Élie Marion (1678-1713)
Élie Marion was one of the few leaders and prophets who had completed university studies. Exiled to London, he founded the group “the Children of God” or “French Prophets”, and...
Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux (1619-1692)
Gédéon Tallemant des Réaux was a protestant writer and his work consisted of social satire and anecdotes. Unfortunately, it was considered to be somewhat scurrilous and was only really recognized...
Paul Tillich (1886-1965)
Paul Tillich was born in eastern Prussia in 1886. He was a Lutheran and a bright student in theology and philosophy, and then became a pastor in a working class...
Relative tolerance for the Protestants
In the second part of the XVIIIth century, the political regime which took over the government in France was, on the whole, fairly tolerant towards Protestants, although there were some...
Protestant theology in the 20th century
Protestant thought and research can be divided into three periods in the twentieth century.
The Reformed Church before the Revocation
The religious life of the Reformed Church community was led by pastors who had a good education, while lay members dealt with the daily life of the community and provided...
Théodore Monod (1902-2000)
A famous scientist specialised in different fields, Théodore Monod is best known to most people for his numerous treks through the Sahara desert. He was a man of faith in...
The Taizé community
This Protestant community was founded by Pastor Roger Schutz in 1944. It became an ecumenical meeting place for young people from all over the world who seek both meaning for...
The Catholic reforming movements in 17th century France
The 17th century saw the rise of various movements attempting to reform the Catholic Church from within while avoiding any break-away. Such movements aimed partly at countering the influence in...
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an Enlightenment philosopher who cared deeply about justice. He was passionately involved in defending his ideas and often felt misunderstood. In his work he claimed that, to...
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
The great mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal was quite closely associated with Jansenism. His younger sister, Jacqueline, who he was very fond of, entered the Abbey of Port-Royal des Champs....
Jansenism and Protestantism
By endorsing the teachings of Saint Augustine on grace and predestination – both of which were central themes of the Protestant Reformation – Jansenism sought to reform the Catholic Church...
Jansenism : a movement of great influence
Jansenism was a very influential movement in France. This was partly due to its closeness to the Protestant Reformation.
Dietrich Bonhœffer (1906-1945)
Dietrich Bonhœffer was a protestant German pastor and theologian, and also the co-founder of the confessing Church. He was opposed to the growing Nazi influence on protestant German churches. He...
Théophraste Renaudot (1584-1653)
Théophraste Renaudot was the king’s doctor, but he is now chiefly remembered as the first journalist to have existed in France, founding the Gazette de France in 1631.
Jacques Basnage (1653-1723)
Jacques Basnage was a pastor in Rouen at the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes – he had to escape from France due to persecution and took...
Jacques Saurin (1677-1730)
Jacques Saurin was a pastor serving in the countries of Refuge, first in London, then in the Hague – as a pastor he was admired for his eloquence and a...
Pierre Viret (1511-1571)
Pierre Viret devoted his life to teaching theology and spreading the Reformed faith. He was known as an outstanding preacher.