Tambaram, 1938: Christianity's shift to the Global South

Abstract

The World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910 was followed in 1928 by a Conference in Jerusalem. Jerusalem emphasised ‘the younger churches’, the term then used for the churches that had resulted from missionary work. This article examines the International Missionary Council's conference of 1938, held at the Madras Christian College, Tambaram, near Madras. It had over 470 participants from 70 nations. A feature of great significance was that participants from what we now call the Global South were in the majority. This aspect has been noted, but not explored in detail. A book that was produced for the Conference, Evangelism for the World Today, edited by John Mott, which included many contributors from the Global South, has received virtually no coverage. This article examines Mott's neglected book, the role of Africans at Tambaram, the voices of women and the ongoing influence of the Conference.