Theologians

calvin3

This page offers a “featured theologian” to help inform about the dead theologians this page is inspired by.  Hopefully these profiles will whet your appetite to dive deeper into God’s word.  The more we are in God’s word, the more we will hopefully come to desire God above all things, living as better Christians.

Currently, John Calvin is the featured theologian.  For many, 2009 will be the “year of Calvin” as it will mark the 500th anniversary of his birth.  The fact that people around the world are thinking about a man 500 years after he was born says something about his importance and influence!

For some though, Calvin will not be celebrated but reviled.  Church History magazine did a feature on Calvin showing he was both “adored” and “abhorred.”    Why such hostility towards Calvin?  The issue is a complicated one!  Above all else one can point to the vast amount of printed literature and verbal tradition that simply misrepresents Calvin.   Picturing him as a cold-hearted, overly-philosophical, hard-nosed man, many find nothing admirable in him.   Truth be told, by his detractors and admirers alike, the “historical Calvin” is far different from that caricature.

Let me offer five things about Calvin which show the kind of man he really was.

God-centered. Frankly, this is probably what gives many pause when it comes to Calvin.  First, those that are not sympathetic to Calvin object, thinking they are just as much (or more!) God-centered than he was.  Others object to Calvin’s unyielding emphases on being God-centered.   Yet there is no better way to describe Calvin, or the tradition called Calvinism that followed, than ‘God-centered.’  Over and over again, in his writings and sermons, this is seen to be the great ambition of Calvin’s life – to live by God, under God, and for God.

This God-centered is given full expression when it comes to the gospel.  Here, God’s design in salvation, the Son’s securing of salvation, and the Spirit’s calling and sealing of that salvation all come together in a way that brings glory to God and redemption to sinners.  Calvin’s God-centeredness is most clearly and passionately seen when he plunges the depths of Scripture’s teaching about the salvation of his people.  Writing in his famous debate with Catholic Cardinal Sadolet about their differences in doctrine, Calvin wrote: “[Your] zeal for heavenly life [is] a zeal which keeps a man entirely devoted to himself, and does not, even by one expression, arouse him to sanctify the name of God.”  Pastor John Piper explains, “In other words, even precious truth about eternal life can be so skewed as to displace God as the center and goal. And this was Calvin’s chief contention with Rome. It comes out in his writings over and over again. He goes on and says to Sadolet that what he should do – and what Calvin aims to do with all his life – is ’set before [man], as the prime motive of his existence, zeal to illustrate the glory of God.’”

In his last will and testament, Calvin said, “I have written nothing out of hatred to anyone, but I have always faithfully propounded what I esteemed to be for the glory of God.”   This was Calvin’s great ambition – to show that creation itself was simply a theatre for displaying God’s glory.  Furthermore, he believed that, as Christians, we especially have an obligation to live lives in pursuit of God’s glory.

Biblical. More than anything else, Calvin is biblical.  Even if you ultimately disagree with how he interprets the Scripture, Calvin works very hard at avoiding speculation and misinterpretation.  He knew the original languages and culture of Scripture, knew the Scriptures themselves forward and backward, and approached them with care and reverence befitting God’s word.  Calvin’s goal was not to prove his own ideas by twisting Scripture, but to understand and explain what God says in his Word.

This was most clearly seen in his preaching ministry.  Calvin was committed to simply and clearly articulating the truths found in a given text of Scripture and applying it with a pastor’s heart to the people of his church.   Preaching  everyday and twice on Sunday every other week along with theology lectures, Calvin’s preaching and teaching stood as the foundation of his entire ministry.

Perhaps the greatest compliment comes from his most famous detractor, Jacob Arminius who said, “After the reading of Scripture, which I strenuously inculcate, and more than any other …. I recommend that the Commentaries of Calvin be read …. For I affirm that in the interpretation of the Scriptures Calvin is incomparable, and that his Commentaries are more to be valued than anything that is handed down to us in the writings of the Fathers — so much that I concede to him a certain spirit of prophecy in which he stands distinguished above others, above most, indeed, above all.”

Pious. That may be an outdated word, but it was the one used by Calvin to describe the totality of godly living.  For Calvin, piety expressed the biblical attitude of a life of worship before God.  Such a life was evidenced by a Christ-like character and the fruit of the Spirit.  Piety was characterized by a striving to put to death sin that threatened godliness.   Calvin says piety is ”that reverence joined with love of God which the knowledge of his benefits induces.”  In a word, piety was godliness.  Even Calvin’s famed Institutes of the Christian Religion was written not so much for theologians, but for average Christians as a “sum of true piety.”

All of this is reflected in Calvin’s personal seal, depicting an open hand lifting up a heart with the Latin motto, “Cor meum tibi offero Domine propmpte et sincere” (”I offer my heart to you, O Lord, promptly and sincerely”).   This was more the desire of his heart, but the example he left.  His closet friend and successor, Theodore Beza said this, “Having been a spectator of his conduct for sixteen years,…  I can now declare, that in him all men may see a most beautiful example of the Christian character, an example which it is as easy to slander as it is difficult to imitate.”

Church-minded. Yes, I think I just made up a word, but I couldn’t come up with any that succinctly said that Calvin was passionate about God’s church.   Calvin was very concerned to build up the church of God.   He developed mercy ministries and spent much time in spiritual counseling.  He was also concerned for the purity of the church.  Once, some Libertines (those that practiced adultery and indulged in sexual promiscuity in the name of Christian freedom) threatened to disrupt and desecrate the observance of the Lord’s supper.  Eugene Osterhaven relates what happened:

“A crowd of Libertines surged forward to the table. Calvin, descending from the pulpit, stood before the table. With drawn sword a Libertine cried, ‘Administer communion to us or you will die.’  His head thrown back and his arms extended over the sacred elements, Calvin responded that although they might cut off his arms, shed his blood, and take his life, they would never force him to give holy things to the profane and dishonour the table of his God.  The crowd was stunned, and a long silence followed the dramatic moment. Perrin, one of the city syndics opposed to Calvin, quietly ordered Berthelier not to approach the table. After the crowd withdrew, Beza reports, communion was celebrated ‘in profound silence and under a solemn awe, as if the Deity Himself had been visibly present among them.’”

More than simple purity, though, Calvin also longed for God’s people to look like God’s people.  He wanted to see Christ’s disciples look like the One whose named they claimed.  He desired to see, as much as possible, heaven to be seen on earth through the church.  One refugee who came to Geneva, the Englishman John Bale, experienced Calvin’s love for the church. Reflecting on what he experienced, he  wrote:  “Geneva seems to me to be the wonderful miracle of the whole world. For so many from all countries come here, as it were, to a sanctuary. Is it not wonderful that Spaniards, Italians, Scots, Englishmen, Frenchmen, Germans, disagreeing in manners, speech, and apparel, should live so lovingly and friendly, and dwell together like a … Christian congregation?”

Evangelistic. “What!?!” some of you are screaming.  Yes, history shows that Calvin himself was evangelistic and encouraged evangelism in the church.  In fact, Calvin was responsible for the planting churches in Europe and even sending missionaries to South America.  Some specifics should be given, especially about the amazing work Calvin did in ministering to the refugees who were fleeing persecution from the Catholic Church.  Frank James is worth quoting at length:

Since Geneva was French-speaking, the vast majority of refugees came from France. As they sat under Calvin’s teaching in the Cathedral of St. Pierre, the French refugees’ hearts stirred for their homeland. Many of them felt compelled to return to France with the Protestant gospel.

Calvin, however, did not want to send uneducated missionaries back to the dangers of Catholic France. He believed that a good missionary had to be a good theologian first. And so he inspired and educated them. He trained them theologically, tested their preaching ability, and carefully scrutinized their moral character. Calvin and the Genevan Consistory sent properly trained missionaries back to France to share the Gospel.

Calvin did not just educate them and send men back to France. These missionaries did not just become photographic memories on Calvin’s refrigerator door. On the contrary; Calvin remained intimately involved in all that they were doing.

The Genevan archives hold hundreds of letters containing Calvin’s pastoral and practical advice on establishing underground churches. He did not just send missionaries; he invested himself in long-term relationships with them.

Concrete information exists from the year 1555 onwards. The data indicate that by 1555, there were five underground Protestant churches in France. By 1559, the number of these Protestant churches jumped to more than one hundred. And scholars estimate that by 1562 there were more than 2,150 churches established in France with approximately three million Protestant souls in attendance.

This can only be described as an explosion of missionary activity; detonated in large part by the Genevan Consistory and other Swiss Protestant cities. Far from being disinterested in missions, history shows that Calvin was enraptured by it.

Certainly, there is more to Calvin than some would claim.   And we could say much more.  One could speak about his sheer genius when it came to his scholarship and understanding, his lasting influence in political theory, his family life, his immense preaching ministry, and the pervasive physical suffering Calvin experienced later in life.  Of course, Calvin wasn’t perfect.  He had his own sins like the rest of us (though I think they are magnified by his critics).  Nevertheless, Calvin’s life, ministry, and teaching is worth encountering.

I would encourage anyone to not just read about Calvin, but read what he wrote – the Institutes, the sermons, his letters; everything that shows what kind of a Christian leader was he was.  If you’re not already an admirer of all that God did through Calvin, you might be surprised.

Resources About Calvin’s life, ministry, and theology

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but is simply touching the surface of the many resources available.

Audio

Articles

In Print

2 Responses leave one →

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. Theologians Page Updated « DEAD THEOLOGIANS SOCIETY
  2. Theologians Update « the DEAD THEOLOGIANS SOCIETY

Leave a Reply

Note: You can use basic XHTML in your comments. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to this comment feed via RSS