Commission 1: Carrying the gospel to the Non Christian World

Of the Eight Commissions at Edinburgh 1910, Commission One dealth with “Carrying the Gospel to all the Non-Christian World”. The Commission was chaired by John R Mott, General Secretary of the World’s Student Christian Federation, New York.

The Report of the comission was divided into four parts.

1. The opportunity and urgency of carrying the Gospel to all the Non-Christian world.
2. Survey of the non-Christian world.
3. Factors in carrying the Gospel to all the Non-Christian world;
4. Findings.

V.S. Azariah and the Spirit of Nationalism

Why did V. S. Azariah speak what he did at Edinburgh 1910? Every one is a product of his social location/s. About this time,the spirit of nationalism found its expression among Indian-Christian leaders. Boyd contends, ” Meanwhile a strong feeling had arisen among Indian Christians that work of evangelism should not be left to only foreign organizations, with the result that in 1903 the Indian Missionary Society (IMS) of Tinnelveli was founded under the leadership of V.S. Azariah and A.J. Appasamy while in 1905 came the foundation of the National Missionary Society (NMS) of India, both of them staffed and supported entirely from within India. (Robin Boyd, Indian Christian Theology, p. 87 -88). It is no surprise that V.S. Azariah spoke of indigenous efforts at the International Arena.

Breaking the walls of division

At Edinburgh 1910, there was a spirit of voluntarism. Any and every wall of division was taken care. Of particular interest is how Edinburgh 1910 dealt with the divisions of denominationalism. First, they did not focus on theology explicitly. Secondly,  they decided to bury their denominational identities (as far as possible). Up to the time of the Edinburgh Conference in 1910 even prominent leaders of the Church took part in the growing Ecumenical Movement only as individuals and not as representatives of the churches.

Study Commissions and Edinburgh 1910

About eight study commissions were organized for Edinburgh 1910. Among the eight, three commissions of the Edinburgh conference had a special bearing on the growth of the ecumenical movement in the global South.

• The first Commission was carrying the Gospel to all the Non-Christian world.
• The second commission, “ The Church in the Mission field” stressed the development of what later were called the younger churches. The purpose was clearly to bring self-governing, self supporting churches in every field.
• The eighth commission directly dealt with “ Co-operation and promotion of Unity”.

It would be well worth to read the commission reports

Hidden Springs of Edinburgh 1910

I found this interesting remark about the hidden springs of leaders of Edinburgh 1910 in the book India and the Ecumenical Movement[ D. A. Thangasamy, India and the Ecumenical Movement, CLS: Madras, 1973], p. 35

The hidden springs of this movement into the world are to be found in the willingness of the more earnest disciples of Christ to live in close communion with God and to learn and fulfill His will for man and his society. It is said of John R. Mott for example that he wrote ten times as many letters to ask for prayers as he wrote to ask for money for any ecumenical programme or project. It is also significant that of the many writings of J.H. Oldham, the best known is his Devotional Dairy. Thus ecumenism is not mere intellectual planning for development in the Church and the World, but the fruit of the deep concern to be God’s people for both learning the message of the grace and power of God and for being at the same time channels for them.