Johannes Hoornbeeck (1617-1666), On the conversion of Indians and heathens / an annotated translation of De conversione indorum et gentilium (1669) edited by Ineke Loots, Joke Spaans.

• VerfasserIn: Hoornbeeck, Johannes, 1617-1666,
• TeilnehmendeR: Loots, Ineke,; Spaans, Joke,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden ;, Boston : : Brill,, 2019.
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English; Latin
• Series: Brill's Studies in Intellectual History 290-21.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (463 pages).
• Other title: De conversione indorum et gentilium.
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references and index.
• ISBN: 9004255451; 9004255443
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: an annotated translation of De conversione indorum et gentilium (1669) edited by Ineke Loots, Joke Spaans.

Exploration, trade and conquest expanded and upset traditional worldviews of early modern Europeans. Christians saw themselves confronted with a largely heathen world. In the wake of Iberian colonization, Jesuits successfully christianized heathen populations overseas. In his De conversione Indorum et gentilium , Johannes Hoornbeeck presents a systematic overview of every aspect of the missionary imperative from a Reformed Protestant perspective. The most attractive part of his book may be the global survey it offers of the various types of heathens, an early example of comparative religion. Of equal interest, however, is his critical approach to mission. Hoornbeeck rejects ecclesiastical hierarchy and top-down imposition of Christianity. In this he is perfectly orthodox, and at the same time startlingly original and a harbinger of modern missions. His practical recommendations offer a flexible framework for missionaries, to fit a wide variety of circumstances.