The last blog on Stark

Well, all good things must end. This will be the last blog on How the West Won, a powerful book by Rodney Stark. He demolishes propaganda by anti-Western writers and those who dislike Christianity by showing the true history of the West. 

In his last chapter, Stark points out the good that missionaries have done as they spread the word about Christianity to the world. He says in addition to the good things I covered in the previous blog  they also undertook many aggressive actions to defend local peoples against undue exploitation by colonial officials. They became frequently involved in bitter disputes with commercial and colonial leaders in support of local populations, particularly in India and Africa.

Stark mentions a remarkable new study which has demonstrated conclusively the Protestant missionaries can take most of the credit for the rise and spread of stable democracies in the non-Western world. The study found that the more missionaries in a country in 1923, the higher the probability that by now a nation has achieved a stable democracy. How did they manage to do this? Missionaries sponsored mass education, local printing in newspapers, local voluntary organizations, including those having a nationalist and anti-colonial orientation.

In addition to all of this, missionaries contributed to the medicine and health of a region. They set up medical facilities including medical schools, dispensaries, and hospitals. They recruited and trained local doctors and nurses. One study showed that the higher the number of Protestant missionaries in a nation in 1923, the lower that nation's infant-mortality rate was in the year 2000.

Stark ends his book this way: "A substantial degree of individual freedom is inseparable from Western modernity, and this still is lacking in much of the non-Western world. No doubt Western modernity has its limitations and discontents. Still, it is far better than the known alternatives – not only, or even primarily, because of its advanced technology but because of its fundamental commitment to freedom, reason, and human dignity." I like this point. Sure, we have problems as a result of modernity, but no alternative works better. He focuses on freedom, reason, and human dignity. I would say they are under attack today by the current government which whittles away our freedoms (especially freedom of conscience), advocates the death of the unborn, and urges actions based on feelings rather than reason. We can't get rid of this administration any too soon.