Course: History of Modern Missions

Section One:  Background to Modern Missions

Introductory Lesson 1

Lesson Title: European Expansion and the Spread of Christianity

 

Introduction:  Pre 16th century

 

Decline of Christianity outside of Europe.

·        World Religions

Spread of Islam –  Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople under Muslim control (Ottoman Empire). North Africa under Islam.

China – Buddhism and Confucianism (no remaining Christian witness)

India – Hinduism (almost no Christian witness)

Africa –Voodoo.  Jews in Ethiopia.

 

Europe.

·        Roman Catholic in West and Orthodox in East.   Main difference between them – Roman Catholics held allegiance to pope as head of the Church.

·        Bible believing Christians in minority groups. 

Early Reformers: John Wycliffe in England, John Hus in Prague.

Influence on Evangelism:  Lollards – preachers sent out by Wycliffe. 

Moravian missionaries from Herrnhut  in the 18th century.  The Moravians at Herrnhut were the spiritual descendants of John Hus.)  

 

Spain becomes an Empire

  • King Ferdinand of Aragon  (1452-1516) and Queen Isabella of Castille (1451 – 1504) – marriage (1469) combining Aragon, Castille.
  • Spanish Inquisition began 1478 decreed by Pope Sixtus IV (1414-1484).  Pope from 1471.

January 2, 1492 Last Muslim leader defeated in Granada – led to expulsion of Muslims from Spain.

Not all Muslims left Granada after the final defeat in 1492. 

Between 1609 and 1614, - 300,000 moriscos (muslims) were expelled from Spain.

 

 

Main Points:   

Advance of Roman Catholicism through exploration and reformation.

 

1.  Catholicism spread through exploration. 

European advance through discovery of new worlds.

Catholic explorers - Spanish and Portuguese

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) took Catholicism to the American continent.

 

‘YOUR HIGHNESSES, as Catholic Christians and Princes who love the holy Christian faith, and the propagation of it, and who are enemies to the sect of Mahoma, and to all idolatries and heresies, resolved to send me, Cristobal Colon, to the said parts of India to see the said princes, and the cities and lands, and their disposition, with a view that they might be converted to our most holy faith.’

Journal of the First Voyage, Introduction, 1492

 

October 12, 1492 Columbus reached the New World.

 

The Symbol of the Cross was taken on land as a declaration that the land had been taken for the Catholic faith.

 

 

 

 

 

The tenets of Roman Catholicism

(1)  Salvation through the Sacraments of the Church.

(2)  Sacraments received through the Priesthood.

(3)  Submission to Pope as head of the Church. 

(4)  Merit gained through good deeds.

 

 

 

Portuguese explorer - Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521) brought Catholicism to the Philippines.

 

The Symbol of the Cross - Magellan's ordered the men who sailed with him to put a cross on Cebu when they discovered the Philippines Islands. 

It is claimed that the cross in the chapel in Cebu contains Magellans Cross inside.

Magellan died after being fatally wounded on Macton Island in the Philippines.

Through his discovery the Philippines became a Spanish colony and firmly established as a Catholic nation.

 

 

 

2.  Catholicism spread through the 16th century Catholic Reformation.

The forming of the Jesuit order (Ignatius Loyola). 

Jesuit missionaries sworn allegiance to the pope. 

Francis Xavier – Missionary to the Far East. 

 

Ignatius Loyola (1491 – 1556)

  • Compiled the Spiritual Exercises between 1522-1524.

 

                                                                                                                                            .           

The Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius consists of meditations; prayers; and spiritual exercises to be carried out over 28-30 days under supervision.

 

The exercises are divided into four parts:

 

First, the consideration and contemplation on the sins;

 

Second, the life of Christ our Lord up to Palm Sunday inclusively;

 

Third, the Passion of Christ our Lord;

 

Fourth, the Resurrection and Ascension, with the three Methods of Prayer.

 

  • Founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits)

 

 

The Jesuit order began in Montmartre near Paris on August 15, 1534 when Ignatius Loyola; and six others including Francis Xavier made an oath of allegiance to the Pope.

The order they established, known as 'the Society of Jesus' gained the papal approval through a papal bull issued by Pope Paul III in 1540.

The Order has a militarist perspective.

Ignatius Loyola became the first General of the order.

 

'The Formula of the Institute' is regarded as the foundational statement of the Jesuits

 

 

'Whoever desires to serve as a soldier of God beneath the banner of the cross in our society, which we desire to be designated by the name of Jesus, and to serve the Lord alone and the Church, his spouse, under the Roman pontiff, the vicar of Christ on earth, should, after a solemn vow of perpetual chastity, poverty and obedience, keep what follows in mind. He is a member of a Society founded chiefly for this purpose:

'to strive especially for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine, by means of public preaching, lectures, and any other ministration whatsoever of the word of God and further by means of the Spiritual Exercises, the education of children and unlettered persons in Christianity and the spiritual consolation of Christ's faithful through hearing confessions and administering the other sacraments.

'Moreover, he should show himself ready to reconcile the estranged, compassionately assist and serve those who are in prisons or hospitals and, indeed, to perform any other works of charity, according to what will seem expedient for the glory of God and the common good.'

 

 

 

Francis Xavier (1506-1552) and the Society of Jesus.

 

First Jesuit missionary.

Xavier is called by Roman Catholic Church - The Apostle to the Far East

 

Spread Catholicism in India, and the Far East by establishing missions, helping people in need, teaching - The Apostle's Creed, The Lord's Prayer, and The Sacraments of the Church.  

 

 

 

3.   Advance of Protestantism from 16th century.

·        Protestantism gains foothold in Europe following Reformation. Protestantism spreads to the American colonies.

Lutheran Reformation (sola fide, sola scriptura) – Germany, Scandinavia.

Geneva Reformation (Calvin) – Holland, Scotland, Puritan non-conformists.

English Reformation (via media)

Anabaptists, Baptists - (believers baptism)

Puritan separatists go to American colonies (Mayflower 1620) – spread of Protestant Christianity in America. 

 

·        European advance through trade: Biblical Christianity spread across the world with the expansion of trade.

Advance of the British East India Company (2nd half of the 18th century) – Chaplain sends out call for missions. Main concerns – morality and providential role of advancing Western civilisation. 

The British Empire regarded as a God given responsibility. 

Number of Protestant missionaries still remained relatively small.

1800 – there were c. 200 foreign missionaries.

1900 – there were c. 15000 foreign missionaries.

 

·        Postmillenialism.  Missionaries in the 19th century who held this eschatological belief saw the advance of commerce as the means for improving social conditions and bringing in the Kingdom of God on earth.  In this respect it was possible to believe that God had raised up the British Empire for the purpose of fulfilling His purpose on earth. 

 

This direct link between Western Imperialism and the advance of the gospel made Christianity appear to be a Western religion.  An Indian (for example) who became a Christian was regarded as a traitor.   This has had a detrimental effect upon the preaching of the gospel. 

For instance:

(1)    Western oppression in India;

(2)    The Opium wars in China (missionaries regarded as ‘foreign devils’) and

(3)    The slave trade in Africa.

 

Missionaries like David Livingstone were inspired by the belief that Africa could be lifted by the development of trade links and by the preaching of the gospel. 

In this respect he associated the preaching of the gospel with commerce.

 

The Development of Western Imperialism in India.

East India Company

1600 Queen Elizabeth I granted the company a Royal Charter

1608 Surat made trade transit point

1610 Factory built by Coromandel Coast In Bay of Bengal.

1612 Factory built Surat

1615 Established patronage with Mughal Emperor

1647 Twenty-three factories built in India.

Main trade – cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeper and tea.

1689 Seeds of Imperialism well and truly sown. The company independently administered Bengal, Madras, and Bombay.

 

1711 Established trading post in Canton, China

Trading tea for silver  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Migration of Puritans to America

1608 - Migration of Puritan separatists from Scrooby, England to the Netherlands.

1620 – Scrooby separatists return to England. Sail on Mayflower with other puritans from England.  Mayflower left Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620

 

Establishment of Puritanism in America

1620 – Bible centred Christianity brought to the New World by the Puritan separatists.

•          Faith built upon: Preaching; Bible; Prayer; Emphasis on holiness.

•          Emphasised education – established Harvard and Yale.

•          Extremism: Intolerance towards non Puritans

•          First crops harvested November 1621 ‘first thanksgiving’.

 

1689 (Glorious Revolution)  The Puritan charter was revoked.  Toleration of Quakers and Anglicans.

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:

1)     The naval explorers spread Roman Catholicism through the advance of the Spanish and Portuguese empires.  The Jesuits endeavoured to promote Catholicism throughout the world.

2)     Protestantism gained a stronghold in Europe in the 16th century. The Puritans took Protestantism to the colonies in the 17th century and the Moravians took the gospel to many parts of the world.

3)     The association of evangelisation with commerce had a detrimental effect upon the preaching of the gospel.  The gospel was associated with western oppression and imperialism.

 

 

 

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