Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.
IDEALISM VS. MATERIALISM IN THE STUDY OF PURITAN MISSIONS TO THE INDIANS RICHARD W. COGLEY Modern critical historians find it difficult to admire the achievements of pioneer Christian missionaries in New England, New France, and New Spain. The evangelical successes of Protestant ministers and Roman Catholic friars hastened the disappearance of cultures that had once been meaningful for native Americans. But although they lament the effects of the missions on the Indians, modern historians seldom question the sincerity of the missionaries. A recent interpretation of the career of John Eliot (1604-1690), the celebrated New England Puritan missionary and millenarian known as the "Apostle to the Indians," represents a notable exception to this rule. Francis Jennings, the author of this influential interpretation, offers a materialistic evaluation of Eliot's missionary objectives. At first blush the "Apostle" seems a deserving candidate for an iconoclastic debunking. He persuaded Puritans in England to donate large sums of money to his mission; he destroyed the authority of the Indian sachems (chiefs) in order to re-organize native government; and he created reservations for the Indians shortly after he began preaching to them. Furthermore, his missionary aggressions contributed to King Philip's War, the unsuccessful Indian rebellion
Method & Theory in the Study of Religion – Brill
Published: Jan 1, 1991
Read and print from thousands of top scholarly journals.
Already have an account? Log in
Bookmark this article. You can see your Bookmarks on your DeepDyve Library.
To save an article, log in first, or sign up for a DeepDyve account if you don’t already have one.
Copy and paste the desired citation format or use the link below to download a file formatted for EndNote
Access the full text.
Sign up today, get DeepDyve free for 14 days.
All DeepDyve websites use cookies to improve your online experience. They were placed on your computer when you launched this website. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.