TheConnecticutYankeeintheCourtofKingArthur 159The Christianity ofthese ancient communions was very differ-
entfromtheAmericanProtestantismoftheera.Differencesindogma
among the mostlyOrthodoxand Oriental traditions ofthe Eastern
churchesandAmericanEvangelicalismwereonlypartofthedifference.
WithoutthedisciplineoftheRomancommunionortheactivelaylead-
ershipoftheProtestantworld,andcondemnedtosecond-classcitizen-
shipundertheOttomansystem,theChristiancommunitiesoftheMiddle
Eastwereina conditionthattheearnestmissionariesfoundshocking-
reminiscent,tothoseearnestdisciplesofJonathanEdwardsandTimothy
Dwight,oftheworsterasofstagnation,barbarism,andcorruptioninthe
DarkAgesoftheWest.TheScripturesanddivineworshipwereoften
intonguesas indecipherabletotheclergyas tothepeople. Boththe
laityandtheclergywereina degradedstate,sufferingfromformalism,
simony,apathy,illiteracy.Nowonder,saidthemissionarystrategists,
thattheMuslimsshownointerestinthereligionofChrist.TheseChris-
tiancommunitiesgivethemnothingtoemulateorrespect.Themission-
ariesthereforedecidedtobegintheconversionoftheOttomanworldby
reawakeningtheChristiancommunities.
Themissionaries launched movements ofnational revival among
theminoritiesoftheNearEast.Overtimetheyenjoyedsignalsuccess.
Printingpressespublishedbothpracticalandspiritualworksinthecon-
temporarylanguagesoftheminorities. Boardingschoolsandcolleges
werefoundedforbothgirlsandboys.Brightstudentsreceivedscholar-
shipstostudyintheUnitedStates.
Graduallythismadeanimpact,bothreligiousandotherwise.Insome
casesProtestantChristiancommunitiessecededfrom thejurisdiction
ofthetraditionalauthorities;inothersthenewinfluenceswereaccom··
modatedwithoutanopenbreak.PartlybecauseEuropeanandWestern
influencewassimultaneouslyontheriseintheMuslimworld,Christi-
anityceasedtobea socialandeconomicdisadvantage.Christianchildren
educatedinmissionaryschools spokeWestern languages,understood
Westernconcepts,andsooncametobenefitfromextensivebusinessand
socialnetworks.AsOttomanminoritiesliketheGreeksandtheSerbs
struggledforandgainedindependenceintheEuropeanportionofthe
empire,Christianminoritiesgrewincreasinglydiscontentedelsewhere.
TheMuslimmajoritywatchedallthis,andwasinspiredbothtoemu-
latethesuccessoftheminoritybyattendingWesternandevenmission-
aryschools,andtodevelopa nationalconsciousnessofitsown.Turkish
andArabstudentsflockedtoAmerican(aswellasEuropean)collegesin
theregion, wheresocial andsecularrevolutionary ideas spread.Both