William Thomas Berger

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William Thomas Berger

Missionary Director and Rice Starch Manufacturer
Born 1815
England
Died 1899
Cannes, France
William & Mary Berger.
William & Mary Berger.

William Thomas Berger (18151899), was a Christian starch manufacturer in London and owner of Samuel Berger & Co., a patent rice starch manufacturer, who became the first home (England) director of the China Inland Mission with James Hudson Taylor in 1865. At this time the headquarters of the mission agency was located at Saint Hill Manor in East Grinstead, England. As the Home Director he was responsible for editing the Occasional Paper of the China Inland Mission and carrying on the work of sending more missionaries to follow Hudson Taylor to China.

At the time of the Yangzhou riot that brought unwelcome notoriety to the mission activity in China, Berger had to defend Taylor and his group from the attacks of the British press. Often, he had to assume this role with little or no knowledge of the current events in China due to the delay in communication with the missionaries overseas.

The Bergers resigned due to failing health and also due to his personal convictions which were similar to Andrew Jukes (in conflict with the traditional Christian principles of the China Inland Mission) regarding the eternal punishment of non-Christians. He remained a faithful supporter of the mission and a friend of Hudson Taylor until his death.

Trivia note: Berger sold the estate at East Grinstead long before it came to be owned by the unrelated Scientology group.


Part of a series on
Protestant missions to China
Robert Morrison

Background
Christianity
Protestantism
Chinese history
Missions timeline
Christianity in China
Nestorian China missions
Catholic China missions
Jesuit China missions
Protestant China missions

People
Karl Gützlaff
J. Hudson Taylor
Lammermuir Party
Lottie Moon
Timothy Richard
Jonathan Goforth
Cambridge Seven
Eric Liddell
Gladys Aylward
(more missionaries)

Missionary agencies
China Inland Mission
London Missionary Society
American Board
Church Missionary Society
US Presbyterian Mission
(more agencies)

Impact
Chinese Bible
Medical missions in China
Manchurian revival
Chinese Colleges
Chinese Hymnody
Chinese Roman Type
Cantonese Roman Type
Anti-Footbinding
Anti-Opium

Pivotal events
Taiping Rebellion
Opium Wars
Unequal Treaties
Yangzhou riot
Tianjin Massacre
Boxer Crisis
Xinhai Revolution
Chinese Civil War
WW II
People's Republic

Chinese Protestants
Liang Fa
Keuh Agong
Xi Shengmo
Sun Yat-sen
Feng Yuxiang
John Sung
Wang Mingdao
Allen Yuan
Samuel Lamb

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[edit] See also

Cover of the Occasional Paper of the China Inland Mission in 1875.
Cover of the Occasional Paper of the China Inland Mission in 1875.

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links