C.W. Pruitt
Encyclopedia
Cicero Washington Pruitt . (1857–1946) was among the first Southern Baptist missionaries to Northern China
. He was born in Barrettsville, Georgia
, on January 31, 1857, the son of John Wesley and Hannah (Rodgers) Pruitt. He was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister at the age of 14 and began his evangelical
work by preaching to Native Americans
in Georgia. Later he attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
in Louisville, Kentucky
. He appears to have followed the ideals of Hudson Taylor
's China Inland Mission
, dressing like the Chinese, learning the language and following Chinese customs. The Pruitt family has many pictures extent of him, dressed in Chinese garb.
and they opened a school for boys that subsequently merged with the Carter School for Girls and Bush Theological Seminary, and became the North China Baptist College. It is still under operation today under another name. Also the church that he, and Anna Seward (and perhaps Ida Tiffany) planted still offers services, over 100 years later.
C.W. and Ann Seward along with William and Effie Sears and Laura Barton
were the only missionaries that remained loyal to Lottie Moon
during a doctrinal dispute with Tarleton Perry Crawford
that led to dividing the Southern Baptist North China Mission. T.P. Crawford believed missionaries should be self-supporting, but received criticism for spending excessive amounts of time in subsequent business ventures. Crawford brought along most of the North China Southern Baptist missionaries in starting his own mission named Gospel Mission.
from English into Chinese. C.W. and Anna Seward were the parents of Ida Pruitt
an influential Westerner involved in Chinese financial aid and development. Anna Seward and C.W. retired from China missions in 1936 and C.W. at that time because the Dean of Baptist Foreign Mission of North America. C.W. died on December 27, 1946.
Most of this article is taken from the Radcliff Finding Aid. See link below.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He was born in Barrettsville, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, on January 31, 1857, the son of John Wesley and Hannah (Rodgers) Pruitt. He was ordained as a Southern Baptist minister at the age of 14 and began his evangelical
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
work by preaching to Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in Georgia. Later he attended the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention . The seminary was founded in 1859, at Greenville, South Carolina. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to Louisville...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He appears to have followed the ideals of Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
's China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
, dressing like the Chinese, learning the language and following Chinese customs. The Pruitt family has many pictures extent of him, dressed in Chinese garb.
Mission to North China
In January 1882, he traveled to China as a missionary and was stationed in Huangxian in North China, where he met his first wife, Ida Tiffany; she died two years later. Later he married Anna Seward PruittAnna Seward Pruitt
Anna Pruitt , was born in Tallmadge, Ohio, on May 16, 1862, the daughter of John Woodhouse and Urania Seward. She traveled west in the early 1880s to teach school in Ojai, California; her letters about the trip were later published in the California Historical Quarterly...
and they opened a school for boys that subsequently merged with the Carter School for Girls and Bush Theological Seminary, and became the North China Baptist College. It is still under operation today under another name. Also the church that he, and Anna Seward (and perhaps Ida Tiffany) planted still offers services, over 100 years later.
C.W. and Ann Seward along with William and Effie Sears and Laura Barton
Laura Barton
Laura Barton is a British writer and journalist. She writes mainly for The Guardian, and published her first novel, Twenty-One Locks, in 2010....
were the only missionaries that remained loyal to Lottie Moon
Lottie Moon
Charlotte Digges "Lottie" Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years living and working in China...
during a doctrinal dispute with Tarleton Perry Crawford
Tarleton Perry Crawford
Tarleton Perry Crawford was a Baptist missionary to Shandong, China for 50 years with his wife.-Early life and education:Crawford was born in Warren County, Kentucky. He was the fourth son of John and Lucretia Crawford...
that led to dividing the Southern Baptist North China Mission. T.P. Crawford believed missionaries should be self-supporting, but received criticism for spending excessive amounts of time in subsequent business ventures. Crawford brought along most of the North China Southern Baptist missionaries in starting his own mission named Gospel Mission.
Achievements and later years
C.W. considered his greatest achievement to be the translation of his influential teacher John Broadus' Commentary on Gospel of MatthewGospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
from English into Chinese. C.W. and Anna Seward were the parents of Ida Pruitt
Ida Pruitt
Ida Pruitt , bi-cultural social worker, author, speaker, interpreter and 20th century contributor to Sino-American understanding.-Early life:...
an influential Westerner involved in Chinese financial aid and development. Anna Seward and C.W. retired from China missions in 1936 and C.W. at that time because the Dean of Baptist Foreign Mission of North America. C.W. died on December 27, 1946.
Most of this article is taken from the Radcliff Finding Aid. See link below.
See also
- Southern Baptist ConventionSouthern Baptist ConventionThe Southern Baptist Convention is a United States-based Christian denomination. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the largest Protestant body in the United States, with over 16 million members...
- List of Southern Baptist Convention affiliated people
- Anna Seward PruittAnna Seward PruittAnna Pruitt , was born in Tallmadge, Ohio, on May 16, 1862, the daughter of John Woodhouse and Urania Seward. She traveled west in the early 1880s to teach school in Ojai, California; her letters about the trip were later published in the California Historical Quarterly...
- Ida PruittIda PruittIda Pruitt , bi-cultural social worker, author, speaker, interpreter and 20th century contributor to Sino-American understanding.-Early life:...
- Lottie MoonLottie MoonCharlotte Digges "Lottie" Moon was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years living and working in China...