• Media type: E-Article
  • Title: Methodism and aggressive Christianity : the Detroit Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the US occupation of the Philippines (1898-1903)
  • Contributor: Herbst, Matthew T. [Author]
  • Published: 2005
  • Published in: The journal of religion & society ; 2005
  • Language: English
  • Identifier:
  • Keywords: Methodist Episcopal Church; Bishops ; Militarism ; Military occupation ; Missions; Philippines ; Philippines; History; 1899-1901 (Philippine American War) ; United States; Foreign relations; Philippines ; War; Religious aspects; Christianity
  • Origination:
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  • Description: This study examines the reaction of the Methodist Episcopal Church through its Detroit Annual Conference (comprising the Eastern half of the state of Michigan and the entire Upper Peninsula) to the American occupation of the Philippines following the conclusion of the Spanish-American War in 1898. The ME Church, like its sibling Protestant Churches, championed the US occupation that opened up the island to the spread of Protestant evangelism. Protestant missionaries were viewed as spiritual warriors combating Catholicism, complementing the American soldiers battling the Filipino insurgency. The emphasis on missionary expansion fused with American imperialism to form a potent combination of "Bible and gun." A theology of aggression emerged to sanction American foreign policy as seen in DAC sermons, newspapers, and prayers.
  • Access State: Open Access