Baptist Mission in Nineteenth-Century Burma.

This article examines the contrasting outcomes of American Baptist missionary efforts in 19th-century Burma, focusing on their failure to convert the ethnic Burman majority and their relative success among the ethnic Karen minority. The missionaries' failure among the Burmans is attributed to the deep integration of Theravada Buddhism with Burman ethnic identity and royal patronage, which made Christianity largely unacceptable. In contrast, many Karen, who practiced animism with monotheistic elements and lacked a written language, embraced Christianity, aided by mission schools, the invention of a Karen script, Bible translations, and native Karen evangelists. The article highlights that while Christianity significantly influenced Karen society and education, it did not become the sole marker of Karen ethnic identity, and native Christians actively shaped their religious transformation.