From Fundamentalism to Evangelicalism: Missionary Photography, Religious Transformation, and Indigenous Conversion in Mid-20th Century Ecuador

This paper analyzes the transformation of U.S. Protestant missions in Latin America through the lens of Jim (1927-1956) and Elisabeth Elliott (1926-2015), two Christian Missions in Many Lands missionaries in Ecuador. Through analysis of missionary photography, particularly the image "Jim with a few of his schoolboys in Shandia," and related literary works, the paper demonstrates how the Elliotts represent the shift from fundamentalism to evangelicalism in 20th-century missionary work. Jim exemplifies the fundamentalist approach focused on Biblical exposition, while Elisabeth represents a new evangelicalism that, while still conservative and aligned with White supremacist and capitalist values, adopted a more development-oriented approach. The research examines four key elements in the photograph: the "jungle" setting, professional attires, schoolboy situation, and absence of women. Drawing from diverse sources related to "Operation Auca," including recent indigenous perspectives, the paper illuminates how this transformation reflected broader changes in post-World War II American Christianity and impacted indigenous communities.