Daniel H. Bays (1942 – May 9, 2019) was an American

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, best known for his works on

Christianity in China Christianity in China has been present since at least the 3rd century, and it has gained a significant amount of influence during the last 200 years. While Christianity may have existed in China before the 3rd century, evidence of its exist ...

Biography

Bays was born in 1942 in

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,365. It lies on the shore o ...

, received his B.A. in history from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1964, an M.A. in Far Eastern studies from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1967, and a PhD in history of modern China from the University of Michigan in 1971. His PhD dissertation was on the Chinese politician

Zhang Zhidong Zhang Zhidong () (4 September 18375 October 1909) was a Chinese politician who lived during the late Qing dynasty. Along with Zeng Guofan, Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang, Zhang Zhidong was one of the four most famous officials of the late Qing ...

in the midst of China's late-imperial quest for modernity. After completing his PhD, Bays took up a post teaching history at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, directing the Center for East Asian Studies and becoming a full professor in 1985. After working there for thirty years, in 2000, Bays moved to the History Department of

Calvin College Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reformed (Calvinist) ...

, where he held the Spoelhof chair from 2000–2002. He retired from Calvin College in 2012 and was appointed as

professor emeritus ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

, though he relocated with his wife Janice to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

. In 1984, when Bays was a

Fulbright scholar The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

in Taiwan, he received a letter from the historian of China,

John K. Fairbank John King Fairbank (May 24, 1907 – September 14, 1991) was an American historian of China and United States–China relations. He taught at Harvard University from 1936 until his retirement in 1977. He is credited with building the field of Ch ...

, who encouraged him to conduct a more systematic study of

, a topic Bays had recently begun work on. This would lead to his launch of the History of Christianity in China Project, which resulted in the edited volume ''Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present'', published in 1996. Bays died on May 9, 2019, after a lengthy battle with

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

Works

Books

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Edited

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References

External links

* Personal Papers of Daniel Bays (1970–2001), University of Kansas Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Bays, Daniel H. 1942 births 2019 deaths Religion academics American historians Christian missions in China World Christianity scholars History of Christianity in China University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts alumni Stanford University alumni Calvin University faculty University of Kansas staff University of Michigan alumni