HuguenotHelpMeet
Puritan Board Freshman
It is often said that missionary efforts by Western Christian churches did not really begin until the 19th century.
The article below explores the history of missions during the Reformation. It should be remembered that missions sometimes involved expeditions to new lands never before explored.
http://spindleworks.com/library/deddens/mission_ref.htm
One such example was the French Huguenot colony known as La France Anarticque which led to the founding of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1555. Calvin sent ministers from Geneva to preach the gospel to this first Protestant colony in the New World two years later and evangelize the native Indians. The colony ended in disaster when the leader reverted back to Romanism and put to death three men who became the first Protestant martyrs in the New World. Before they died they prepared the Martyr's Confession (February 1558), which is the first confession of faith written in the New World.
Calvin sent missionaries indeed throughout all of the Western World at great peril to their lives. They fanned out from Geneva to all sorts of places. John Knox may be said to be the most well-known of Calvin's 'missionaries' in that he left Geneva and returned to his homeland to become the 'father of Presbyterianism' in Scotland.
http://www.theology21.org/theology/calvin.htm
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/John_Calvin.htm
John Eliot (1604 - 1690) was known as the "Apostle to the Indians."
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/164.html
P.S. This was posted by Andrew (aka 'VirginiaHuguenot').
[Edited on 1-16-2005 by HuguenotHelpMeet]
The article below explores the history of missions during the Reformation. It should be remembered that missions sometimes involved expeditions to new lands never before explored.
http://spindleworks.com/library/deddens/mission_ref.htm
One such example was the French Huguenot colony known as La France Anarticque which led to the founding of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1555. Calvin sent ministers from Geneva to preach the gospel to this first Protestant colony in the New World two years later and evangelize the native Indians. The colony ended in disaster when the leader reverted back to Romanism and put to death three men who became the first Protestant martyrs in the New World. Before they died they prepared the Martyr's Confession (February 1558), which is the first confession of faith written in the New World.
Calvin sent missionaries indeed throughout all of the Western World at great peril to their lives. They fanned out from Geneva to all sorts of places. John Knox may be said to be the most well-known of Calvin's 'missionaries' in that he left Geneva and returned to his homeland to become the 'father of Presbyterianism' in Scotland.
http://www.theology21.org/theology/calvin.htm
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/John_Calvin.htm
John Eliot (1604 - 1690) was known as the "Apostle to the Indians."
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/164.html
P.S. This was posted by Andrew (aka 'VirginiaHuguenot').
[Edited on 1-16-2005 by HuguenotHelpMeet]