author
Frank F. (Frank Field) Ellinwood
1826–1908
A leading Presbyterian minister and mission administrator of the late 19th century, he wrote widely on world religions and the missionary movement. His work reflects a moment when American Protestantism was trying to understand faiths beyond the West while also expanding its global reach.
1 Audiobook
About the author
Born in Clinton, New York, in 1826, Frank Field Ellinwood studied at Hamilton College and later at Auburn and Princeton theological seminaries before entering the Presbyterian ministry. He first served churches in Belvidere, New Jersey, and Rochester, New York, building a reputation as a thoughtful pastor and organizer.
Ellinwood went on to hold major leadership roles in the Presbyterian Church, including work with church extension and, most notably, the Board of Foreign Missions. In that role he became an important voice in American Protestant missions during a period of rapid international expansion.
He was also a prolific writer. Among his best-known books are Oriental Religions and Christianity, Questions and Phases of Modern Missions, and The Great Conquest, works that show both his interest in comparative religion and his desire to explain global religious life to American readers. He died in 1908, leaving behind both institutional influence and a substantial body of religious writing.