2013-2014 School of Chinese Research Student Seminar

1908年的中國東北大復興，使一位默默無聞的加拿大長老會傳教士古約翰（Jonathan Goforth, 1859-1936）成了中國福音傳教的名人；復興運動也正是目前學界關注古約翰的焦點。然而，這只是古約翰在華傳教的冰山一角。作為豫北長老會的主要創立人之一，古約翰早在1888年就來到中國。但是，二十年後，他卻執意離開豫北長老會，前去帶領復興大會(Revival Meetings)。本演講釐清古約翰在豫北的傳教生涯，以理解其離開豫北長老會的原因，並從中窺探20世紀初社會福音運動(Social Gospel Movement)在長老會內部矛盾展開的一個側面。本演講指出復興運動的興起恰好為古約翰提供了轉移這種內部矛盾的新契機。

Revival Meetings in Manchuria China in 1908 made Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936), a little-known Canadian Presbyterian, famous throughout China. However, this is only a small part of Goforth’s evangelistic work in China. As one of the pioneering Canadian missionaries, Goforth arrived in China in 1888 and played a vital role in the founding of the Canadian Presbyterian Mission in North Henan. Twenty years later, Goforth decided to resign his position at the North Henan Mission and go to lead the Revival Meetings. This talk examines Goforth’s life in Henan, in order to provide reasons causing Goforth’s resignation, and to glimpse into the tension within the Presbyterian Mission initiated by the Social Gospel Movement in the early 20th century. It points out that the emergence of Revivalism happened to provide Goforth a new opportunity to shift his attention from the Mission’s inner conflicts to other evangelistic work in China.