Chapter 3: The Debate Begins (1881-1882)
All of these men's ideas might have passed into history relatively unnoticed had not Wilder decided to publish Pierson's ideas in 1881. The Missionary Review was only four years old but was already gaining popularity among people knowledgeable about missions. Pierson's article, "Can the World Be Evangelized in Twenty Years_" came from many years of consideration and study. By 1881 his idea of what could be done in the present generation was solidly conceived. Pierson's article begins,
Why not! These are days of giant enterprises in the interests of commerce, science, art and literature. Why not carry the spirit of sanctified enterprise into our religious life and work! I wish by voice and by the aid of the press to set forth a practicable business proposition, namely that before the year 1900, the gospel shall be preached to every living soul! (Missionary Review, November-December 1881:437) [Italics his].
Royal Wilder added his "amen" to the article by saying, "The above proposal is entirely feasible...The work may require more men and money than are here computed; but more can be furnished, and the church of God become all the richer for furnishing them" (Missionary Review, November-December 1881:439). Wilder also mentioned a similar plan set forth by Thomas D. Marshall of London "some years ago." Evidently Marshall had also proposed
a special mission for the whole Heathen world. He wrote, "As by the good providence of God, doors are now opened for us into nearly every part of the earth, it is a question whether the time has come in which it would be practicable for some Christian men of statesmanlike and organizing capacity, to prepare a feasible plan for a Special Evangelizing Mission to the whole Heathen World (quoted in Missionary Review, November-December 1881:440) [Italics his].
Wilder praised the spirit behind Marshall's plan but felt that the three years (!) it provided for were too short to effectively evangelize the world. Wilder concluded "Let this consecration of self, life and property, obtain in the praying, going and giving of believers, and this world's evangelization in 20 years becomes practicable and easy" (Missionary Review, November-December 1881:441).
Pierson showed the practicality of his plan by calculating the number of workers that would be required to evangelize the world.
One hundred and eighteen millions belong to Protestant and Evangelical churches. If personally, or by proxy, every such believer should, during these twenty years, reach six souls with the gospel, the whole world would be evangelized. But suppose that only ten millions have real evangelical knowledge, faith and experience: let each of these during twenty years reach sixty new souls with the gospel, and the grand result is still reached. Think of it. We may take one in ten of the Protestant church-members, and bring the whole present population of the world to the knowledge of the gospel, if each one of that number shall in some way bring the gospel into contact with three souls who have not heard it each year for twenty years (Baptist Missionary Magazine, November 1881:381).
In January of 1882 responses began to pour in. Two such articles appeared in the New York Evangelist recognizing the feasibility of Dr. Pierson's proposal. The Missionary Review made reference to these in January 1882 and added that Dr. Angus (who gave the famous sermon in 1871) thought it would only take ten years to preach the gospel to every creature if there were 50,000 missionaries and $75 million a year to support them. Wilder felt that this estimate was low, citing 100,000 missionaries and $100 million a year as more realistic over a 20-year period. He then closed with the challenge:
Any live man, who will send us earnest words, aimed with point and purpose directly to the accomplishment of this workÑthe evangelizing of the world in 20 yearsÑshall command our pages to any reasonable extent. It is the largest proposal, the mightiest and grandest, and holiest undertaking within the scope of human hearts and hands (Missionary Review, January 1882:43).
In 1882 D. L. Moody's brother-in-law also published Pierson's plea for the world to be evangelized "Within Twenty Years." Pierson urged the many readers of the Evangelistic Record that "by the year 1900, the Gospel shall be preached to every living soul. Of course, to evangelize is not always to convert; it is simply making known the Gospel" (quoted in Findlay, Jr., 1970:349).
With the publishing of Pierson's paper the debate was underway. By the time the evangelization of the world by the year 1900 was no longer deemed possible, thousands of pages in dozens of magazines and books would be published on the subject.
