ABSTRACT
Protestant missionary interest in the Pacific arose from the voyages of European explorers, notably James Cook (1728-1779), and the rise of the evangelical missionary movement. The London Missionary Society (LMS) made the Pacific its first missionary field. Missions begun at Tonga and the Marquesas in 1797 faced local opposition and were aborted. The Tahitian mission initially struggled, but by 1815 the impact of literacy, people movements, and the alliance between missionaries and leading chiefs laid significant Christian foundations. The traditional rituals, gods, and places of worship were rejected and replaced by large church buildings, Christian worship, and the introduction of codes of laws regulating moral and civil behavior.
