To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Missional Vision and Legacy
Overview
Calvinist missionaries. If you think that sounds like an oxymoron, you’re not alone. Yet a close look at John Calvin’s life, writings, and successors reveals a passion for the spread of the gospel and the salvation of sinners.
From training pastors at his Genevan Academy to sending missionaries to the jungles of Brazil, Calvin consistently sought to encourage and equip Christians to take the good news of salvation to the very ends of the earth. In this carefully researched book, Michael Haykin and Jeffrey Robinson clear away longstanding stereotypes related to the Reformed tradition and Calvin’s theological heirs, highlighting the Reformer’s neglected missional vision and legacy.
Key Features
- Provides a detailed history of Calvinistic missionary efforts
- Emphasizes the missional roots of Calvin's theology
- Charts the history of missions work from Calvin through Samuel Pearce
Contents
- “For God So Loved the World”: John Calvin’s Missional Exegesis
- “A Sacrifice Well Pleasing to God”: The Dynamics of John Calvin’s Theology of Mission
- “How Very Important This Corner Is”: The Calvinistic Missions to France and Brazil
- “To Convert the World”: The Puritans and Being Missional in the Seventeenth Century
- “Advancing the Kingdom of Christ”: Missional Praying—the Example of Jonathan Edwards
- “An Instrument of Establishing the Empire of My Dear Lord”: Developing a Missional Passion—the Way of Samuel Pearce
Top Highlights
“Calvin’s anonymous resting place is likely best for all parties concerned. It is quite conceivable that knowledge of his burial location would only incite some of his opponents to make pilgrimage there so as to spit upon it.” (Page 16)
“Calvin saw no reason whatsoever to withhold the offer of God’s redeeming love in Christ from any person.” (Page 32)
“A mission in which Calvin was involved that was not a success was the mission to Brazil.” (Page 71)
“God loves the world he has created in spite of its sin, rebellion, and rejection of him” (Page 35)
“But if God knows everything, why pray? The answer is that much as preaching serves as God’s chosen means to enlighten, convict, and draw the unconverted, Calvin viewed prayer as another means by which God applies grace in the redemption of those outside his salvific grace. Prayer does not so much change God, but it is a factor that God has ordained to be a part of the salvation of his elect people.” (Page 57)
Praise for the Print Edition
This book traces the story of evangelical Calvinism through several important episodes in the history of Reformed Protestantism. Long before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth, Christians, informed by Calvin’s missional theology, were planting churches and preaching the gospel in the country we now know as Brazil. This story has long been forgotten, suppressed, and even distorted by those who should have known better. I welcome this well-researched book, which sets the record straight.
—Timothy George, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University; General Editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture
Does a belief in sovereign grace stymie missions and evangelism? If that belief is rightly understood and rightly applied, the answer is an emphatic no. Haykin and Robinson skillfully present John Calvin’s evangelistic zeal and channel it toward a new generation of Great Commission minded pastors, teachers, and evangelists. I’m grateful for these men and this book, and pray that God will use it for the greater advance of the gospel and a greater harvest of souls.
—Jason K. Allen, president, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and College
This book sets the record straight once and for all—John Calvin was a man consumed with the global proclamation of the gospel, the salvation of souls, and the discipleship of all nations. With historical integrity and pastoral insight, Haykin and Robinson demonstrate the beautiful harmony that exists between Calvinistic theology and a robust biblical missiology. Here is a call for the church to share in that same passionate pursuit.
—Burk Parsons, Copastor, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, Sanford, Florida; Editor, Tabletalk magazine
Product Details
- Title: To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Missional Vision and Legacy
- Authors: Michael A. G. Haykin and C. Jeffrey Robinson Sr.
- Publisher: Crossway
- Publication Date: 2014
- Pages: 144
- Christian Group: Reformed
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Topic: Church History
About the Authors
Michael A. G. Haykin (ThD, University of Toronto) is professor of church history and biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He has authored or edited more than twenty-five books, including Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church.
C. Jeffrey Robinson Sr. (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is a senior editor for the Gospel Coalition and serves as the lead pastor for Christ Community Church of Louisville. He also serves as adjunct professor of church history at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the coauthor of To the Ends of the Earth: Calvin's Mission, Vision, and Legacy.