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Calvin for Armchair Theologians

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CALVIN FOR ARMCHAIR THEOLOGIANS is a very unbiased look at Calvin's ideas. They are presented in a favorable light, but it does not appear as if the author agrees fully with Calvin's teaching. Servetus, an anti-Trinitarian, was burned at the stake in Geneva under Calvin's auspices, and the author mentions Servetus' ideas as being "ahead of his time"--in that the orthodox Christian concept of the Trinity is outdated and is not considered today to be as "universal" as the "one God, we are One" mantra of today.

Considering the nature of theology--pretty dry and abstract without much humor or human element, Ron Hill does a great job elucidating his subject with cartoon-strip illustrations to drive home certain points. This loosens up the subject matter of God's wrath, predestination of the Elect, and the need for an innocent Man to suffer and die quite a bit. The fist part of the book is the history of Calvin's life and career. The second part is about Calvin's teachings and perceptions of God as interpreted from the Bible. The last part tries to figure out where John Calvin stands in history--was he as bad as liberal Protestants say? Did he contribute to future religious intolerance and bigotry? Did Calvin provide sort of a spiritual force behind the rise of mercantillism and modern capitalism? Was he influential in the outlook of America's Founding Fathers? Calvin upheld the doctrine of man's absoloute moral degeneration; it would be a grave mistake for any one individual or body of people to have too much power in a government unchecked. Therefore, it would be better to have a system of government that provides checks and balances to keep one group from getting too much power. In all, this is a fun, quick and easy read if you are not horrified at hardcore Christian theology, including the controversial doctrine of Predestination.

"Who was John Calvin?" the author begins, "A humorless killjoy...?" too often that is how the great Reformer is viewed. And as a result, all too few people try to get to know him. Christopher Elwood writes this book in order to dispel some of the misconceptions. It is also a handy and easily accessible guide to the man who, along with Martin Luther, was at the forefront of the Reformation.

Dr. Elwood - who is Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Louisville Seminary - gives us a guidebook to the John Calvin the man and his message. Elwood traces Calvin's youth and education in the simplest of terms, and along the way, gives a broad overview of the other Protestant movement in Calvin's day.

Thereafter, the book shows the way that God led Calvin to Geneva, to a friendship with Guillaime Farel and the effect of that association upon the faith life of the city. Giving plenty of information in a clear narrative, Elwood help the reader see the inner workings of the renewal of the Church as guided by Calvin.

We are shown the leadership structure of the church and its' basis in Scripture. Then, Elwood provides us with a summary of the main topics in Calvin's great work "Institutes of the Christian Religion". I found the book particularly helpful, here, as Elwood showed that Calvin's approach toward theology stemmed from the view of Anselm: Theology is faith seeking understanding. So, Calvin's approach is to begin with belief; since it is the groundwork of a trusting relationship with God. Then, building upon that belief, we seek to know more and more about God and His will for humankind, including our own lives. If this sounds self-evident, it is because Calvin's view has become the prevalent view in the Presbyterian Church.

One of the best features of the book is the chapter called "Calvin's Children". It looks at those movements and ideas between the time of Calvin and our own time, which may or may not claim Calvin as their forebear. The book is generously illustrated with drawings that catch the spirit of the text, conveying information in a way that is lively and often humorous. It is part of "The Armchair Series" published by Westminster - John Knox Press that has grown to include titles about Augustine, Wesley, Luther, Aquinas and The Reformation.

If you find this review helpful you might want to read some of my other reviews, including those on subjects ranging from biography to architecture, as well as religion and fiction.

This is book is especially designed for those for those who have heard many things about Calvin, but never read anything by him. The book begins with Calvin's formative years as a humanist and an advocate of the Reformation. With the move to Basel and then later Geneva, Calvin began his career as a theological writer. Much controversy has been given to Calvin's teachings regarding predestination, and TULIP as if this was the heart and soul of his teachings. It was interesting to discover that Calvin spilled much ink about the pre-eminence of the Creator God, the person and work of Christ, and the importance of the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer.

Another point of appreciation of Elwood's book is what was done with Calvin's teachings after his death regarding its influence in not just theology, and church hierarchy, but also in both government and society.

This book was concise and well pressented. It presents just enough information to whet one's appetite for further reading for one of western civilization's greatest theologians.

This is my second, but not my last, book in the "Armchair Theologian" series. The series, which has different authors but a common illustrator, seeks to render theology accessible to the layperson. It does so with plain language, a touch of good-natured humor, and sympathy for the theologian who is the subject of the book.

A biographer can approach his subject with sympathy or antipathy. Too much of either destroys objectivity, but a little sympathy enhances objectivity whereas a little antipathy tends to diminish it. So far, through books on St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, the "Armchair Theologian" series has struck just the right amount of sympathy to enhance objectivity.

"Calvin" is not as light-hearted as "Aquinas," but Calvinism isn't the most light-hearted theology. Elwood argues that Calvin himself wasn't as gloomy as some of his later disciples became, but he still wasn't the kind of a guy you'd expect to be the life of the party. Nevertheless, the man had a profound influence on the growth of Christian theology. Read the book to see how.

Calvin for Armchair Theologians (ISBN-13: 9780664223038): Christopher Elwood, 2002, 182 pages.

I was educated in high school in a denominational school that followed the Westminster Confession of Faith. And so, I entered this book with a fair prior exposure to thoughts derived from John Calvin's branch of the reformation. This book put a more human side to John Calvin, which I appreciated, and expanded my knowledge significantly. In the back quarter of the book, the author compares Calvin's work to those that followed him. The discussion reminded me of Karl Marx's famous saying, made after he saw what his followers had made from his teachings: Marx famously said, "if that is Marxism, then I am not a Marxist" (McLellan, David. "Karl Marx: his Life and Thought," Harper & Row, 1973 ISBN 9780060128296, page 443.).

Similarly, if author Christopher Elwood is correct, Calvin might well say something to the effect `I am not a five-point TULIP Calvinist!'

From this book (Elwood), pages 157 and 158, "This [the 5-point TULIP teaching] was an affirmation of the Calvinism that had already become standard fare in the Reformed schools of the period. But it was a bit more than a simple reaffirmation of what Calvin had taught. For the first time, a Calvinist church body declared that Christ died only for the elect (limited atonement). Depending on how you interpret Calvin, he either did not teach this or he left the matter unclear (perhaps because the Bible doesn't state the matter clearly)."

The above is what I mean when I say, "if author Christopher Elwood is correct, Calvin might well say something to the effect `I am not a five-point TULIP Calvinist!'"

Calvin for Armchair Theologians (ISBN-13: 9780664223038): Christopher Elwood, 2002, 182 pages.

This book gives you the basics on Calvin. Its written in an "Idiot's Guide to . . " style so the author doesn't expect you to have a background in theology. Beware, even with its light-hearted approach, Calvin's theology can be slow-going. This is an excellent place to start if you aren't willing to commit to one of the more scholarly works.

While this book is not written as vibrantly as "The Reformation For Armchair Theologians" (Glenn S. Sunshine, 2005) and while many of the illustrations (cartoons) are not particularly helpful, still this is a valuable book for those who want an accurate, well-balanced, and relatively easy-to-understand account of the life and work of John Calvin. While probably too detailed for most laypersons, this volume should be quite useful for most seminary students, pastors, and religion professors who want a good introduction to, or review of, Calvin's life and his considerable contribution to Christian theology.

Theology is rarely read for simple enjoyment, and Calvin is formidable even for a theologian. My wife and I bought this book for a weekend course on Calvin and expected to have to slog through turgid prose. Instead we found a book that was a thorough joy to read. Yet, it is comprehensive putting him in ahis historical setting, clarifying his theological points, and making him into a real human being instead of the dour iconoclast he is often made to be. We enjoyed this book so much that we will buy others in this series.

I listened to the Christian Audio version. The book was a good summary of Calvin's teaching. He did a good job of explaining Calvin's impact on theology, history and society. He tried to explain why Calvin is looked down upon by modernity. The book was well written and was easy to listen to. The author explained Calvin's life and decisions in a balanced and understanding manner without hero worship.

The only point I didn't like is the last section on Calvin's children. Some of the influences seemed to me stretched too far. One could easily make the same point of Luther that the author does of Calvin. He asserted that Calvin might have influenced Liberation Theology and Feminism because he opposed the Roman Catholic church in his day. What's the point of making such vague and tenuous connections? His other assertions about Calvin's teaching were used by both Liberals and Fundamentalist was good to keep in mind.

There was a good line about wherever justification of faith was not taught, the glory of God suffered. I thought that rather true.

On whole I strongly recommend the book. It was by far the easiest to understand and most complete introduction to Calvin I had either heard or read.

The "Armchair Theologian" series holds great promise for making theology enjoyable and readable for laypeople. This series is similar to IVP Histories in that it generally focuses on theological giants or important historical periods. But where IVP offers terrific pictures, icons, and brief commentary - "Armchair Theologians" specializes in making tough theological concepts easy to understand while showing their relevance for society today.

Calvin for Armchair Theologians focuses on the life of John Calvin. The first two chapters are biographical. The longest chapter in the book distills the major emphases from Calvin's Institutes and lays out the main points of his teaching. The later chapters show Calvin in debates with other theologians before closing with a chapter on the "children" of Calvin and the influence of the Calvinist heritage on Western civilization.

Calvin for Armchair Theologians is easy-to-read and provides a quick overview of Calvin's life and teaching. The author points out some of Calvin's doctrines which were emphasized more by his followers than by Calvin himself (predestination, limited atonement, etc.). The summarization of Calvin's Institutes is "brief" (considering the enormity of that book), but still very helpful. And the illustrations are meant to provide humor, keeping the reading light-hearted.

I look forward to picking up some of the other volumes in the Armchair Theologian series. Surely, there are more important works out there on Calvin's life and legacy, but for the reader who's just getting started, this will do just fine.