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For my church history class, I had to read Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition for a group discussion and report.  Andrew Purves examines texts considered classical to the pastoral tradition from five pastoral leaders through the church’s history and how they have understood and addressed their pastoral role.  One of the biographies was that of Martin Bucer.

Martin Bucer was a dominican theologian studying on the heels of the protestant reformation.  He was impressed with the earlier works of Martin Luther, which began making an impact on his theology.  His meeting with Luther in 1518 at Heidelberg, served as the catalyst that would change his life and solidify his position in the reformed camp.  He left the monastary in 1521 to become a parish priest and later would serve as pastor parish starting in 1524.  As the reformation fully blossomed, he would become of the leading pastors and theologians of the movement.  For twenty-five years until his exile to England, he made a significant impact on the theological colloquies and politics of reform in Germany.  Purves indicates that Calvin was very much influenced by the work of Martin Bucer.

According to Purves and not surprisingly, election and justification shaped the whole of Bucer’s theology and especially the doctrine of election.  Bucer embraced and espoused unconditional election, believing that salvation is completely the work of God choosing whom He will and has done so before the foundation of the worlds (Ephesians 1:4).  Election is God’s sovereign choice.  God is the one who calls, justifies, sanctifies and glorifies (Romans 8:29).  Sound familiar?

Bucer was also an evangelist and believed strongly that those who take the pastoral office should have as their chief concern salvation of the lost.  Not only pastors, but Bucer believed that all Christians were to be pastoral evangelists.  Purves notes:

“The evangelical heart of Bucer’s theology leads him to see evangelism as a primary feature of pastoral care, an evangelism directed both to those who have not yet heard and responded to the word of Christ the Lord, as well as those who have been part of the body of Christ but who have fallen away.  Not only are the lost sheep to be sought, but also the stayed sheep are to be restored.  In such a way, according to Bucer, pastoral care must have as a primary responsibility a concern for salvation of the sinners lost and strayed who are still God’s elect…Bucer insists that pastoral evangelism is to be pursued with the highest diligence and unremitted effort” (Purves, pp 88-89)

I think this is interesting.  Many non-Calvinist equate belief in unconditional election with apathy towards evangelism.  I think Bucer points to the fact, that belief in unconditional election should in no way deter evangelistic efforts.  According to Purves, he recognizes that election then is of no consequence and citing that the ones who are not elect will not respond.  But that should not be our concern because he believes that Christians should have such a compulsion in pressing the gospel, that the elect have no choice to respond.

Bucer’s position teaches everybody a lesson.  It should motivate the Calvinist to not rest on the laurels of unconditional election for an excuse not to evangelize.  It should motivate non-Calvinist to cease from mis-identifying Calvinism with apathetic or non-existent evangelism that rests on unconditional election.   He definitely serves as a model for all concerning evangelism.

PS:  I personally believe that every pastor should read that book.

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