緬甸宣教士耶德遜(Adoniram Judson，1788-1850)
“It was during a solitary walk in the woods behind the college, while meditating and praying on the subject, and feeling half inclined to give it up,” wrote pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson, “that the command of Christ, ‘Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,’ was presented to my mind with such clearness and power, that I came to a full decision, and though great difficulties appeared in my way, resolved to obey the command at all events” (Thomas 1995, 65). Motivations for missions ranged, with some overlapping, from Judson’s love for Christ through obedience to the Great Commission, to promoting the glory of God through “disinterested benevolence”—selfless love expressed through sharing the gospel and sponsoring humanitarian projects to prepare for the coming kingdom of God on earth—to saving souls from hell by “plucking brands from the burning” (Beaver 1968, 121–26)。 In Burma, Judson suffered through the death of his first wife and child, the death of his second wife, imprisonment, and poor health.