Zinzendorf and Moravian Missionary Principles (3/4)

Zinzendorf and Moravian Missionary Principles (3/4)

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Section 3: Moravian Thought, Continued The Moravians introduced the idea of a whole church on mission.   It was not up to missionary societies to reach the lost, but churches themselves need to raise up missionaries to go, devoting themselves to prayer.[1]  Most Moravian missionaries were not highly educated, but were lay people from the church.  They used their skills to support themselves as missionaries, following the tent making strategy of Paul.  Zinzendorf believed that those involved in commerce and trade,…

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Zinzendorf and Moravian Missionary Principles (2/4)

Zinzendorf and Moravian Missionary Principles (2/4)

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Section 2: Moravian Thought The central though of Zinzendorf and the Moravians was Christ and His suffering.  Zinzendorf stressed that instead of giving elaborate proofs for God’s existence, the missionary should cut to the chase and simply tell the story of Jesus.[1]  Christ is the only way to personally experience the love of God in an intimate relationship; therefore it is of utmost importance to make Him known.  Zinzendorf emphasized the blood and wounds of Christ since this is how…

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Zinzendorf and Moravian Missionary Principles (1/4)

Zinzendorf and Moravian Missionary Principles (1/4)

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Section 1: Life of Zinzendorf One of the most important missionary movements to develop in the history of Christianity was that of the Moravians led by Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf.  Zinzendorf was a German aristocrat born in 1700.  His life was extremely influenced by Pietist Lutheran leaders and their principles from the onset of his life.  Pietism was an interdenominational movement occurring after the Reformation that sought to revitalize the churches that had grown stagnant, emphasizing a personal conversion,…

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Evangelism vs. Social Action: A Brief History (4/4)

Evangelism vs. Social Action: A Brief History (4/4)

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Section 4: Contemporary Views [In these series of posts, doctoral candidate, Jay Flinn, underscores the the history of the evangelical holistic mission debate.] In the ensuing decades, much has been written on the topic of holistic mission. Most of what has been written can be summarized into three primary positions related to the relationship of evangelism and social action in mission. One position retains the emphasis on evangelism and church planting with little regard to social action. A second position…

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evangelism vs. social action: a brief history (3/4)

evangelism vs. social action: a brief history (3/4)

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Section 3: Evolution of the Evangelical Position [In these series of posts, doctoral candidate, Jay Flinn, underscores the the history of the evangelical holistic mission debate.] In the aftermath of two world wars, and as technology began to bring the needs of the world into living rooms, Christians could no longer claim ignorance to the issues of the world. Evangelicals began questioning evangelism only mission and began to reach back into the Scriptures for biblical support for social action and…

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