Author: Heather J. Sharkey
Publisher/Publication: Princeton University Press
DOI/ISBN: 9780691168104
Sharkey follows the activities of American Presbyterian missions in Egypt during an important period, starting from 1854 and continuing until 1967. The author examines thei missionary activities from a non-missionary perspective, charting four distinct periods. She argues that the evangelical missions had a deep impact in American-Egyptian relations, at a time that political and social changes occurred in the country. Starting from the Coptic Church followers and moving to the Muslim world, the missionaries succeeded in gaining converts and establishing a small Protestant community. The writer also touches on crucial issues such as the influence of women mission workers and the ethics of conversion in an insightful work.