p. 315 | THE TERM "HEATHEN."

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 19, 1894

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 20, No. 20.

THE TERM "HEATHEN."

A MISSIONARY in Japan protests vigorously to the Missionary Herald against the use of the term "heathen" as applied to the non-Christian peoples of Asia, and appears to make out his case. This is his language:—

"The Japanese are very sensitive over this word. It seems to them an offensive and rude term, a word of inferiority, or even of contempt. It was from our English Bible, doubtless, that it came so widely in use. Yes, but go to the Revised Version, and not one single passage can be found with this word in it. Christ and his disciples never used it. They spoke of nations with respect and hope, never of heathen, pagans, outsiders. The revised Old Testament, too, has largely done the same. Our new Bible is pretty well cleared up, so far as the word 'heathen' is concerned. The worst people in our so-called Christian civilization use this word most freely. Gamblers, hard drinkers, pharisaical moralists, and low politicians cannot ring changes enough on it. 'The heathen Chinese,' 'the heathen Jap,' are the words of human beings who never had a noble thought toward the people of another nation, nor a spark of true patriotism. So that I would raise the question: Isn't it time that we missionaries part company with those who roll the word 'heathen' under their tongues as a sweet morsel of contempt? Shall we Christians at home or in mission fields be courteous in preaching the gladdest tidings on earth, or not?"—Selected.