|
| Christian news worldwide |
 Home |
 Archives |
 Subscriptions |
 Adverts |
 Find a church |
 About us |
 Contact us |
 Site Map |
 PrintableVersion John CalvinBiography, not theologyJOHN CALVIN ‘John Calvin’! The name is sufficient to agitate many with a sense of horror. But this book, attractively translated from the Dutch, will do much to dispel prejudice, and calm those who have been fed on disinformation about the man who did more than any other to establish the Protestant Reformation on the basis of scriptural truth. On this 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth Herman Selderhuis has produced a masterpiece: readable, perceptive and engaging throughout. The work is the product of a historian and not a theologian. He wants to present us with Calvin the man, and makes little attempt to justify his doctrinal system in a biblical context. Under the general heading ‘A Pilgrim’s Life’, he introduces us to Calvin in ten chapters, focusing upon the human aspects of his life: Orphan (1509-1533); Pilgrim (1533-1536); Stranger (1536-1538), etc. Educated as a humanist and trained as a lawyer, he aspired to the quiet life of a scholar ‘had not God in pity received me and unlocked for me the endless treasures of his mercy’ (p.20). God gave him also an amazing clarity of understanding of the Scriptures and lucidity in expounding them. Threatened by Farel with the wrath of God, Calvin meekly obeyed and went to Geneva, where, for most of his life, he preached the truth of Scripture in some 6,000 sermons and contended against the errors of Rome. The author comments, ‘If one wonders how Calvin ever managed to turn a chaotic, politically volatile Geneva into a city that experienced rest and prosperity, and that exerted influence throughout Europe as an independent state, one need look no further than the sermon and the catechism’ (p.211). And we must add The Institutes. Somewhat ambiguous references to election suggest that the author has a problem with this biblical doctrine. Certainly Calvin had none. Paul E.G. Cook,
|
|
