The massive A History of Christian Missions in China remains a substantial piece of work despite the years since it was written. Starting with the religious background of China, Latourette probes why Christianity appealed to the Chinese and then launches into a detailed history of its development. He considers how Christianity began before and coped under the Mongol Dynasty and then the incursion of the Roman Catholic Missions. Looking at the Rites Controversy and the slowing down of the growth of Christianity in the country, he assesses the effectiveness of the Catholic effort. Briefly considering the Russian Orthodox interest in Chinese missions, he moves on to what is clearly his main concern in the Protestant influx in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Considering the main events of China’s history in relation to the European powers of the day, he considers how Christianity fared. Beginning in the late 1850s, Latourette traces the work of continuing Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Russian Orthodox efforts at missionary work through the period of Chinese reorganization. Essential reading for those interested in how Christianity took root and grew in China, this study has continued to retain its value as an extraordinary piece of history.

Kenneth Scott Latourette (1884-1968) was a missionary to China and a Baptist minister. He taught at Reed College, Denison University, and finally at Yale. At Yale he was Professor of Missions and Oriental History before becoming the chair of the Department of Religion in the Graduate School. He was the author of several books.