Calvin and Missions - World Evangelical Alliance

John Calvin and Missions: A Historical Study
(2002)
SCOTT J. SIMMONS
183
Scott J. Simmons is graduated from James Madison University in 1991 with a
degree in Geology, worked as a geologist and became involved in the mission
program of a local church. He then went to Reformed Theological Seminary
in Orlando, and graduated in 1997. For the next four years, Scott became a
high school teacher at Chapelgate Christian Academy, where he taught Bible,
consumer math, and New Testament Greek. Scott also worked in the Chapelgate
mission department until he was called as an Assistant Pastor in 2001.
He eventually became the Pastor of Missions and Spiritual Formation there.
Published in the web under http://www.aplacefortruth.org/calvin.missions1.htm, “A Place for
Truth Studies – Reformed and Post-Reformation Creeds and Councils”, in 2002 and edited
for this volume by the author in 2003.
Introduction
There is a long-standing tradition that claims that Calvin and the early
Protestant movement took no interest in missions. Gustav Warneck wrote
early in this century, “We miss in the Reformers not only missionary action,
but even the idea of missions … [in part] because fundamental theological
views hindered them from giving their activity, and even their
thoughts, a missionary direction.” 313 Warneck went on to state that Calvin
claimed that the Church had no duty to send out missionaries. 314 This misunderstanding
has continued even into the present day. Ralph D. Winter,
for instance, writes that the Reformers “did not even talk of mission outreach.”
315 He claims that the Protestant missionary movement can be divided
into three eras: the first beginning in 1792 with William Carey, the
313 Gustav Warneck, History of Protestant Missions, trans. G. Robinson (Edinburgh:
Oliphant Anderson & Ferrier, 1906), 9, cited in Fred H. Klooster, “Missions – The
Heidelberg Catechism and Calvin,” Calvin Theological Journal 7 (Nov. 1972):
182.
314 Ibid., 19.
315 Ralph D. Winter, “The Kingdom Strikes Back,” in Perspectives on the World
Christian Movement (Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1992), B–18.