Dave Hamster Flickr Barcelona replica of 16th C sailing ship
I’m dipping into History of the Church Missionary Society (Eugene Stock 1899 – there is an online version here & a reprint here). It is one of those wonderful brag books – 4 volumes, fold out maps. Moore College Library were disposing of unwanted books to students so I gladly took it.
The third chapter opens by asking the question why immediately following the 16th century Protestant Reformation Reformed churches were so slack at world mission while the catholic church was so vigorous? I am ashamed to say the question had not occurred to me before I read it here. The answer given is that the exploring nations of the day – Spain & Portugal – were Catholic. Protestant nations simply did not have the means and desire to sail the world.
I’m still weighing this argument. Its a very euro-centric view of mission. But he is onto something isn’t he?
Technology helped the Protestant Reformation – the printing press is the oft cited example. Reformers tracts and copies of the bible made their way into European hands quickly and cheaply. Today, many say the internet is the equivalent of the Gutenburg Press. We’ve got to be online & at the forefront of social media if we are to take advantage of this medium for the growth of the Kingdom of God.
I wonder though if the 16th sailing technology is the more pertinent story for us. Where Reformers were unable to access the technology their message did not go. While there would be isolated individuals playing a part in world mission, it took a century and a half until protestant missions started to follow in the wake of colonial enterprise.
The lesson for us? Don’t get left behind when technology gives you the means to contact people in new ways. I think social media has untapped potential for churches. I think we need people investing time and resources into this important new technology.
October 1, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Thanks Michael. I mostly agree with you, although I think English sea power was important for maintaining the church amongst the North American colonies (the US).
October 1, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I thought it was because the Protestants spent a fair time fighting each other in the 100 years or so after the reformation. Energy was spent ironing out doctrine rather than on mission, and England was in civil war, so was turned inward rather than outward.
October 1, 2009 at 11:14 pm
The protestants *were* missioning – but they were missioning to Catholics primarily.
October 2, 2009 at 9:45 am
Matthew – it is fascinating reading this history because it is written with by someone tapping into collective memory of events rather than historian digging back – recommend it higghly
October 2, 2009 at 9:49 am
Martin & Craig – he also speaks about the way the true church needed to ‘recover from being strangled’ by catholics (his words) before it can go out to the world.
But the big reason he gives, which at face value looks persuaive is the ability to access shipping. Yes, civil war would have been big. But its not like other Northern European Protestant states were heading out either