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Michael Haykin

Date posted: 1 Nov 2018

Geneva was not a large city. During Calvin’s lifetime it reached a peak of slightly more than 21,000 by 1560, of whom a goodly number were religious refugees.

Nevertheless, it became the missionary centre of Europe in this period of the Reformation. Calvin sought to harness the energies and gifts of many of the religious refugees so as to make Geneva central to the expansion of Reformation thought and piety throughout Europe. This meant training and preparing many of these refugees to go back to their native lands as evangelists and reformers.

history

Michael Haykin

Date posted: 1 Jul 2018

The 16th-century Reformers had a poorly-developed missiology and overseas mission was an area to which they gave little thought.

That is what is said. ‘Yes’, this argument runs, ‘they rediscovered the apostolic gospel, but they had no vision to spread it to the uttermost parts of the earth.’ Possibly the first author to raise the question about this failure of early Protestantism was the Roman Catholic theologian and controversialist, Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621). He argued that one of the marks of a true church was its continuity with the missionary passion of the apostles. In his mind, Roman Catholicism’s missionary activity was indisputable and this supplied a strong support for its claim to stand in solidarity with the apostles.

history

Michael Haykin

Date posted: 1 Aug 2018

Last month we begin to think about the argument that the Reformers had no missionary vision or passion.

This month we continue to ponder this important theme by looking at John Calvin’s thinking about the missionary advance of the church.

history

Michael Haykin

Date posted: 1 Sep 2018

Calvin is insistent that believers must actively employ their strength to bring God’s salvation to others.

In his sermon on Deuteronomy 33.18-19 Calvin can thus argue that it is not enough to be involved in God’s service. Christians need to be drawing others to serve and adore God. Specifically, how does God use the strength of Christians? Calvin’s answer is that it is by their words and by their deeds.

history

Michael Haykin

Date posted: 1 Oct 2018

In seeking to re-evangelise Europe, the Reformers made powerful use of the latest technology at their disposal, namely, the printing press.

By Calvin’s death in 1564, his interest in Christian publishing meant that there were no less than 34 printing-houses in Geneva, which printed Bibles and Christian literature in a variety of European languages. In the 1550s particularly, Geneva was a hive of biblical editions and translations.