Scope and Contents
This collection primarily documents Gerald H. Anderson's work as missionary educator in the Philippines, author, editor, and participant in many ecumenical mission conferences and groups. While Anderson was Associate Director and then Executive Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center from 1974-2000, this collection does not document his work with OMSC except through some Director's reports and some correspondence in the 2019 Appendix. The collection was substantially augmented and re-ordered in 2013 as records from throughout Anderson's career were added to the existing collection that primarily documented his work on the Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, a work which includes extensive and comprehensive coverage of Christian missions with 2,400 original signed biographies by 350 authors from 45 countries.
The 2019 Appendix contains material similar to what is available elsewhere in the collection. It contains a broader range of General Correspondence than what is available in Series I of the original collection. Notable correspondents include Paul Clifford, Willi Henkel, W. Richey Hogg, Jan Jongeneel, Sebastian Karotemprel, Harold Metzner, Dana Robert, and Andrew Walls.
The 2019 Appendix contains material similar to what is available elsewhere in the collection. It contains a broader range of General Correspondence than what is available in Series I of the original collection. Notable correspondents include Paul Clifford, Willi Henkel, W. Richey Hogg, Jan Jongeneel, Sebastian Karotemprel, Harold Metzner, Dana Robert, and Andrew Walls.
Dates
- 1947-2017
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Gerald H. Anderson, 2001-2018
Arrangement
- I. Correspondence
- II. Writings, Lectures, Research Files
- III. Conference and Consultation Activities
- IV. Personal Items and Memorabilia
- V. Audio-Visual Material
- VI. Addendum 2019
Extent
45 Linear Feet (61 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Overview
These papers document the work of Gerald H. Anderson, who was a missionary educator, college president, and Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center from 1974 to 2000. Anderson's extensive writings, lectures, and conference activities provide a valuable overview of the ecumenical mission scene during the second half of the twentieth century. A substantial portion of the collection relates to Anderson's work as editor of the Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions. These records include drafts and materials not included in the final publication as well as correspondence with the contributors. Other areas of research interest for Anderson included Christianity in the Philippines, Jewish-Christian relations, and the history of the International Association for Mission Studies.
Biographical / Historical
Gerald H. Anderson was born in 1930. He was a Methodist missionary in the Philippines from 1960 to 1970, serving as professor of church history and ecumenics as well as the academic dean of Union Theological Seminary in Manila. Upon returning to the United States, he was elected president of Scarritt College in Nashville and was also professor of world Christianity there. From 1973 to 1974, Anderson was a senior research associate in the Southeast Asia Program at Cornell University. In 1974 he was appointed as Associate Director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center and in 1976 became Executive Director of OMSC and editor of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research. Anderson was a founder and president of the American Society of Missiology and a participant in many ecumenical groups such as the International Missionary Council, World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism, Lausanne Committee Task Force on Jewish Evangelism, and the Kennedy Institute Jewish-Christian-Muslim Trialogue. Among his many published works, Anderson was co-editor with Stephen Neill and John Goodwin of the Concise Dictionary of the Christian World Mission, co-editor and author (with Thomas Stransky) of the series Mission Trends, co-editor of Mission Legacies, editor of Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions, and author of Witness to World Christianity : the International Association for Mission Studies, 1972-2012. For more detailed biographical information, see Series IV, Personal Items and Memorabilia, Biographical Documentation.
Creator
- Title
- Guide to the Gerald H. Anderson Papers
- Author
- Compiled by Martha Lund Smalley
- Date
- 2001, 2013, 2015, 2019
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared According To Local Divinity Library Descriptive Practices
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Yale Divinity Library Repository