History Commons^™

Implications Of American Missionary Presence In 19th And 20th Century Iran, Linda Colleen Karimi

Dissertations and Theses

When dealing with missionary endeavors abroad most writers tend to concentrate on the evangelical aspect. However, missionaries have played a much more extensive role than this. In the case of Iran, the evangelical impact of the missionary effort was minimal in comparison to both the medical and educational branches of their work. In spite of their original intent of revitalizing the native Christianity, it was through their educators and doctors that the missionaries had their greatest influence on 19th and 20th century Iran.

For centuries Iran had been relatively isolated from the outside world and its advances. Such conditions were …