CALVIN IN HIS OWN WORDS – PART II by Larry Stout
CALVIN IN HIS OWN WORDS – PART II by Larry Stout
I intended to simply include a ‘Calvin Quote’ in each of the PrayerNets in 2009, but I have discovered a lot of new information that deserves to be shared about the coming quincentenary of John Calvin.
First, there is an exciting project sponsored by the Princeton Theological Seminary for reading through the Institutes of the Christian Religion in one year. There is a daily reading schedule and a weekly reflections on the readings provided by various experts. It is possible to sign on as a member and provide input on the readings along with others. Check it out at www2.ptsem.edu/ConEd/Calvin/
For those who need a general introduction to the great theologian, it is hard to improve on that provided by John Piper. His presentation on John Calvin at the 1997 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors is absolutely masterful. It can be listened to or read on Piper’s website: Desiring God. Check it out at www.desiringgod.org.
I have also neglected to include some other good books on Calvin that are in my library which are especially good for someone who is interested in getting started in studying John Calvin:
John Calvin: The Institutes of Christian Religion edited by Tony Lane and Hilary Osborne. I hesitate to recommend this book as it is more of a paraphrased edition (“simpler and more modern English” according to the promo information), but for those who have difficulty with the real translations, this is a useful substitute. Published by BakerAcademic, 1987.
Day by Day with John Calvin: Selected Readings for Daily Reflection (Hendrickson Publishers, 2002). This is a nice little devotional taken from Calvin’s writings. Each day has a clever heading (“Divine Advice,” “Fixed Faith,” etc.) and they feature a daily scripture that the meditation is centered around. Very useful for the Calvin novice.
Calvin for Armchair Theologians by Christopher Elwood. This book was obviously geared for the younger generation. It has humorous cartoons on every other page, and was written in a rather tongue-in-cheek style. I found it a little too light for my tastes, but was essentially on target.
A Heart Promptly Offered: The Revolutionary Leadership of John Calvin by David W. Hall. Though this book tries to focus on Calvin’s leadership aspects, it is a very good overview of his life and work. Very well written and insightful.
This week’s Calvin Quote is from the Prefatory Address to King Francis. He wrote, “For what is more consonant with faith than to recognize that we are naked of all virtue, in order to be clothed by God? That we are empty of all good, to be filled by him? That we are slaves of sin, to be freed by him? Blind, to be illumined by him? Lame, to be made straight by him? Weak, to be sustained by him? To take away from us all occasion for glorying, that he alone may stand forth gloriously and we glory in him (cf. 1 Cor 1:31, 2 Cor 10:17)?
I intended to simply include a ‘Calvin Quote’ in each of the PrayerNets in 2009, but I have discovered a lot of new information that deserves to be shared about the coming quincentenary of John Calvin.
First, there is an exciting project sponsored by the Princeton Theological Seminary for reading through the Institutes of the Christian Religion in one year. There is a daily reading schedule and a weekly reflections on the readings provided by various experts. It is possible to sign on as a member and provide input on the readings along with others. Check it out at www2.ptsem.edu/ConEd/Calvin/
For those who need a general introduction to the great theologian, it is hard to improve on that provided by John Piper. His presentation on John Calvin at the 1997 Bethlehem Conference for Pastors is absolutely masterful. It can be listened to or read on Piper’s website: Desiring God. Check it out at www.desiringgod.org.
I have also neglected to include some other good books on Calvin that are in my library which are especially good for someone who is interested in getting started in studying John Calvin:
John Calvin: The Institutes of Christian Religion edited by Tony Lane and Hilary Osborne. I hesitate to recommend this book as it is more of a paraphrased edition (“simpler and more modern English” according to the promo information), but for those who have difficulty with the real translations, this is a useful substitute. Published by BakerAcademic, 1987.
Day by Day with John Calvin: Selected Readings for Daily Reflection (Hendrickson Publishers, 2002). This is a nice little devotional taken from Calvin’s writings. Each day has a clever heading (“Divine Advice,” “Fixed Faith,” etc.) and they feature a daily scripture that the meditation is centered around. Very useful for the Calvin novice.
Calvin for Armchair Theologians by Christopher Elwood. This book was obviously geared for the younger generation. It has humorous cartoons on every other page, and was written in a rather tongue-in-cheek style. I found it a little too light for my tastes, but was essentially on target.
A Heart Promptly Offered: The Revolutionary Leadership of John Calvin by David W. Hall. Though this book tries to focus on Calvin’s leadership aspects, it is a very good overview of his life and work. Very well written and insightful.
This week’s Calvin Quote is from the Prefatory Address to King Francis. He wrote, “For what is more consonant with faith than to recognize that we are naked of all virtue, in order to be clothed by God? That we are empty of all good, to be filled by him? That we are slaves of sin, to be freed by him? Blind, to be illumined by him? Lame, to be made straight by him? Weak, to be sustained by him? To take away from us all occasion for glorying, that he alone may stand forth gloriously and we glory in him (cf. 1 Cor 1:31, 2 Cor 10:17)?
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