Reformation Period1517-1792

This was the beginning of change, but the Reform Church brought a lot of baggage with it (i.e. church-state concepts, infant baptism, sacramentalism, formalism, and territorialism).

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Reasons the Reformation began

Renaissance education emphasized critical thinkingAvailability of printed material & BibleAbuses of the Roman Catholic Church:

Pope Leo X’s lifestyleSale of Indulgences and RelicsSales of Church offices: “simony”Mariolatry, saints intercession, infallibility of pope, celibacy

“Once you hear the money’s ring, the soul from purgatory is free to spring” Tetzel

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Martin Luther (1483-1546)Luther was a professor at Wittenberg UniversityReligious truth found only in the BibleSales of indulgences reduced/cancel purgatory suffering ensuring heavenSupported lavish lifestyles of Church leadersFinanced the building of St. Peter’s Basilica for 400 years

Criticized Church practices and leadership in 95 Theses

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Spread of Lutheranism

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Spread of Lutheranism 1560

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Wittenberg

John Calvin (1509-1564)French student associated with Radical movement in Paris, fled to Geneva wrote Institutes at 19Calvinism/PresbyterianismSovereignty of God who determines everything and every destiny of manTheocracy in Geneva (church-state)

Established a training Institute in Geneva which sent out graduates to spread Calvinism

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Spread of Calvinism from Geneva

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Reformation Period: 1517-1705

Protestant Reformation was attempt to return to apostolic ChristianityNew truth did not affect missions for 200 yrsRoman Catholic counter reformation resulted in more missionaries—RCC gained more than lost! (approx 1560-1650)Reasons for apathy among early Protestants:

Some taught Commission only for apostlesLutheran and Reformation churches fighting among themselves– 30 yrs War left Germany in economic and social chaosProtestants tended to Deterministic Theology: God does it without human intervention! Protestants had no religious order dedicated to evangelizing as did the Catholics: Franciscans, Dominicans and Jesuits

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Limited Missionary Effort for 200 yrsLimited Missionary Effort for 200 yrs

In 1555 French Calvinist Huguenots went to Brazil

Chaplains primary concern was French, not BrazilianLittle success (less than 1-yr) and soon murdered by Portuguese Catholics

In 1649 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England formed to reach the Indians of New England

John Eliot spent two years learning language of Algonquians and by 1663 completed NT translationFormed Christian Indian “praying” towns

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Limited Missionary Effort for 200 yrs

In 1664 Baron Von Welz criticized the Lutheran church for lack of missionary interest, gave up his title, sailed to Surinam, SAOfficial refutation of Welz’s view was

1) difficulty of missionary task, 2) difficulty of recruiting, 3) depravity of heathen making conversion nearly impossible,

4) great need at home, 5) it is the responsibility of the few Christians already there

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Reasons for the Great OmissionReasons for the Great Omission

Difficult circumstances of the Protestants Always a minority in Europe, fighting for existence Authorized killing Protestants, like the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572 where 3000 killed resulted Edict of Nantes, 1598, gave rights to Huguenots

Protestants drawn into Religious Wars to survive Protestants argued among themselves theologically each with threats of capital punishment Lutherans and Calvinists joined to persecute the Anabaptists, who wanted radical reform of Protestant church Protestants only reluctantly took advantage of Protestant countries’ colonial expansion – then only as chaplains of their people, often prohibiting the preaching within the colonies

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More Reasons for OmissionMore Reasons for OmissionLack of Para-church Orders (mission agencies)

Nothing compared to the Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians, and JesuitsNot until para-church mission boards formed did Protestant missionary movement begin (1792)

Common Rationalizations for disinterest1. “Charity begins at home” to justify unconcernRebuttal: We can never reach our homeland, so time will never come to send out missionaries!

2. Heathen are too depraved and quote, “The holy things of God are not to be cast before such dogs and swine” (Mat 7:6)—Does not refer to heathen but false teachers!Rebuttal: All men are equally depraved (Rom 3:22-23), nor did they understand the power of the Spirit to convict and convince men of truth 13

Theology of the ReformersTheology of the Reformers Exegetical excuse: Commission only given to Apostles – problem: phrase, “until the end of the age”! Exegetical excuse: Col 1:23 ingressive aorist participle, “the gospel that you have heard, which is beginning to be proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” Political excuse: Held that the Commission was the responsibility of the government

Anabaptists held to a separation of church and stateReformers held to a Landeskirche, a territorial church—any church outside the territorial church is illegal

Theological excuse: it is God’s responsibility to save the heathen, not ours—since regeneration is not necessarily related to preaching or faith, we are not needed to evangelize!Theological excuse: Most believed that the end of the age was soon, so there was no time to evangelize – though it is clear that no one can know the time (Mt 24:36) 14

Final ReasonsLimited concept of Missions

Thought the church was merely to grow within its national boundary —as ripples across a pondThought reaching numerically more people, was equal or better than reaching all peoplesThought a special call from God to be a missionary was necessary to make a commitment—the expressed desire of Christ was not sufficient!

Spiritual Weakness of the ReformationThe Reformation was not a revival in which millions were born againMost were sweep along with the territorial churchReformers did not spell out a clear doctrine of regeneration or the new birth – still depended upon baptism and communion (“sacraments”) and the churchSardis church, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead” Rev. 3:1

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Beginning of Missionary Movement

Pietists of central Europe started movementReacted against barren orthodoxy and formalism of Reformation churchesPhilip Spenser (1635-1705) sought to renew church through small groups, personal conversion experience, Bible study, prayer, godly living, compassion and missionary zealIn 1705 first mission, Danish-Halle Mission, sent out first missionaries, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plutschau, to Danish colonies in East IndiesSecond step was Moravian Church in 1722 Count Zinzendorf gave refuge to Anabaptists. In less than 10 yrs 226 Moravians sent to 10 countries.Puritanism under Jonathan Edwards, a missionary to the Indians, challenged through “Concert of Prayer” for spread of Gospel to world—origin of Wed. night prayer meeting

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Early Missions to S. America

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Launching of Missions

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1792 William Carey’s book “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathen”Carey’s mentor responded, “Young man, sit down. When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without your aid or mine”Carey founded the Baptist Missionary Society; took family and 2 associates to India for 40 yrsCarey called “Father of Missions”Soon all European denominations had a mission

European Explorations

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Three Early British Missionaries1.Robert Morrison, Pioneer to China (1782-1834)After training sailed to China in 1807China was very closed to “foreign devils” plus British Trade Companies opposed them (opium trade)Prohibited to learn Chinese—he witnessed secretly and translated BibleMotivated Parliament to permit missionaries to evangelize

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Three Early British Missionaries

2. Robert Moffat: Pioneer to AfricaEvangelist, translator, educator, diplomat and explorerA Scotch Calvinist saved through new Methodist movementArrived in 1816, Married on the field, started “mission compound”, mediated tribal warfare, failed to evangelize through trade language, translated Bible but British presses refused to print it, first converts in 1829, eventually would win about 200, after 53 years in Africa with 1 furlough returned to promote missions in British Isles

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Three Early British Missionaries

3.David Livingston (1813-1873): Explorer in Africa—Most famous missionarySemi-nomadic ministry of exploration and witness, opening central AfricaHenry Stanley, American newsman, went to find and interview Livingston – found him in 1871—later challenged and surrendered to be a missionary

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American Join World Evangelism

Samuel J. Mills, left a farm, went to college to prepare for ministry in 1806

At Williams College he was challenged by 4 other students: often met for prayer

During a storm they fled to a haystack for protection—Famous “Haystack Prayer Meeting”

Adoniram Judson joined Haystack prayer group at Andover SeminaryTogether they formed the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1810In 1812 Judson and seven colleagues sailed for India as first of thousands of American missionariesEn route Judson and Luther Rice became convinced of believer’s baptism – Luther returned to start mission

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Missionary flow from America

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3 Eras of Mission Activity

First Era: to the coastlands—William Carey (1761-1834)Mobilized by early student movementsTypically nondenominational missionsAstonishing readiness to sacrifice

Second Era: to the inland areas—Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)Mobilized by Student Volunteer MovementMany “Faith” Missions planted churches in every geographical area by 1940.

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3 Eras of Mission Activity

Third Era: to the “unreached people” —Cameron Townsend (1896-1982) and Donald McGavran (1897-1990) Mobilized by Inter-Varsity Fellowship, Campus Crusade & Student Foreign Mission FellowshipTownsend discovered languages groups needing translations, started SIL and Wycliffe Bible Trans.McGavran focused on social groupings and Church Growth Principles“People Group” concept was born: defined as ethno-linguistic groups (cultural traditions and prejudices)Missions is defined as: “From all nations, to all nations.”

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