To Raise a Voice in Praise: The Revivalist Mission of John Henry Wise, 1889 - 1896

Abstract

This essay examines the determined revivalist efforts by officers of the Hawaiian Evangelical Association (HEA) at the close of the 19th century to blunt a severe and ongoing loss of Native membership within the Protestant churches of the former American Mission. Specifically, it highlights the administrative board’s drafting of a young Native Hawaiian named John Henry Wise to lead this evangelical operation, his training in the United States, and the dramatic outcome that followed his return, in 1893, to native soil. It contests previous representations of submissive, “missionized,” Native Hawaiian Christians by highlighting Native action and agency while also positing the Wise example as representative of a broader struggle that was enveloping the Native churches of the HEA.