducted.
• He tried to gain the approval of the Emperor to preach the Gospel in his country, but when that was refused he carried on regardless as best he could.
• He recognized the importance of having a complete Burmese Bible that would not have to be revised within a few years.
• He translated from the original Greek and Hebrew, not from a translation.
• He saw mission work as a job for life, not for only a few years.[17]
• He adopted the customs and way of thinking of the Burmese.

5.      Church Growth in Myanmar

By 1852 the Baptist Mission work in Burma was forty years old.  During this period Burma has passed through the three Anglo-Burmese wars.  First Anglo-Burmese war from 1824 to 1826 brought Arakan and Tenessarim under the British control. With the second 1852 to 1853 Lower Burma was added to the British section and the remainder of Burma came under the British rule in the third Anglo-Burmese war of 1885.  These wars and political changes caused hardships as well as opportunities for the missionary work in Burma.  During this period the church was consolidated in many areas.  Missionary convention was held and ideas on methods of evangelism were discussed.  Medical practice or the establishment of dispensaries was included as a means of evangelism.  The use of tracts in evangelistic work was considered to be of great use.  They also agreed that preaching should be held at stated times in the chapel, or in the rooms used for the chapel, but that this formal preaching should be supplemented by preaching in the zayat and from house to house in the villages.  Another important discussion was that there were then 117 churches connected with the Burmese and Karen Missions, with a membership of some 10,000 converts.  Yet there were only 11 ordained pastors.  Besides 11 pastors there were more than 120 national workers. So the ordination of more pastors was recommended to serve every church.  Also the need of more mission schools was also felt.  During this period the new Baptist compound was also secured in Rangoon and the center office was shifted from Moulmein to Rangoon again. The Burma Baptist Convention comprising all the American Baptist related Christians was organized in 1865 and was resolved to meet annually to transact business and to have fellowship with one another.[18] In spite of Christian persecution, the church in Myanmar grow rapidly by the grace of God that there are now more than three million Christians in Myanmar, making up 6.2 per cent of the population, compared to just 4.9 per cent in 1983 and it became the second largest population among others religious groups.[19] As mentioned early, Christian in Myanmar mostly belong to the ethnic minority groups and face a lot of persecution from the Buddhist Nationalists, sometime Christian are not allowed to worship, destroy the secret place such as where the Christian erected the crosses and the hull areas.[20]

6.      Christian Challenges in Myanmar

• Christians in Myanmar have not found a way to communicate the gospel in a way that Buddhists readily understand. Therefore, we need to find a way to distinguish clearly between the teaching of the gospel and some Western accessories of Christianity. We must show grace and love in action.
• ·         To make the gospel accessible, it must be presented in Burmese thought forms of life. This does not mean compromising the Truth; rather it is being sensitive in presentation when providing evangelism tract.
• ·        Poverty, sickness, separation, alienation and deprivation are rampant among the people of Myanmar. The immediate needs of the people include: Where can they find the next meal? How can they avoid sickness? How do they get a job? How do they escape oppression?
• ·         Until the Church understands the Buddhist mindset, they will not be able to play a significant part in the culture of Myanmar.
• ·         All missionaries and expatriate Church leaders left Myanmar since 1962. Thus the training of national leaders for the churches is crucial to bringing the kingdom of God to the country.
• ·         There are no employment agencies. Many people leave the country to work in neighboring countries. Installing Job Training Centre or Multipurpose Training Centers would be helpful to provide employment opportunities to young people in Myanmar and abroad for their lifes career.
• ·         Burmese Buddhists are hospitable and generous by nature. Charity is a very strong value in their worldview and its ministry therefore to the Buddhists can be one of a good means of evangelism.
• ·         There are many social development programs established by the intellectual Buddhists. Being involved in social work as a Christian is acceptable service for the Buddhists
• ·         Churches in Myanmar, geographically remote and politically isolated, have long felt the pain of isolation. Christians in the country need to cooperate with churches abroad in witnessing gospel to the Buddhists.
• ·         Medical work and educational ministry in small villages are still an effective means of evangelism to the Buddhists.[21] There are many more Christian challenges remaining in Myanmar, however those mentioned above are the major challenges that facing by Myanmar Christian today that need to give immediate respond.

7.      Prayer Requests

• ·         Pray for the government to allow freedom of religion so that the church will be deeply involved in mission and evangelism to the Buddhists.
• ·         The military regime seeks to destroy Christianity (which it calls “the C-virus”), yet faith keeps spreading.
• ·         Christians are generally kept out of positions of power and influence. Military campaigns against Christian minorities are well publicized, and over 3,000 Christian villages have been burned out in the last 10 years.
• ·         Churches are not given permission to register and are thereby considered illegal and subject to harassment.
• ·         The expulsion of foreign Christian workers in 1966 left a young church to cope on its own with little mature leadership or infrastructure. Adversity, persecution and isolation have helped shape a resilient, enduring faith.[22]
• ·         Pray for ongoing civil war between ethnic aims groups and Myanmar army, so that there might be peace, reconciliation, tranquility, equality in Myanmar.

Conclusion

There are several missionaries, who also came to Myanmar at the same period of Adoniram Judson and contribute their effort to the Myanmar people, however they work in a particular place and people that their name are not much describe in term of writing history of Christian missions in Myanmar. Adoniram Judson is the key person who motivated the people of Myanmar and revives the people both in spiritual and civilization. He contributed a lot to Myanmar society. It is interesting to study the history of Christian missions in Myanmar formerly known as Burma, because it teach the important of contextualization and how to do mission among others people and country and enrich the knowledge of Mission strategies. There are many missions’ methods and approach that used by Judson in Myanmar still applicable and appropriate to apply in the present context.

Bibliography

Bailey, Faith C.  Adoniram Judson: Missionary to Burma 1813-1850. Chicago: Moody Press, 1955.

Bawi Lian Mang, and Salai Za Uk ling. Religious Persecution, A campaign of Ethnocide Against Chin Christian      in Burma. Canada: Chin Human Rights Organization, 2004.

Dengthuama, and Theodore Lim.  An Overview of Christian Missions in Myanmar. Myanmar: Tahan Theological             College and Seminary, 2016.

Johnston, Julia H. The Life of Adoniram Judson: Missionary to Burma. Toronto: Publishers of Evangelical   Literature, 1887.

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Ngun Ling, Samuel.  “A Voices of Minority Ethnic Christians in Myanmar”   http://www.cca.org.hk/resource/ctc/ctc02-02/ctc02-02e.htm Access on January 2, 2017. (9:00 AM Hours)

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