Godfather of Tien Wang: the activity of American missionary I. Saachar Roberts in china during the Taiping rebellion

The article deals with the activities of the American Baptist missionary Isaachar Jacox Roberts in China during the Taiping rebellion. The leader of rebels Hong Xiuquan appointed him as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Taiping state in order to win foreigners to the rebels’ side, but Roberts continued to see his key role here in promoting Christianity among the rebels. Seeing no prospects for missionary work in Nanjing, the American decided to leave the Taiping capital. The author concludes that Roberts did not have significant influence on the policies of the Taiping leaders towards the foreigners and Christian missionaries in China that led to the decline of his authority among the latter.