Special Providence_ American Foreign Policy and How It Changed World - Walter Russell Mead

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immigration,havefosteredthedevelopmentofsignificantandgrowing
bodiesofnon-Christian,non-JewishreligiousbelieversintheUnited
States,andtheideasandvaluesofthesereligioustraditionshavedissem-
inatedwidelyintoAmericanlife.
Thus,whatevertheiroriginalintentionsmayhavebeen,themission-
arieshelpedopenthedoortonon-ChristianideasinAmericanculture.
Theresult,inmakingtheAmericanpublicmorerespectfulandtolerant
of,andmoreinformedabout,non-Westerntraditions,hasenormously
increasedtheabilityoftheAmericanpeopletoplayaconstructivepartin
thedevelopmentofa global-eivilization.

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hemissionarymovementandthealliedandassortedmovements
ofphilanthropicinternationalismbeginning inthenineteenth
centuryalsowroughtsubstantialchangesintheworldbeyondAmerica's
borders.Missionchurcheswereplantedthatovertimegrewtohavegreat
influenceinthepoliticsandculturesofmanycountries;aninternational
civilsocietytookrootalongwiththebeginningsofglobalmovements
forpeace,disarmament,arbitration,andhumanrights.Americanmis-
sionariesandphilanthropistswerenottheonlyactorsinthisdrama.Mis-
sionaries proceeded outward from much ofEurope during the era.
Britaininparticularwashometoa vibrantmissionarymovementand,
particularlyinthefirsthalfofthenineteenthcentury,wastheunques-
tionedworldcenteroftheabolitionandpeacemovements.Nevertheless,
astimeworeon,Americanmissionaries,backedbythereligiousfervor
andphilanthropicbentoftheAmericanpeopleaswellasbythematerial
richesofAmericansociety,movedtowardcenterstage,andtheBritish
retreatedintoa supportingrole.Sincethelatenineteenthcenturythe
percentageofAmerican missionaries among Protestant missionaries
world-widehassteadilygrown.
Althoughitwouldbea seriousmistaketomeasuretheinfluenceof
themissionarymovementby lookingsolelyatitssuccessinplanting
churches,themissionariesenjoyeda broadthoughnotuniversalsuccess
inspreadingtheirfaith,andthechurchestheyplantedhaveinsomecases
goneontoplayimportantrolesinthehistoryofmanynon-Western
countries.SouthKoreais a caseinpoint. Christianitywas essentially
unknowninKoreatwohundredyearsago.By 199533 percentofthe
populationwasProtestant,another7 percentwasCatholic,anda large
additional numberbelongedtounique Koreansyncretisticchurches,