This thesis examines the historical background of missionary attitudes toward Islam within the framework of the mission emphasis of the Reformed Church in America between the 1880s and 1911. It argues that the historical experience of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands produced a sense of pride and destiny that was transplanted by Dutch emigration to North America and maintained in the relationships of the Reformed Church in America with other nationalities and missions. That sense of pride ad destiny prepared the church to stand on its convictions in the face of opposition, which it drew upon itself when it began mission work among Muslims previously neglected by the modern missionary movement. Finally, this thesis shows that Dutch American missionaries sought to change western perceptions of Islam by creating an awareness of the advance of Islam that may pose a threat to Christianity.