Christian Mission to an Indigenous Tribe during American Westward Expansion

From it’s conception the Christian Church from its was given was the task to preach the message of salvation to all people. Henry H. Spalding (1803 – 1874) was a Presbyterian missionary to the Nez Perce nation from 1836 – 1847 during American Westward Expansion which witnessed the active encroachment of several indigenous tribes and their lands from the United States and its people. Henry Spalding and his wife, Eliza Spalding, left the United States for a season to live among the Nez Perce in attempt to preach the gospel of Jesus. In twenty pages this research will consider the goals and methods of the Spalding mission and will consider how the Nez Perce perceived Spalding, his methodology, and the message he preached. Primary source documents as well as guidance from secondary source authors will be utilized in coming to the conclusions about Spalding’s work and its results. Spalding claimed to have a heart for reaching those without the gospel, but the conduct of his ministry among the Nez Perce was terrible, witnessing abuses of power. The conclusion of this research criticizes Spalding’s ministry for the atrocities it committed and how the ministry harmed the Nez Perce nation. The Spalding mission had the wrong goals. Yet this paper also defends the virtue of mission work and offers a different methodology that does not entail the trappings of the cultural assimilation that Spalding’s mission promoted.