Thoughts on Missions

Dibble, Sheldon, 1809-1845Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.3

Word count: 256K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Thoughts on Missions by Sheldon DibbleAuthor: Dibble, Sheldon, 1809-1845,Language: English, Class: BV: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Practical theology, Worship, Release Date: Jul 15, 2008

Editor's review

Thoughts on Missions is a nineteenth-century missionary Sheldon Dibble's reflections on the missionary enterprise, belonging to the field of practical theology. It has been made available as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in offering a how-to manual but in presenting the conceptual framework, argumentative style, and period tone of the early missionary movement, making it useful to readers studying religious history, mission history, and nineteenth-century English religious writing. The text is short and its arguments direct, suitable as a primary-source excerpt and for readers interested in practical theology who want a sense of the questions of the time. It should be read in historical context: the author stood within a particular faith tradition and missionary practice, and his positions and wording bear clear marks of his era, requiring discernment rather than wholesale acceptance today. For general readers it is more a window onto historical ideas than a contemporary devotional guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying the history of Christian missions and religious history
Those interested in nineteenth-century English religious writing
Students needing primary-source excerpts for coursework
Readers willing to engage theological argument in historical context

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking contemporary devotional guidance or sermon material
Those expecting a systematic theology textbook or complete doctrinal exposition
General literary readers with no interest in religious topics

Reading tips

First learn about the author's era and missionary background before entering the text.
Mark the argumentative structure and core claims as you read to help organize your thinking.
Compare the book's views with contemporary discussion, distinguishing historical context from universal claims.
Read in sections as length allows, summarizing each in your own words afterward.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a practical guide to missionary methods?

It is not a manual. It is closer to the author's overall reflections on and arguments for the missionary enterprise, dealing with motives, necessity, and conceptual foundations rather than specific steps or case studies. For method-level content you will need to look elsewhere; this book is suited to understanding the thinking and tone of missionary discourse of the time.

Is reading this book meaningful for non-Christians?

Yes, but from a different angle. For non-Christians its value is mainly historical and documentary: one can see how nineteenth-century religious writing organized arguments, how the missionary enterprise was understood, and what the social and cultural context was. Reading it as a historical source is more rewarding than reading it as religious persuasion.

What background knowledge is needed before reading?

Familiarity with basic Christian concepts and the general background of the nineteenth-century missionary movement will make reading smoother, but it is not strictly required. The arguments are relatively direct, and general readers can grasp the gist. When encountering unfamiliar denominational terms or historical figures, look them up as you go; no systematic preparation is necessary beforehand.

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About the author

Dibble, Sheldon, 1809-1845 Author · American · 1809–1845

Sheldon Dibble (1809–1845) was an American missionary. Public information about his early life and education is limited, and his life is known chiefly through his activities in Hawaii. There he founded and ran schools and worked as an educator, while also collecting materials and writing a history of Hawaii, making him one of the earlier missionaries to record the local history in writing. His representative work, Thoughts on Missions, deals with missionary enterprise and reflects his thinking and views on missionary work. Because few sources survive, he is known today mainly through his educational work, his historical writing, and this book. His teaching and writing had a certain documentary and disseminating significance within the missionary context of his time, offering later readers a reference for understanding early Hawaiian history and missionary activity.