Marks of a World Christian Daniel Johnson Fleming Leon Kolb Jacob Steinhardt

Marks of a World Christian
Daniel Johnson Fleming
1919

Marks of a World Christian

Daniel Johnson Fleming (1877-1969)
Association Press, New York, 1919

Daniel Johnson Fleming was a brilliant man. His first college degree was from the College of Wooster in 1898. After serving as a missionary he resumed his studies at Union Theological Seminary, being ordained in 1903. The same year Fleming earned an M.S. in chemistry from the University of Chicago, and a year later an M.A. in Physics from Columbia University. Rev. Fleming then again went to the mission field as missionary and lecturer at Forman College in Lahore, India. After receiving a Ph.D. in 1914 from the University of Chicago Divinity School, Fleming returned to Union Theological Seminary serving in following years as director of the Department of Foreign Service as well as Professor of Missions.

Original Woodcut by Jacob Steinhardt

Bookplate: Presented to Congregation Emanu-El by the Dr. and Mrs. Leon Kolb Educational Foundation. Bookplate art: Moses, Original Woodcut by Jacob Steinhardt, Created for Moses, The Near Easterner, by Leon Kolb

Marks of a World Christian: Foreword

      Internationalism has always been implicity in Christianity. During three great eras of Christian expansion this internationalism because consciously explicit in the Church's outreach to non-Christian lands.  An analysis of the missionary consciousness back of these great movements ought to yield certain fundamental elements that should characterize every Christian.  We turn to what, historically, has been Christianity's highest expression in order to see more clearly the mind which each Christian should bring to bear upon the world.

     Throughout this little book it as been assumed that, ideally, there is no difference between the Christian and the world Christian.  Being a Christian is not a matter of the here or the there of an act or an attitude, but refers to a certain characteristic response which is independent of geography.

     It is hoped that these studies will help both individuals and churches in self-examination.  The analysis found in these successive chapters does not atempt to be exhaustive, but certain outstanding elements have been chosen for consideration.  One or another of these nine "marks" will probably need emphasized developement, in order that the spirit which we bring to the world's great problems may be both Christian and international.

D.J.F.

CONTENTS

Foreword
1 Consciousness of the Larger Self
2 Respect for the Capacity of Other Peoples
3 Responsiveness to Human Need
4 Faith in the Pursuant Love of God
5 The Impulsion of a Great Experience
     In the last analysis, the measure of our Christian outreach to the world is the measure of our
    valuation of Jesus Christ. (p. 96)

6 Zeal for the Manifestation of God
    The world reads the Bible very little compared with the way it reads the lives of Christians.
    For most persons the documents of Christianity are human people.  The open page of every
    Christian life is read by all who pass.  The gospels are not four, but "ten thousand times ten  
    thousand, and thousands of  thousands."  In China they say, "There goes the Jesus-man!"
    George Grenfell's boat, "Peace," on the Congo became known as "God's boat" because it
    offered violence to none.

    Christ made no provision for written testimony, but insisted that the sure witness to himself
    be through living personalities.  "Let your light so shine...that they may see...and glorify your
    Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).  (p. 116)

7 Courage for World Purposes
8 Readiness to Pay the Cost
9 A Sense of Vocation

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