The History of Portuguese Christian Mission and Expansionism from 1400 to 1600

From the beginning of Christianity until now, there has always been a mission emphasis in the church's history. It appears that about every two hundred years, a new impetus to the command of Christ to "go out into all the world" would be initiated. It started with the first disciples of Christ and quickly grew into a worldwide movement. During the first thousand years of Christian mission, many churches, such as the Church of the East (Nestorians), the Coptic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church, would each carve their names in the history of the Christian faith. However, this book is about the Portuguese mission movement that started in the 1400s and ended in the 1600s, being subjugated by the British and the American evangelical mission that began in the 1700s and is still active today. However, this book is about the Portuguese and their "Age of Exploration." The Portuguese, in contrast to other colonial nations, maintained that the church came first and then commerce. Other colonizers sought to control commerce and trade and subjected the indigenous population to unseen horrors in the name of economic exploitation. The Portuguese were not without their mistakes, but as a whole, they were better equipped and more compassionate than other European and Middle Eastern rivals. In this book, we trace the trail of the Portuguese explorers, their fears and failures, and their successes. Each Portuguese conquest is highlighted and examined for their religious achievements and their advancement of Christian thought. The Portuguese evangelized the world and let us pray that they do it again. Read more