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 PrintableVersion The gospel as taught by CalvinGod-centred good newsTHE GOSPEL AS TAUGHT BY CALVIN The so-called ‘five points of Calvinism’ have occasioned countless debates among Christians — and no shortage of books from Christian publishers. The gospel as taught by Calvin is yet another work to focus on these themes. Is there space for it on our bookshelves? Well, it is a very well written and eminently readable book, and has two concluding chapters which, by themselves, make it a book well worth reading. It is not a new book (although it is newly published by Banner). Dr. R.C. Reed was an American Presbyterian minister in the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. Although he makes various historical references along the way (some of which would be lost on most modern readers), he presents his material largely in a timeless manner. Chapters two to six address, in turn, the five theological points of Calvinism. In the first two of these the writer sets out with admirable clarity — and fairness — the differences between Pelagianism, Arminianism and Calvinism. In the latter three Pelagianism disappears and he focuses on the Arminian and Calvinist lines of thought. For anyone who has yet to be exposed to these theological issues, these chapters are instructive and clear. The writer is, of course, decidedly Calvinist in his convictions! But it is the chapters that bracket all this that make the book particularly interesting and perhaps single it out from other treatments of these themes. In the opening chapter the writer gives a succinct historical summary of ‘Calvinism’ and ‘Arminianism’. Again, anyone new to these issues would find those a helpful 13 pages. The final two chapters are titled, ‘Calvinism tested by love’ (God’s, that is), and ‘Calvinism tested by fruit’. These make stirring reading and the latter, in particular, ‘earths’ doctrine and theology in the manifold realities of Christian living. Andrew Wilson,
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