Setting the Stage: John Eliot and the Algonquins of Eastern Massachusetts, 1649-90

Keywords

church history, Lamanites, missions

Abstract

The restoration of the knowledge of the gospel to the Lamanites is a recurring prophecy in the Book of Mormon. Its fulfillment has occupied the attention of the Church ever since the fall of 1830, when Oliver Cowdery and four other missionaries left New York to proselytize among the Indians of present-day Kansas. Red tape and Protestant jealousies ended this first mission before any American Indians were baptized, but today, over 170 years later, several million people of Lamanite descent claim membership in the Church. The organization of the Church and its emphasis on missionary work were obvious prerequisites to the fulfillment of this prophecy, and scholars who have studied this fascinating chapter of Israel’s redemption have rightfully focused their attention on the Latterday Saint missions and missionaries who have played such a vital role in the story.

Original Publication Citation

Andrew H. Hedges, “Setting the Stage: John Eliot and the Algonquins of Eastern Massachusetts, 1649-90,” Donald Q. Cannon, Arnold K. Garr, Bruce A. Van Orden, ed., Regional Studies in Latter-day Saints Church History–The New England States (Provo: Religious Studies Center, 2004), 65-86.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2004

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/6571

Publisher

Regional Studies in Latter-day Saints Church History: The New England States

Language

English

College

Religious Education

Department

Church History and Doctrine

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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