Listening to the Giants

The typical caricature of John Calvin is of a rigid, stoic, relentless tyrant, who taunted the unregenerate, reminding them of their reprobation and their inability to come to God. Not only is this caricature slanderous; it is also unfair and without historical warrant. This blog post will reveal a softer, more human side of John Calvin. A man who was not only was greatly influenced by his friends, but needed them and cherished them. Calvin’s latest biographer writes,  “These relationships could be complicated and might have to weather many storms, but no one worked harder than Calvin to preserve them.” Really, John Calvin? Yep, this biographer is actually talking about the infamous Calvin. So, who are these friends? Who are the ones who stood by the great Frenchman? Martin Bucer Church history speaks highly of this primary mentor of John Calvin, who was 18 years his senior. The summary below helps explain his place in the Protestant Reformation of...

These blog entries are going to be somewhat challenging because of one glaring fact: John Calvin did not like to talk or write about himself. Here is an excerpt from the biography I am currently reading:  “The location of Calvin’s grave is unknown, and that was the way he wanted it. Nothing would have horrified him more than the monument to the Reformation in Geneva with its enormous image of the Frenchman. He deliberately wrote next to nothing about himself and his life. ” You might ask, “And yet this is the “giant” you want to write about?” You bet it is. So what made this man great? Well….there were a lot of reasons, but what I want to focus on in the next few paragraphs is the discipline of John Calvin. Now it should not be a shock to any student of church history that every “giant” was disciplined to a certain degree. Theodore Beza (Calvin's spiritual son in the faith) wrote, “He (Calvin) worked hard at his university studies and there are still trustworthy men ali...

Born July 10, 1509 in Noyon, France, Jean Calvin was raised in a staunch Roman Catholic family. The local bishop employed Calvin's father as an administrator in the town's cathedral. The father, in turn, wanted John to become a priest. Because of close ties with the bishop and his noble family, John's playmates and classmates in Noyon (and later in Paris) were aristocratic and culturally influential in his early life. At the age of 14 Calvin went to Paris to study at the College de Marche in preparation for university study. His studies consisted of seven subjects: grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music. Toward the end of 1523 Calvin transferred to the more famous College Montaigu. While in Paris he changed his name to its Latin form, Ioannis Calvinus, which in French became Jean Calvin. During this time, Calvin's education was paid for in part by income from a couple of small parishes. So although the new theological teachings of indiv...

This is the last blog post on Jonathan Edwards. He (as with most of the “giants”) has been influential in “cementing” my theological foundation. There are two areas in particular that Edwards has helped bring me clarity; 1) the nature of free will and 2) the nature of “religious affections”. First, Edwards’ statement regarding the nature of “free will”.   “Free moral agents always act according to the strongest inclination they have at the moment of choice.” Why did this seemingly obvious statement transform my thinking? Well, mainly because it came from the mouth of a staunch Calvinist. Since the bible teaches that God had ordained everything, even the steps we take in this life (Prov. 16:9), the issue of free will is a normal concern for any thoughtful person, especially for any Christian who desires to embrace the biblical teaching of both divine sovereignty and human responsibility . Edwards, through the lens of the doctrine of original sin, makes a clear cas...

In one of my previous blog posts, I addressed the topic of Charles Hodge and slavery.  (Here is the link:  http://cpletter.blogspot.com/2011/12/charles-hodgea-man-who-was-moderate-and.html )  Not only was this blog post difficult to write, but I was challenged regarding my thinking and implicit  agreement of Hodge's approach to the issue of slavery.  The individual (who called himself.....or herself...."Anonymous") challenged my position by asking this question.... "Is it fair to equate the New Testament concept of slavery to the different concept of 17-19th century American slavery?  Is that not comparing "apples to space-ships" (oranges)?" Now initially, I responded to this by asserting that there is a difference, but not a fundamental  difference. In other words, slavery (whether because of racism or oppression) is fundamentally wrong, mainly because humanity is made in "the image of God".  Yet Anonymous continued wit...