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Tribute to Glenn M. Penner (1962-2010)

The International Institute for Religious Freedom (IIRF) of the World Evangelical Alliance pays tribute to the member of its Academic Board, Rev. Glenn M. Penner, MA, who succumbed to leukemia at the age of 48 on 25 January 2010. In his advisory function he focused on the theology of persecution and curriculum development.

Glenn has authored In the Shadow of the Cross: A Biblical Theology of Persecution and Discipleship (Bartlesville: Living Sacrifice Books, 2004), which has been translated into several languages, among others Chinese and Korean and will shortly be published in German by the IIRF.

He has also contributed a series on the biblical theology of persecution and discipleship to the International Journal for Religious Freedom since 2008, which he could unfortunately not maintain beyond two installments.
As the Chief Executive Officer of Voice of the Martyrs in Canada, Glenn was the first to provide sponsorship for the major research project of the IIRF on theologies of suffering, persecution and martyrdom and followed the progress with great interest.

He also submitted a paper to the Bad Urach Consultation organized by the IIRF on the same topic in September 2009, but was kept from attending.
Glenn pioneered the teaching of a biblical theology of persecution as a regular course in theological education as a visiting Professor of Oklahoma Wesleyan University 2003-2006 and developed a curriculum for it. He has taught on this topic to Christian leaders in religiously restricted and hostile nations in South America, Africa and Asia as well as in seminaries and colleges in Europe and North America.

We remember Glenn Penner and his valuable and lasting contributions for the sake of the persecuted and to related academic research with deep gratitude.
As Christians, we believe that Glenn has now been promoted to glory and gone ahead of us to be part of the ‘cloud of witnesses and martyrs’ who are watching on as we complete our race.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely; and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Glenn wrote in this context:

“The testimony and example of those who have successfully faced
and overcome persecution should provide inspiration
and hope to those who are wavering,
as it reminds them of the constancy of God.”
(Glenn Penner, In the Shadow of the Cross, p. 232)

Prof. Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher and Dr. Christof Sauer
as directors of the International Institute for Religious Freedom
on behalf of its boards and staff

John Calvin as a Forerunner of World Missions

A collection of essays published under edition afem upon the anniversary of Calvin’s Birth

(Bonn, 23.12.2009) Calvin not only had the global proclamation of the message of God’s grace in view. He also sent the first missionaries to Brazil. It is not by accident that churches in countries influenced by the Reformed faith such as The Netherlands, Scotland, England or, more recently, South Korea have played a leading role in world missions. That is at any rate the essence of a collection of 16 research articles drawn from the last 125 years of work conducted on Calvin’s view of missions.

The volume, which in large part contains articles written in English, appears in the ‘mission classics’ series published under the edition afem by the task force for Evangelical missiology. It appears as a co-production of the VTR Publications (Nuremberg) and the VKW Culture and Science Publ. (Bonn). With the release of this volume at the end of the year commemorating Calvin’s birth, Martin Bucer Seminary and afem present a reminder that John Calvin was also a guide for and planner of Evangelical missions.

A similar collection of essays addressing the relationship between world missions and Martin Bucer already appeared in German in 2006 under edition afem with the title Martin Bucer als Vorreiter der evangelischen Mission (Martin Bucer as a Forerunner of Protestant Missions).

Bibliographical Details:

Thomas Schirrmacher (ed.). Calvin and World Mission: Essays. 2009. 204 pp. Pb. 18,00 €. ISBN 978-3-938116-84-5 (VKW), ISBN 978-3-941750-20-3 (VTR)

Thomas Schirrmacher (ed.). Martin Bucer als Vorreiter der evangelischen Mission. 2006. 110 pp. Pb. 9,80 € (D), 10,10 € (A), 18,50 SFr. ISBN 978-3-938116-22-7 (VKW), ISBN 978-3-937965-57-4 (VTR)

Downloads:

Calvin and World Mission Cover as a jpg file
Impressum, Table of Contents and Introduction as a pdf file
Martin Bucer as Vorreiter der evangelischen Mission Cover as a jpg file


Placing Orders:

• The book can be ordered in Germany from local bookstores or online at www.genialebuecher.de or www.amazon.de.
• Overseas delivery is available from Amazon:
  USA: www.amazon.com
  Great Britain: www.amazon.co.uk
  France: www.amazon.fr
  Japan: www.amazon.co.jp
  Canada: www.amazon.ca

Released for free complete or partial reproduction

Downloads of graphics and of communication
http://www.bucer.org/bq.html

Martin Bucers Handbook on Pastoral Theology

My friend Dr. George Ella, who teaches History of Reformation at our school (see here), has written a marvellous and emphatic review of a new translation of the first Protestant pastoral theology by Martin Bucer (1491-1551). Our Martin Bucer Seminary and research Institutes is not only named after Bucer, but sees itself in his footsteps in the general theologigal approach as well as in his pastoral theology, as proven by our yearbook of 2003 “Die Wiederentdeckung des Glaubens in der Seelsorge: Von der Weisheit der Väter lernen, edited by Ron Kubsch (‘The Rediscovery of Faith in Counseling: Learning from the Wisdom of the Fathers’) and of 2001 “Anwalt der Liebe – Martin Bucer als Theologe und Seelsorger”, edited by myself (‘Advocate of Love: Martin Bucer as Theologian and counselor’) – the latterwill be published in English soon.


Martin Bucer. Concerning the True Care of Souls. Translated by Peter Beale. 218 pp. Banner of Truth: Edinburgh (www.banneroftruth.org) £14 / $24. By Dr. George Ella (www.evangelica.de).

Reformed interest in recent decades has mainly concentrated on the teaching of John Calvin (1509-1564) and Theodore Beza (1519-1605). Their mentors, Martin Bucer (1491-1551) of Strasbourg and Henry Bullinger of Zürich (1504-1575), though pioneer Reformers, are almost forgotten and their doctrines neglected. This neglect has often led to a severe misunderstanding concerning the origin and development of the Reformed faith. Bucer and Bullinger were seen traditionally as the fathers of what is now called doctrinal Calvinism and the theological foster-fathers of Calvin and Beza. The Genevans never attained to the scope and depth of their mentors’ more irenic and thorough-going Reformed teaching. Bucer and Bullinger refused to sign the Melanchthonian Augsburg Confession which Calvin and Beza accepted as Scriptural in all points. Calvin did sign the Reformed Consensus Tigurinus in 1549, after ten years of opposition to Reformed teaching, but rejected it at once under pressure from Beza who proposed a more Lutheran formula. Beza’s ambiguity regarding the Lord’s Supper left Cardinal Lorraine thinking that Rome and Geneva agreed. Calvin and Beza’s understanding of the Word of God and the Canon likened those of Luther and Zwingli and lacked the fullness and clarity of Bucer’s and Bullinger’s doctrine.

It was thus with great expectations that I opened my courtesy copy of Bucer’s ‘Von der wahren Seelsorge’, translated under the new English title ‘Concerning the True Care of Souls’. I pitched into the book at once. The late David Wright gives an excellent Historical Introduction to the background of Bucer’s 1538 work, showing how Bucer was awakened in the birth-years of the Reformation  and quickly took a leading part. When Calvin entered the field over a decade later he soon became a Buceran, moulding his thoughts, works, evangelical practice and teaching on Bucer’s writings. Wright mentions the difficulties involved in understanding Bucer’s quaint language and style but it was no different in 1538. When speaking at a Zürich conference that year, Bucer’s fellow-members complained that he was incomprehensible. Being familiar with Bucer’s original, I must praise Beale for doing a terrific work of translation. Bucer’s Early New High German in its insular Strasbourg form is no easy code to break. Readers may download a full copy of Bucer’s original work at hardenberg.jalb.de free of charge.

Bucer’s work starts with a definition of the Church showing that her rule must be by the Church and for the Church. He declared, ‘We have separated from the Antichrist, not from anyone in authority over the Church,’ finding his guidelines in the epistles to Timothy and Titus. He thus maintained that any secular rule is unscriptural. The Strasburg Council eventually reacted to this by forcing Bucer into exile. In a Biblical form of church government, ministers must abide by the Word under Christ or be declared hirelings. Bucer sought for ministers who preached repentance and faith, essentials neglected by the papists. The author then deals with the fellowship and duties of Christians to one another and to the community at large, emphasising Christ’s sole rule in His Church. Anyone who emphasises his own governing authority in the Church, Bucer claims, merely scatters the sheep. All pastors, teachers and carers of the poor must be appointed and commissioned by the congregation. The term elders, for Bucer, incorporates a wide variety of offices within the pastoral ministry. Some elders are to be chosen as bishops who elect further elders to their various appointments. He calls ministers  to the poor, ‘deacons, archdeacons and subdeacons’, each with special tasks. There was no welfare state in those days. Bucer gives Bible sources and adds lengthy comments to back up what he is saying, stressing the pastoral care expected of each office-bearer. His words on the care of wives for their husbands is a lovely mixture of Bible truths supported by common sense. English Reformer John Jewel recommended a plurality of bishops and elders in the local church but Bucer goes even further, imagining churches composed almost entirely of Christians actively engaged in the ministry. Though Bucer objects to secular rulers managing the church, he nevertheless had to require the presence of civic rulers at church elections. The Emperor liked to keep his eye on what was going on.

Bucer now goes on to outline what the principle work of pastoral care entails for the Church as a whole and for each member in particular. He sees this joint task as searching for the lost lambs; caring for the stray lambs; looking after injured sheep; strengthening weak sheep and guarding and feeding the sleek and strong sheep. Bucer then gives sound Biblical advice for each of these pastoral tasks. Chapter 12 is on Christian obedience and Chapter 13 provides a summary of the book. The two appendices are a note on married ministers by Robert Stupperich and one by Bucer on Church Guardians, a group of three members with special oversight over the ministry and church life.

The translator helpfully refers regularly to the pagination in Stupperich’s 1964 ‘official’ critical edition. The natural English title, one would think, should be ‘True Pastoral Care’ as the book is concerned with shepherding. Beale, Bucer-like, prefers what he calls an ‘awkward’ version. The translator drops his usual high style occasionally to use colloquial and stilted forms, probably caused by his use of the NIV, whereas the AV fits better into Bucer’s phraseology and style when translating Scripture. In fact, the AV approaches modern speech, which it has influenced greatly, in grammar and syntax, often far closer than the now antiquated NIV. So, too, the lack of index in a handbook of Christian instruction is a great weakness. These criticisms are only spots on the sun and the book is so good, so useful, so sturdy and so wonderfully cheap that though the eager Christian might have Calvin and Bullinger on his shelves, he ought to have Bucer in his pocket.

The text is also available in quotable form as an MBS-text here.

See further good review of the same book here and here.