AUSTRIA'S ROLE IN PROTESTANT WORLD MISSIONS by Wolfgang R. Binder A Thesis Subrnitted to the Faculty of PROVIDENCE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTER OF ARTS 1997 National Library Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaON K1AW OttawaON K1AON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propiété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thése ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. CONTENT LlST OF FIGURES .. .... .. ... ... .. .. ... ....... .. .. ........ ... .. .... vii LlST OF TABLES ............ ........................ .... ....... ...... ... ix LlST OF ABBREVlATlONS .. .. .... .... ... .... .. ... .. ... .... ... .. X Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ... ... .. .. .. .. ... ... .. .. .. .. .. ..... .. .. 1 II. AUSTRIAN PROTESTANT MISSION INVOLVEMENT IN THE PAST .............................. 7 A. Developments on the Home Front ................. 7 "Protestant" Movements in Austria before the Reformation...................... 7 The Reformation and Its Effects in Austria ......................... ... ........ .... 12 The Anabaptist Movements in Austria .. 15 a) The Origins ............................... 15 b) Their Rapid Spread throughout Austria .. 18 B. Missions Involvement ............. .-.............. ... .. 20 1. Mission Theory and Practice in the Sixteenth Century............................. 20 a) The Reformers.. .. .. ... ... .... ... 20 (1) Mission theory .................. 20 (2) Mission practice ................ 29 b) The Anabaptists ... .. .. .. .... .... ... 34 2. Mission Theory and Practice in the Seventeenth Century ... .. ................... 42 iii a) Mission Writings ........................ (1) Adrian Saravia .................. (2) Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz ..................... (3) Hugo Grotius .................... b) Mission Activities ...................... (1) Peter Heyling .................... (2) John Eliot ......................... (3) Other Missionaries to North American Indians ..... (4) The Dutch East India Company ........................ C) Austria's Contribution to Missions in the Seventeenth Century ..... 3. World Missions in the Eighteenth Century ........................................... a) Samuel and Johann August Urlsberger ............................. b) Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf ...................... C) Johann Leonhard Dober .............. d) Christian David .......................... e) David Zeisberger ........................ 4 . The Nineteenth Century ........................ a) Austria's Contribution to the Moravian Mission ................... b) Austria's Contribution to the Basle Mission ........................ c) Other Mission Societies .............. 5 . Austria Since World War I..................... a) Between the Wars ..................... b) After World War II ..................... (1) Developments within the Lutheran Church .............. (2) The free Churches ............ (3) Other Developments .......... AUSTRIAN PROTESTANT MISSION INVOLVEMENT IN THE PRESENT ............................................... A . The Current Church Situation in Austria ........ B. The Extent of the Involvement....................... 1 . The Involvement of Churches ............... a) Sending of Missionaries .............. b) Corporate Praying for Missions .... c) Corporate Giving for Missions ...... 2 . Involvement of Individuals.................... a) Praying for Missions ................... b) Giving to Missions ..................... POSSIBLE REASONS FOR A LIMITED INVOLVEMENT OF AUSTRIAN CHRISTIANS IN PROTESTANT MISSIONS ............................... The Spiritual Condition of the Church .... Lack of Prayer .................................... 100 Lack of Information ............................. 103 The Pastors....................................... 112 a) Theological Reasons ................... 113 b) Practical Reasons....................... 117 c) Missiological Reasons ................. 120 The Theological Training Institutions ..... 122 The Missionary Call ............................. 124 7 . Austrian Mentality ............................ .. 128 a) Fear of Failure ......................... ., 129 b) Provincialisrn ............................. 130 C) Apathy ................................... 131 d) Pessimism ................,............ ... 131 V . CONCLUSIONS ................................................. 134 Appendix 1 . LIST OF MISSIONARIES AFTER WORLD WAR 11 .... 138 2. LIST OF CURRENT MISSIONARIES ...................... 140 3 . QUESTIONNAIRE WlTH RESULTS ....................... 142 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................ 147 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Freauencv of Missions Praver Meetinas IQuestion 421.............................. ..........-=.-=.-=- 88 2. Church Meetings with Praver for Missions JQuestion 431..................................................... 89 Church Sup~ortfor Missionaries [Question 441.. .. .. 92 Certaintv About the Accuracv of Fiaures JQuestion 49) ..................................... .. .. .......-92 Freauencv of Personal Praver for Missions JQuestion 551.. .. .. ,. -. .. .. .. 94 Amount of Personal Su~~ortfor Missions JQuestion 56)............... ............ ... ....... ... ....... 95 Number of Praver Letters Received (Question 50) .. 1 04 Number of Missions Magazines Received IQuestion 59) .............................................. - 105 Number of Missions Books Read Kheçtion 64).. 1 05 Peo~leWithout the Gos~elin Millions JQueçtion 21 ) .. .. 1 O8 Lan~uaaesWithout Scrioture (Question 221 .. ... 1 08 Worldwide Preachina via Radio (Question 102.. .. 1 09 Willingness to Su~portMissionaries (Question 581. 1 1 1 Willinaness of Church to Supoort Missions JQuestion 58) .. .. .. .... .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .... .. 1 1 2 vii viii 1 5 . Sermons on Missions in Last Year (Question 331 .... 1 1 3 16. Church Goal for Missions Kluestion 391 ................ 115 1 7 . Austria First (Question 9) ................................ ... 1 1 8 18. Church Attendance (Question 25)........................ 1 1 9 19. Missionaries Need a Call (Question 3) ................... 125 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Denominations and Number of Missions Prayer Meetinas.. .. 90 Lenath of Beina a Christian and Fre~uencv of Prayer.................... ........-..-.... .. 94 Monthlv Incorne and Freauency of Praver ................ 95 Monthlv Incorne and Monthlv Sugport of Missions ... 96 Missions Maaazines- Received .. 1 06 Missions Books Read ................................. .. 106 Mission Orqanizations Are Not Biblical .................. 1 1 7 Bapt Ba ptists BM Basler Mission (Basle Mission) CAR Central Af rican Republic CF1 Christliche Fachkriifte International ClFl Christliche Initiative für Indien CG Christliche Gemeinden (Christian Church, a type of Brethren Church) DIGUNA Die Gute Nachricht für Afrika (Good News for Africa) DMG Deutsche Missionsgemeinschaft (German Missionary Fellowship) EAWM Evangelischer Arbeitskreis fur Weltmission EFG Evangelisch-Freikirchliche Gemeinden (Protestant Free Churches) EMMS Edinburgh Medical Missions Society EK Evangelische Kirche (Protestant Church, mostly Lutheran) ELMN Evangelisch-Lutherisches Missionswerk in Niedersachsen (Protestant-Lutheran Mission of Niedersachsen) EMS Evangelisches Missionswerk in Südwestdeutschland (Protestant Mission of South-West Gerrnany FEBA FEBA Radio (Far East Broadcasting Associates) FEG Freie Evangelische Gemeinden (Free Evangelical Churches, different from churches with the same name in North Americal HMH Herrnhuter Missionshilfe (Moravian Church) KM Karmel-Mission LM Liebenzeller Mission (Liebenzell Mission) LMO Liebenzeller Mission ~sterreich(Liebenzell Mission Austria) xi MAF Missionary Aviation Fellowship MBMS Mennonite Brethten Missions/Services MF Missionsgerneinschaft der Fackeltrager (Torchbearer Mission Fellows hip) MRM Missionsmannschaft Rotes Meer NM Neukirchener Mission OM Operation Mobilisation PNG Papua New Guinea SEAO South East Asian Outreach SIM SIM International (formerly Sudan lnterior Mission) ÜMG Überseeische Missions-Gemeinschaft (Overseas Missionary Fellowship) VMG Volksmissionsgemeinden (an evangelical denomination without equivalent in North America) weü Wycliff-Bibelübersetzer (Wycliffe Bible Translators) CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION In 1986, according to Patrick Johnstone, a missiologist and rnissionary with WEC International, Austria had only twenty-four Protestant rnissionaries or one for every 17,700 ~rotestants. In 1993 his statistics show thirty-seven Protestant missionaries from Austria working in foreign countries or one for every 10,800 Protestants.2 Even if this is an encouraging increase in the nurnber of missionaries from Austria, it is still true that "too