Religion, Gender, and Bodies: Women’s Polyvalent Roles and Experiences in the Biopolitics of Taiwan’s Presbyterian Missions

The Presbyterian missions and medical missions in 19th-century Taiwan were successful enterprises that over time developed into the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, which stands today as the largest Christian minority church in this country. Through a Foucauldian biopolitical perspective, this paper analyzes the roles of female missionaries in the management of bodies and the subjective experiences of both foreign and Native women in the missions. Going beyond descriptive narratives and control-versus-agency reductionist frames, the paper points the polyvalent semantics of such roles and experiences. It also explores the complex relations between the women’s biopolitical functions, the PCT’s industrial type of biopolitical apparatus, and the biopolitical regimes of the late Qing dynasty and the Japanese colonial government in the early 20th century. The conclusions remark on the analytical relevance of biopolitical perspectives in the study of gender and body-related phenomena in Christian missions and Christian religions beyond Western societies.

New Zealand Medical Missions in South China – Ko Tong Hospital in the Kirk Years, 1896-1917

<p>During the rainy season of 1909, the first hospital of Western medicine opened to the public in the bustling market town of Ko Tong, Upper Panyu, China. Po Wai Yiyuen, or ‘The Hospital of Universal Love’, was a medical missionary endeavour of the Canton Villages Mission (CVM) of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, the only mission to China from any New Zealand church. This thesis presents the first in-depth biographical and institutional study of the CVM’s medical mission, from its conception in 1898 until the closure of its first temporary hospital at Ko Tong in 1917. The thesis argues that the trajectory of the CVM’s medical mission closely followed that of earlier medical missions in a crucial era for the presence and development of Western medicine in China. It also shows how local Cantonese responses to the medical mission in Ko Tong were complex and highly pragmatic. The study highlights the importance of relationships between returned New Zealand Chinese miners and medical missionaries. It argues that, despite numerous setbacks, the CVM’s medical mission under the leadership of Dr. John Kirk achieved a level of stability and purpose it would struggle to find again. Unlike much scholarship in New Zealand Chinese history, this research does not focus on the Chinese in New Zealand. Rather, it analyses the work and interactions of Western medical missionaries of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church active in China. A study of this kind draws on and contributes to histories of missions, medicine in China, and New Zealand-China interactions. The thesis’ three chapters contextualise the medical mission within the pre-existing Protestant missionary movement and medical missionary movement in China, consider how local Cantonese in Ko Tong viewed the ‘foreign doctor’ in their midst, and finally, analyse the influence and leadership of Dr. John Kirk, the hospital’s main superintendent. It does this by examining mission policy, the hospital’s medical care standards, and Kirk’s involvement in medical education. This research utilises primary sources from the Presbyterian Church Archives of New Zealand, highlighting an immensely rich and varied body of archival resources, which has remained largely untapped by historians.</p>

New Zealand Medical Missions in South China – Ko Tong Hospital in the Kirk Years, 1896-1917

<p>During the rainy season of 1909, the first hospital of Western medicine opened to the public in the bustling market town of Ko Tong, Upper Panyu, China. Po Wai Yiyuen, or ‘The Hospital of Universal Love’, was a medical missionary endeavour of the Canton Villages Mission (CVM) of the Presbyterian Church of New Zealand, the only mission to China from any New Zealand church. This thesis presents the first in-depth biographical and institutional study of the CVM’s medical mission, from its conception in 1898 until the closure of its first temporary hospital at Ko Tong in 1917. The thesis argues that the trajectory of the CVM’s medical mission closely followed that of earlier medical missions in a crucial era for the presence and development of Western medicine in China. It also shows how local Cantonese responses to the medical mission in Ko Tong were complex and highly pragmatic. The study highlights the importance of relationships between returned New Zealand Chinese miners and medical missionaries. It argues that, despite numerous setbacks, the CVM’s medical mission under the leadership of Dr. John Kirk achieved a level of stability and purpose it would struggle to find again. Unlike much scholarship in New Zealand Chinese history, this research does not focus on the Chinese in New Zealand. Rather, it analyses the work and interactions of Western medical missionaries of the New Zealand Presbyterian Church active in China. A study of this kind draws on and contributes to histories of missions, medicine in China, and New Zealand-China interactions. The thesis’ three chapters contextualise the medical mission within the pre-existing Protestant missionary movement and medical missionary movement in China, consider how local Cantonese in Ko Tong viewed the ‘foreign doctor’ in their midst, and finally, analyse the influence and leadership of Dr. John Kirk, the hospital’s main superintendent. It does this by examining mission policy, the hospital’s medical care standards, and Kirk’s involvement in medical education. This research utilises primary sources from the Presbyterian Church Archives of New Zealand, highlighting an immensely rich and varied body of archival resources, which has remained largely untapped by historians.</p>

Guest Editorial: Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield, 1851–1921

This Year 2021 Marks The Centenary Of The Death Of The Theologian Benjamin B.Warfield. He Was A Son Of The Southern Presbyterian Church. John Meeter Summarizes Warfield’s Life As Follows: Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield Was Born Into A Godly Presbyterian Home At “Grasmere,” Near Lexington, Kentucky, November 5th, 1851. When Only Nineteen Years Of Age He Was Graduated From What Is Now Princeton University, With The Highest Honor Of His Class. After Two Years Of Further Study And Travel Abroad He Entered Princeton Seminary, Graduating In The Class Of 1876. In 1878 He Was Appointed Instructor, And In 1879 Installed As Professor Of New Testament Exegesis And Literature At Western Theological Seminary, Allegheny. In 1887 He Received And Accepted, The Appointment To The Charles Hodge Chair Of Didactic And Polemic Theology At Princeton Seminary; And For Thirty-three Years, From 1887 To The Time Of His Death In 1921, He Served Princeton Seminary And The Presbyterian Church U. S. A. In The Chair Made Famous By The Alexander-Hodge Succession. KEYWORDS:

Study on perception on HIV infection and prevention among religious leaders of Presbyterian Church, Aizawl, Mizoram

Aim of the study is to find the perceptions of Presbyterian Church leaders about HIV prevention in Aizawl, Mizoram. For the study, mixed method was followed for data collection. From 15 Presbyterian churches, 293 Church leaders representing four groups, that is, Pastor/Elder, Women, Youth and Men were randomly selected and used self-administered questionnaire for the purpose of understanding perceptions on HIV prevention from them. Chi-square test was done to understand the associations with different factors. Qualitative information was collected using in-depth interviews from 12 and focus group discussions from 3 leaders. Thirty four percent of leaders expressed willingness to advocate condom for prevention. Majority (97.3 %) of leaders felt they need to intervene and 90% were for including HIV prevention in church services. Two third (70 %) felt Biblical disobedience causes HIV and 80% felt homosexuals deserved it. Leaders preferred abstinence, marital fidelity, and condom use as appropriate methods for HIV prevention. About 70% agreed with the Church statement, ‘condoms encourage pre-marital sex’, and above 80% reported condom prevents HIV. Analysis show, contacting person living with HIV (PLHIV) was not positively associated with willingness to advocate condom use. Church leaders their inability quoting the church doctrine as constraint. Many felt disobedience to Biblical teachings and sinful acts result in HIV. Leaders felt, educating church leaders and disseminating sex education using church media were effective methods for HIV prevention.