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Calvinism and Mission
Upon … hearing this news, the church of Geneva at once gave thanks to God for the extension of the reign of Jesus Christ in a country so distant and likewise so foreign and among a nation entirely without the knowledge of the true God.
The year was 1556 and there had just come to Calvin a letter which was concerned with France, but originated in Brazil. The letter asked, “Would the Genevan church send some artisans and pastors to assist a struggling French colony on Brazil's coast?” The colony, European in composition, was France's attempt to establish a foothold in a continent which Spain and Portugal had claimed entirely for themselves. But John Calvin and Geneva, sensing an opportunity to take the Christian message to the colony and through it to the native peoples of the region, said “yes” in a heartbeat.