ABSTRACT
Geraldine Taylor née Guinness (1862–1949), a prodigious evangelical biographer, was the first authorised chronicler of the China Inland Mission, founded in 1865 by her father-in-law Hudson Taylor. This chapter assesses her contribution to the historiography of evangelical missions, as a prominent female voice amongst the patriarchs of evangelical history writing. It examines her censorship of private correspondence and her gloss over theological disputes, in her desire to stimulate evangelical piety through carefully constructed narratives. In a context of rising tensions within nascent American fundamentalism, Taylor aimed to bolster support for evangelical missions by focusing on surrender to Jesus, thirst for the Holy Spirit, love for the Bible and faith-filled prayer in her triumphant accounts.
