Black Missionary in an Age of Enslavement: The Life and Times of George Liele

George Liele (1750–1825) was the first African American ordained to the Christian ministry and the first missionary to take the Christian gospel outside the United States. He was imprisoned for his faith in Jamaica and saw the survival of the church as pivotal. Liele was a man of firsts, initiating the practice of offering education to native people and teaching them that they were destined for liberation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 06 August 2024
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Protestant Christianity and its missions in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries have been extensively discussed, with a significant focus on the work of English missionary William Carey and American Missionaries Adoniram and Ann Judson, who traveled to India in 1793 and 1813. However, this book challenges this conventional understanding of mission studies and outreach by exploring the legacy and life of the enslaved American Baptist George Liele (1750–1825), the first African American ordained to the Christian ministry.

Liele's life was marked by both slavery and freedom. In Jamaica, he was imprisoned for his faith and witnessed the survival of the church as a pivotal moment. He was also the first African American ordained to the Christian ministry (May 20, 1775) and the first missionary to take the Christian gospel outside the United States. Liele's pioneering work in education for native people, both enslaved and free, was instrumental in shaping the missionary movement.

Liele's hymnal and Bible teachings emphasized the enslaved and free's destiny for liberation. His work laid the foundation for the Christian mission's commitment to education and social justice. Liele's legacy continues to inspire and challenge us today, reminding us of the importance of fighting for equality and justice for all people.

Weight: 508g
Dimension: 235 x 162 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781538180051