Lecture 8: Reformation

•    The more freedom people have to discover and use their gifts of ministry, the more effective they will be in outreach and service
•    5 characteristics of renewal:  new understanding of gospel, more adequate and indigenous church structures, liturgy and scriptures in venacular, laity greater role in governance of the church, new useof arts, drama, singing
•    Luther (1483)- 95 theses in 1517
o    His settlement: the Prince decided what the church would be in a given era
o    Mission and Expansion: medieval model of mission- win the area’s leader and establish a territorial church (this worked for most of Western Europe- Scandanavia, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland)
•    Calvin and Geneva (1536 wrote Institutes)
o    Context: Geneva threw off political and religious domination, outsted Roman church, Geneva became impt center of indpendence from state- established school
o    Mission- trained 161 missionaries went to France, Holland, Poland, and Hungary
•    Genius of Protestantism: greater freedom for creativity of Holy Spirit and human personality guided by Holy Spirit
o    Strengths: new possibilities in ministry, economic, and social life; met needs of search for new faith communities in changing society; ordinary people leaders vs. hierachical structures; diversity of expression; less centralized
o    Weaknesses:  excessive individualism, lack of appreciation of history of church; can become very sectarian and intolerant; can be very culture-bound; protestants can stress too much discontinuity or run risk of too much syncretism with nationalism
•    Protestantism and mission
o    Theological rediscoveries helped lay foundation for Prot. Missionary movement
o    Lutheran followed Christendom pattern- win the leader
o    Luther’s ideas spread rapidly
o    Calvinism- two direction- people movements and established churches amidst persecution
o    Ecclesiology stayed in Christendom model, limited mission growth
o    Eliminated monasteries- primary means of mission
o    Change in theology not ecclesiology
•    Faith became belief in “correct doctrine”
•    Some Lutherans said Great Commission had been fulfilled