Friday, January 22, 2021

A Model City For Applied Christianity

Is there a lesson here?

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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