Bonner Querschnitte 27/2017 Ausgabe 488 (eng)

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History of Austrian Protestant World Missions is released

Statements and an Interview with the Author

(Bonn, 14.08.2017) Even at the time of the Reformation, there was one Austrian who gave important inspiration to missions in the Balkans all the way to the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, influential figures in the early Protestant missionary movement, such as Justinian von Welz and the forefathers of Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, were originally from Austria. Finally, in the 19th century, the first Austrian Protestant missionaries went into the mission field to Africa and Asia.

In this connection, Culture and Science Publishing (Verlag für Kultur und Wissenschaft) has published Geschichte der österreichischen protestantischen Weltmission (History of Austrian Protestant World Missions) by Frank Hinkelmann. In a vivid manner, the book depicts the eventful history of Austrian Protestant world missions up to the end of the 20th century. Furthermore, there is a series of additional unknown and difficult to find documents which are reprinted in the appendix. An example is the biography of the first Burgenland missionary Samuel Böhm, which is no longer available in Austria. A list of all Austrian Protestant missionaries up to 1999 rounds out the book.

Interview with Frank Hinkelmann

What is your book about?

The book offers an overview of the Austrian contribution to Protestant world missions from the time of the Reformation up to the beginning of the 20th century. Indeed, there have been a few publications up to now which have primarily placed the relationship of Austria to the Basel Mission in the foreground. However, what has been missing up to now is a presentation which primarily takes the ascent of Evangelical global missionary efforts since the 1970s into account.

One finds names one knows from German missionary history in your book which are not necessarily linked to Austria. How did that come about?

Until 1555, Hans Ungnad Freiherr von Sonnegg, the founder of the first Bible society in Bad Urach, was the head of the Styrian government before emigrating to Württemberg for reasons of faith. There, he founded a Bible institute. Its goal, among others, was the printing of literature for penetrating the Balkans through missionary efforts. Justinian von Welz, who was the first to present a concept for the founding of a missionary society, was also Austrian by birth and came from an influential noble family in Kärnten. When he was a small child, his parents emigrated to Germany for reasons of faith. Last but not least: Count Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinsendorf had Austrian roots. His grandfather emigrated to Germany from the Lower Austrian Must Quarter, but Nikolaus himself still owned property in the Wachau.

Which discoveries surprised you during your research for the book?

It surprised me that a list of leading personalities in the world of missions in the second half of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century stopped off in Vienna: The Chinese missionary Karl Gützlaff visited Vienna, and Hudson Taylor also stopped off there as did John Mott. Mott’s 1913 lecture is reprinted in the book’s appendix.  

You refer to the appendix, which makes up almost one-half of the book – why is the appendix so comprehensive?

It was important for me to make what have been valuable, unknown sources on the history of missions in Austria available to a broader readership, for example the letters which the Burgenland missionary Samuel Böhm sent home between his leaving the country in 1857 and his death in 1859. These were reprinted in a German-language church newspaper which appeared in Budapest at that time – yet who still knows about this nowadays? On the one hand, these letters provide seldom insights into the challenges of missionary life in the middle of the 19th century. On the other hand, they provide important stimuli on topics such as prayer and churches which sent missionaries, and we can still learn from them today.

In addition, the appendix offers a presentation of all Austrian, Protestant missionaries who were active on the mission field for longer than twelve months and were sent out prior to 2000.

Thank you for the conversation!

The Author

Frank Hinkelmann studied Evangelical theology in Gießen (Germany) and Apeldoorn (Holland) and completed doctoral studies at the Free University in Amsterdam. His research focus is in the area of the history of missions, the Evangelical movement, Pietism, and Austrian confessional studies. He works full time as the senior executive of an international and cross-denominational missions agency. He was the chairman of the Austrian Evangelical Alliance for 12 years and is currently the President of the European Evangelical Alliance as well as Secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance. He is an honorary pastor in the Evangelical church and lives with his family in Lower Austria.

Statements

“Whoever is interested in the history of missions knows the ‘great names’ of William Carey, David Livingstone, Adoniram Judson and maybe also Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg from Germany. But who has heard of missionaries from Austria? ‘From Austrian into the World’ will surprise you with respect to the part Austria has also played in Protestant world missions. Furthermore, the ‘letters from Africa’ give a seldom and honest insight into the problems of a pioneering Austrian missionary. A list of all of the Protestant missionaries from Austria up to the turn of the century round out this History of Austrian Protestant World Missions.”

Wolfgang Binder, longtime Director of Wycliff-Österreich

“This book fills a gap in a list of publications on the history of missions. The fact that for the first time the focus is particularly cast upon the Austrian part of Protestant world missions – from Baron Hans-Ungnad von Sonnegg up to the most recent past – is something difficult to appreciate and acknowledge highly enough.”

Johann Vogelnik, Obmann, Head of the Lutheran Mission in Austria

“As a worker for whom the mission ‘from Austria into all the world’ is a matter dear to his heart, the careful research details on the history of Austrian missions fascinate me. With his 164-page work, Frank Hinkelmann closes a gap by summarizing the feeble missionary beginnings at the time of the Reformation (Primus Truber) all the way up to the ascent of Evangelical world missions in the last decades of the 20th century. Hinkelmann succeeds in providing an interesting overview of all the sending churches, church leagues, and missionary agencies and a very readable, highly exciting insight into four hundred years of Austrian missionary history.

As an individual coming from Wahlburgenland, the comprehensive biography and the first-ever released personal reports of the African missionary Samuel Böhm, who was from Burgenland and was a man from a very humble background, touched me deeply. I hope this book receives a wide reception and am very happy that missionary history continues to be written in Austria.”

Hans-Georg Hoprich, Head of the Foreign Missions Team, Federation of Evangelical Churches in Austria


Bibliographical information:

  • Frank Hinkelmann. Von Österreich in alle Welt: Geschichte der österreichischen protestantischen Weltmission. Studien zur Geschichte christlicher Bewegungen reformatorischer Tradition in Österreich 10. Verlag für Kultur und Wissenschaft: Bonn, 2017. 166 pp., Pb. € 14.80 ISBN 978-3-86269-134-0.


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