Featured Are Saints Called to Preach/Share the Gospel?

I am not a Calvinist, but I also have to object to this stereotype. It is both wrong and unchristian. I think it is based on a misconception of Calvinism to reflect the hyper-Calvinism of the anti-missions movement. Historically, those opposed most to this movement were Calvinistic Baptists (for an example, read of R.B.C. Howell – the second president of the SBC – and his fight against anti-missions.).

Think of people like John Eliot, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, William Tennent, William Carey….and again…William Carey….Francis Shaeffer, to name a few. These all held those Calvinistic doctrines that some are saying results in anti-missions.

Lesser known but just as valid: Dan and Chuy Hall (Mexico), Trevor Johnson (Indonesia), David Sitton (New Guinea), Paul Brock (Germany), Kevin and Edineia Millard (Brazil), Csaba Liedenfrost (Ivory Coast), Pawel Bartosik (Poland)….just to name a few. There are church plants like Rivne Biblical Church in Ukraine, and CREC Poland. There’s the Slavic Reformation Society’s work in Russia.

I’m SBC, and regardless of how we view the man and his policies, it would be foolish to call David Platt “anti-missions” (perhaps he's not a Calvinist, but his views would certainly put him in the same boat as “anti-missions”). Think of John Stott and John Piper and Bill Metzger. My goodness…..think of Tim Keller and the work he’s done to that church in New York. And there’s Paul Washer (his missions to Peru, and Heart's cry Missionary Society).

I think that some Calvinists rely too heavily on theory and have missed the boat on some issues (and this error of relying on theory is in no way limited to that camp, nor does it extend to all Calvinists), but missions certainly is not one of them.

 

My apologies. "Unchristian" was overstatement. I do not know the motive behind the error.

Exactly what time period are you speaking of when Calvinists typically shunned evangelism or missions?

 

Yes...we have to be careful about "common knowledge" as it is often wrong. I have also spoken at times from "tradition" or presupposition. But a mere glance at those few I listed should dispel that myth.

 

Yes, often it is not. In this case, however, it is. And that's the topic.

I've provided a noninclusive list of Calvinists who were very much mission oriented (William Carey is, BTW, known as the "father of modern missions"). I am Southern Baptist, and looking back at the focus of missions by Johnson, Howell, and Fuller (the first 3 presidents of the SBC) it is easy to see your mistake (not the reason for it, but that it is one).

You have ignored the majority of Calvinists who opposed anti-missions Calvinism. That hyper-Calvinism was present in some Calvinistic circles (especially Primitive Baptists influenced by Daniel Parker....and if I remember correctly, Texas has the last remaining "two seed" churches....but it may be North Carolina....I am not certain). But these were a minority and the anti-missions movement was strongly opposed by Calvinists and non-Calvinists alike. Looking back, it seems that they were actually challenged more often than not by Calvinists.

Let’s look at a few non-recent Calvinists who have influenced missions.

John Eliot was a missionary sent to the American Indians in the 17th century. He is thought to be the first missionary among this people group.

David Brainerd was a missionary to the American Indians and it has been said that he sent more people into the mission field than any person in the history of the church due to his diary (An Account of the Life of the late Reverend David Brainerd).

Of course there is George Whitfield and the First Great Awakening.

William Carey translated the Bible into Bengali, Oriya, Assamese, Arabic, Hindi, and Sanskrit.

William Tennent founded the Log College (Princeton University) to train pastors.

Robert Moffat was the first missionary to reach the interior of Africa with the Gospel. He translated the Bible into Setswana.

Robert Morrison was the first Protestant missionary to China, and translated the Bible into Chinese.

Henry Martyn was a missionary to India and Persia.

Again, is there a specific time frame you we should look at to prove your point?

 

Yes. Do you know the story of R.B.C. Howell and the fight he went through with Calvinists who were anti missions?

You keep on stereotyping the whole based on a part. It was not a "prevailing attitude", it was a dangerous and short lived attitude, but Howell and Carey were also Calvinists.

 

There was a reason I put that comment in the post, brother. It was not an accusation but a disagreement on several issues within Calvinistic and Reformed churches. I will point out here that I have witnessed you do the same regarding non-Calvinistic theologies and we could both support our disagreements with the other’s view.


I made the comment so that Rev would also know that I am not just blindly defending my own theology (as sometimes happens on this board). I’ve stated before that Reformed Baptist appears much too often to be RCC doctrine twice removed. But you do make a good observation that we need to define “Calvinism” before continuing this discussion on a new thread. That may be a good start when you begin the discussion.

 

Sorry brother, but the anti-missions movement (while experiencing a surge against the growing Methodist theology) was an overstatement of Calvinism and was never a majority view. You are looking at a small segment of history and applying to to the whole.