Change Agents

A study of history from a Godward perspective yields insights - and encouragement - about the process of change. Only a few weeks ago, my studies covered the "barbarian" tribes of England and Northern Europe; now I'm seeing how out of those same areas came the philosophical and theological insights that captured the minds of the Reformers. Somehow, a major leap forward was made in that few hundred years.

Significant changes were made within the context of the Reformation as well. With my Protestant background, I was unfamiliar with the "Counter-Reformation" and even less familiar with the "Catholic Reformation". Basically, the Catholic Reformation was an internal movement that actually started prior to the Protestant Reformation. It was a time of missionary focus and re-evaluation of theologies. The Counter-Reformation was a response to some of the issues raised by the Protestant Reformation and in some ways made the Catholic Church more closed, more "Catholic" and less inclusive. The Catholic Reformation remained an impact, however, through monastic movements that carried the Gospel message while Protestantism was still developing.

These two different movements, combined with the English Reformation and the Protestant Reformation with its Calvinist, Lutheran, and Radical wings, illustrate that the 16th century brought a burst of vitality to Christianity. This revival or renewal movement certainly didn't look the same within all of the groups. And that's one of the principles that we see in studying historical renewal movements: They take different streams and bring about both theological improvements and theological divergencies. Like Jonathan Edwards in Religious Affections, we must be aware that the presence of vitality will result sometimes in excesses, sometimes in imbalance, sometimes in over-reactions that reject the movement. As with the 16th Century Reformations, those groups that maintain a closer affiliation to Scripture will emerge with sounder (not perfect!) theologies and ultimately a longer-lasting vitality.

Each of the Reformations had one or more "change agents" who were catalysts, but the movements touched a deeper level than those individuals' ideas. Change also came gradually; even where radical change occurred within the Protestant Reformation, the fleshing out of that change was a gradual process -- one reason that Protestant Missions didn't really take off for 200 years after the Reformation. This can be encouraging as we work with people groups, ministries, or churches that are striving for change. We may see miniscule advances daily, but a look back at the history (last year, 5 years ago, etc.) will probably yield a better perspective of how that change is progressing. Changing policies is relatively easy; changing hearts and minds takes a while.

We also can see through this that today's decisions will have a long-term effect. The religious and political manueverings in Western Europe after the Reformation had results that reverberated through history. (For example, France's King Henry's political "conversion" to Catholicism and recognition of the Protestant Huguenots saved France as a country at the time - and laid the groundwork for it strengthening to the point that the French Revolution eventually resulted.) What decision today will have such a future impact? And like the pagan Europeans, what changes are in the works for your people group or that you serve?

The Gospel is truly like the yeast that works its way in over time. And there is an enemy who also tries to infiltrate and destroy the process. Societies change over time. Our role as change agents is to pray for God to keep our society nudging in the right direction!