In the 1500's, the walls of
the city of Geneva were in disrepair, the people were poor, and the condition
of the church was deplorable. Proof? Priests operated houses of prostitution.
The people ran the bishop of Geneva out of town in
1530. William Farel, a French evangelist, came in 1531. Preaching in the
marketplace, he cried out, "We must reform the church in order to reform the
nation!"
Farel sought out John
Calvin, imploring him to come to Geneva to apply the theology he had written
about in Institutes of Religion: "May God curse you and your studies if you do not join me here in the work He has called you to!"
Thomas Bloomer notes that Calvin came to rebuild Geneva on three principles:
1. Preaching the Gospel: "...so that people would be saved and
start to be transformed and the church would be restored to biblical purity."
2. Teaching: "...so that people would know how to
live, the authorities would know how to govern, and all would know how to work
in their different spheres."
3. Accountability: "...so that the teaching would not just
be theoretical but applied in all areas of life."
Geneva, once called “the smelliest city of Europe,”
became a model city for applied Christianity, from the way banks operated,
to how shoes were made, and children were brought up.
Geneva became known as, “the
city on a hill,” referring to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14-16: “You are the
light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light
a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in
the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
John Knox came to study what
Calvin was doing, and took what he learned to Scotland. England was influenced
by Geneva, and brought this influence to North America, where John Winthrop
used the phrase “a city on a hill” to describe his vision for the Massachusetts
Bay colony to become a shining light for the world.
We recommend Bloomer's essay, Calvin and Geneva: Nation-Building Missions, here.
Geneva’s
revitalization through the 3 principles mentioned above is to be remembered
today—and taught in our history classes.
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