And the Word Increased: A Study of the Progress of the Gospel in the Days of Paul

“In his book And the Word Increased J. H. Bavinck occupies himself with the methods of the apostle Paul, with a view to developing a responsible contemporary discharge of the missionary calling. Especially his interpretation of Paul’s speech on Mars Hill, recorded in Acts 17, shows how intensively Bavinck was engaged in reflection on the relation between Christianity and the other religions.”—Dr. Paul J. Visser

Among the many writings of J. H. Bavinck we are fortunate to have this insightful study of Paul’s missionary work as recorded in the Book of Acts and reflected in the Pauline epistles. In 1941, when he wrote this book, Johan Herman Bavinck (1895–1964) had served for seventeen years as a missionary pastor and teacher on the island of Java. In the quarter century that followed, he would develop into an influential missiologist teaching at Reformed theological faculties in Kampen and Amsterdam, where he also composed his well-known Introduction to the Science of Missions.
Written for the general reader interested in foreign missions and homeland evangelism, the book at the same time comes across as the first draft of a handbook on “best practices” in the mission field. Of particular interest is its combination of historical analysis and present-day relevance. The reader pricks up his ears whenever Bavinck describes a custom or a school of thought in the world of the Early Church, and then adds: “It is still that way on the mission field today!”