The Issue of Slavery in Bishop William Taylor´s Works: From Abolitionist Conviction to Missionary Praxis in Angola

Abstract

This article seeks to recover a neglected dimension of Methodist Bishop William Taylor’s ministry: his abolitionist conviction as a central motivation for founding the self‑supporting mission in Angola. Eighteen of Taylor’s works, published between 1857 and 1898, are analyzed to address the guiding question: how do the themes of enslavement and the abolitionist struggle for its eradication appear in his writings? The study sustains the argument that Taylor’s abolitionist commitment was not incidental but formative and thought as performative, shaping the creation of the Methodist mission in Angola in 1885. Although early scholarship acknowledged this element, later historiography largely omitted it, portraying Taylor instead as highly committed so not enthusiastic holiness activist. More recent references remain fragmentary and fail to recognize abolitionism as a defining axis of his work. By employing narrative and keyword analysis, this research demonstrates that Taylor consistently presents his missionary activities — especially in sub-Saharan Africa —as indissolubly intertwined with his abolitionist convictions. Recognizing this dimension is essential for understanding both Taylor’s missiology and the historical trajectory of Methodist missions in Africa.