Category:The Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual

Title: The Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual

Editor: William Ellis

Publisher: Fisher & Son co.

Written in Great Britain at a time when the social and economic structures of the British Empire were being called into question, The Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual sought to remind and strengthen Christian beliefs in response to modern life. In the 1837 volume, editor Reverend William Ellis wrote that the journal was a “work devoted to the promotion of piety among its readers and the diffusion of authentic information respecting the progress and effects of Christianity in different quarters of the world.” ^[1] Edited by Reverend Ellis from 1834 to 1838, this volume is devoted to the interests of benevolence and piety, on the broad principles of sacred charity. With contributions from highly esteemed Christian writers, it contains accounts of the inhabitants of different parts of the world, the efforts that have been used to make them acquainted with the Christian religion, and the results that have followed. The notices of heathen societies are furnished by reverends who have themselves resided abroad, or engaged in missionary pursuits, and have been frequently eye-witnesses of what they describe." ^[2] One reverend said he wrote for the journal because “No Sooner had the word of God become the means of renovating [my] heart than [I] began to employ it as the rule and directory of [my] life.” These firsthand accounts, along with the allegories and touching religious poetry of missionary work and of Christ’s sacrifices, come together to produce a journal which both “Relieves temporal wants and administers the soothing and welcome consolations of religion.” ^[3]

Notes

1. ↑ William Ellis, The Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual (1837), London: Fisher, 1837, Print.
2. ↑ WD
3. ↑ William Ellis, The Christian Keepsake and Missionary Annual (1837), London: Fisher, 1837, Print.

Submitted by: Sorenson, Adam: Section 1, Winter 2013