Customer Reviews

John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, Doxology

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are so many caricatures of Calvinism (and Arminianism) found on the web that it can be difficult to know exactly what Calvinism really is. What better way to do that than to read about John Calvin as written by contemporary historians, authors, preachers and theologians?

"...the amount of misrepresentation to which Calvin's theology has been subjected has been enough to prove his doctrine of total depravity several times over!"
-J.I. Packer, The Collected Shorter Writings of J. I. Packer

There are so many quotable quotes in this book it's difficult to choose which ones to include in this review to whet the appetite of anyone who might be interested in reading the book.

Iain H. Murray writes this in the Foreward:

"Sometimes the impression can be given to other Christians that we regard `Calvinism' as co-terminus with Christianity and that we think all gospel preaching can be fitted into the five points. The five points are not to be depreciated, but God is incomprehensibly greater than our understanding, and there are other truths to be preached far beyond our capacity to harmonize.

Calvin cautions us here. In speaking of the indiscriminate invitations of Christ in John 5, he observes, `He is ready to give himself, provided that they are only willing to believe.' He can say that `nothing of all that God wishes to be saved shall perish' and yet warn his hearers lest the opportunity of salvation `pass away from us.' He speaks of Christ's `great kindness' to Judas and affirms, `Christ does not lay Judas under the necessity of perishing.' If on occasions, when in controversy with opponents of Scripture, Calvin unduly presses the implications of a doctrine, he guards against that temptation in his general preaching and teaching. He does not hesitate to teach that God loves those who will not be saved; indeed, he writes that God `wishes all men to be saved,' and to the objection that God cannot wish what He has not ordained, it is enough for Calvin to confess: `Although God's will is simple, yet great variety is involved in it, as far as our senses are concerned. Besides, it is not surprising that our eyes should be blinded by intense light.' Our duty, he would say, is to adore the loftiness of God rather than investigate it."

The book is very accessible to any audience and has very few words that need to be looked up unless the reader is a very new Christian and very unfamiliar with Biblical terms.

Some of the first few chapters about Calvin's life (each written by a different author) have some repeated information. To put it in software terms, I'm not sure if this is a feature or a bug. Meaning, I'm not sure if more editing should have been done or if it was intentional to let each author's account be left alone. In any case, each account fills in some details that others hadn't and none of it is conflicting.

For the most part the book is not defensive or polemic. Arminianism isn't brought up much until the chapter by John MacArthur entitled Man's Radical Corruption. I'm not sure if he's the best person to be talking about Arminianism, especially since he calls it a "scheme." Other than that there is occasional mention of Calvin's objectors but the book just gives an account of how he counters them.

Since the book is written by contemporary authors, we can get a glimpse of how Calvin contrasts with some of our typical current evangelical thought and vocabulary. A couple of examples:

"His language here is strikingly different from that of contemporary evangelicalism. It is hard to imagine him speaking about `letting Jesus into my heart' or `praying to accept Jesus'; indeed, for Calvin, the movement of conversion is not `getting Christ in' but `getting into Christ.'"

"Calvin resisted the temptation to redesign the church and followed the Reformation pattern of returning the church to its biblical design and apostolic simplicity. He was convinced the church had a sufficient designer, Jesus Christ, and an effective design, which was delineated in Scripture and displayed in the church of the first century. Clearly, Calvin would abhor the efforts of today's church leaders to `redesign' the church. He was aware that the Lord does not call us to pray for church designers, since the designer of the church is Christ, but to pray for `builders and laborers' to faithfully build on `the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone' (Eph. 2:20)."

This book is not only good for those who aren't familiar with Calvinism, but also for those who would call themselves Calvinists but don't know a lot about Calvin himself and what classical Calvinism really is. Since each chapter is relatively short, none of the subjects are gone into in great depth but this gives the reader an idea of whether or not they would like to go further in investigating Calvin and reformed theology. It also sheds light on the fact that he's not just about theology and TULIP. For myself, I learned how much he emphasizes prayer and will be reading more about that from him.

I enjoyed this book very much and wholeheartedly recommend it.

Have you ever wanted to read those authors of old? The ones who wrote with incredibly good grammar, a few words you'd never heard before? Well I have and I've put it off for a long time. That is until I picked up a few cheap re-prints on a recent trip to Wellington . Its funny how cheap they are. I bet it cost more to print them than they made selling them. The old writers had a way to engage their readers, drawing them into a world of three dimensional characters. They were master wordsmiths. But times change and so do peoples tastes. Thats why we always need a new generation of writers to make sense of the past and contextualise it for today.

This is critical for those who want to read Calvin. He is often depicted as a cold, stoic and heartless man. That's partly due to the system of theology that bears his name , and more correctly by those who follow his system of theology. But after this book, hopefully your opinions will change. If you've read my new years resolutions you'll know I'm tired of defending the five points of Calvinism, and that is exactly why I enjoyed this book. The preface by Iain Murray blew me away. He's worth quoting at length:

We believe that divine revelation has come to us in words and in propositions, and for these we must contend. But truth is only rightly believed to the extent that it is embodied in life. (page xiv)

Too often, in our time, beliefs associated with the name Calvin, have been identified with the lecture hall and the academy. We have found it easier to be "teachers" and "defenders" of the truth than to be evangelists who are willing to die that men might be converted. We regard "Calvinism" as co-terminus with Christianity and think that all gospel preaching can be fitted into the five points. (page xv)
His preface is a sharp critique at the way Reformed theology has gone in current times and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. To paraphrase Ghandi (and perhaps a lot of people out there) I like your Calvin, but I do not like your Calvinists. Murrays preface alone is worth the price of the book. Burk echoes Murray saying that we need to "Bible Calvinists" and not just "System Calvinists".

The book consists of 19 short chapters written by some of the great names in reformed theology today. They give a short history of Calvin's life, Pastoral heart and Theology. Each chapter reads like a self contained unit. You could start anywhere in the book, but its probably best to read it right the way through.

What becomes abundantly clear, as you read through the book, is that John Calvin is nothing like the caricatures. He may have been a quiet and reserved man, but never a cold hard stoic. For him the starting point of his theology was not justification by faith, but rather Union with Christ. How different our theological arguments would be if we all started from this point and worked outwards? What has always impressed me with John Calvin was not just his academic abilities, but his pastoral heart. For Calvin, nothing gave him more comfort than to meditate on the providence of God. "The Bitterest afflications in life are sweet when Christians know they come from God, serve his purposes and ultimately contribute to their good" He lived out what he taught. Lawson handles the question of Calvin's style of preaching and rightly so since he did a great job in "The expository genius of John Calvin".

Of course the question of Calvinism and Arminianism has to come up in a book like this. If you've read my previous post "The Road Ahead" you'll know my stance on this. John MacArthur handled the "Radical Depravity" Chapter. I'm not a fan of MacArthur, I've always found him a little too dogmatic. This chapter was no exception. Lets be clear here, Arminianism and Pelagianism are quite different things. Calvinism believes that God irresistably draws the elect, while Arminianism says that God draws people to a point where they can say "yes or no". The problem with MacArthurs approach in the chapter is that is what Murray wrote to counter in his preface. For all MacArthurs talk about Grace, he seems to conduct himself without a lot of it.

I enjoyed the treatment of Calvins more controversial doctrine of election and reprobation which followed MacArthurs chapter. Many who learn about election and reprobation for the first time decry the doctrines as unjust and incompatible with a loving God. Justice is not the category we should invoke in these discussions, as Phillips points out Justice would result in condemnation as all have sinned and falled short of the Glory of God. Calvin was humbled by this doctrine. The fact that the creator of the universe chose him to be a part of his family, for no other reason than his love for him, would prove very humbling for Calvin.

Books like this are difficult to sum up. Thats the problem with reviewing a series of essays. While they have a common subject they are as diverse as the authors themselves. I enjoyed the content, but am repeatedly annoyed by some of the sideswipes taken against those who disagree with Calvinism. I've come to see disagreement as a healthy expression of an honest struggle with a doctrine. Any disagreements should, as the reformers said, take us back to the sources. Of course we need debate, and discussion. If we all agreed on everything life would be pretty boring.

This book would serve as a good introduction to Calvins works. I would reccomend a brief study of the issues leading up to and surrounding the reformation. You'd be a lot better equipped to understand Calvin. This year if Calvin were still alive, he would be 500 years old (a youngster compared to Metheusala). What better time to get aquainted with a theological giant than now?

If you are like me and you listen to a lot of different people and you here a lot of different stories, you know how varied a view on historical people such as Calvin you can get. While it is natural for people to have different perspectives and opinions on people, these are often formed with little information and facts. The stories are filtered through the personalities of storytellers and often may be distorted because of personal opinions. That being said facts are facts and they stand the test of time. What i appreciated about this book was that presentation. The facts of John Calvins life have effected many in todays society without our knowing it. I especially enjoyed and found encouraging the story of his life in the many different facets. In today's society I can get very discouraged and look at many of the things he went through and see a comparison to todays assault and need for Reformation. Today doesn't compare to what he went through and had to deal with but the need for John Calvins is certainly needed just as bad. While looking at his life we can get encouragement and see that with the life of one man, God can do much. Every act of obedience prevents an act of Disobedience. I encourage any and all that desire to learn of Calvin to pick up this book and have the facts for yourself so that one more person has the facts for them self and can know the man as best they could.

John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology examines Calvin's life, ministry, and teachings in nineteen chapters, each written by a different well-known pastor, teacher, or theologian. Besides Burk Parsons' preface and first chapter and Iain Murray's foreward, there are chapters written by Jerry Bridges, Sinclair Ferguson, Joel Beeke, John MacArthur, Thabiti Anyabwile, Phil Johnson, and many more notable Reformedish Christian leaders.

The first eight chapters are primarily about Calvin the man. There is a chapter which contains a brief biographical sketch and chapters on the various mantles Calvin wore in his service to God: Reformer, churchman, preacher, counselor, and writer. Taken together, the picture we see is of a man of many gifts, all used in service to God.

The seventh chapter,"The Counselor to the Afflicted" by W. Robert Godfrey, includes excerpts from Calvin's extensive pastoral correspondence which show his tenderhearted care for people who were suffering. To a father who had lost his son, he wrote:

"When I first received the intelligence of the death ... of your son Louis, I was so utterly overpowered that for many days I was fit for nothing but to grieve; and albeit I was somehow upheld before the Lord by those aids wherewith he sustains our souls in affliction among men, however, I was almost a nonentity."

Not exactly the stone-cold ivory-towered theologian of the common Calvin caricature, is he?

The rest of the chapters--ten of them--are essays on the teaching of Calvin on doctrines that he emphasized, starting with one on the supremacy of Jesus Christ and another on the work of the Spirit. Then there are five chapters that correspond, roughly, to what are known as the five points of Calvinism: "Man's Radical Corruption"; "Election and Reprobation", "Redemption Defined", "Transforming Grace", and "A Certain Inheritance". Finishing up are chapters that present Calvin's thoughts on union with Christ, justification, the christian life, and prayer.

The last chapter, "The Communion of Men with God" by Joel Beeke, which looks at Calvin's thoughts on prayer, was my favorite, I think, because it was what I needed to read right now. Calvin, Beeke writes,

"considered prayer to be holy and familiar conversations with God, our heavenly Father; reverently speaking, it is family conversation, or even intimate covenantal conversation, in which the believer confides to God as a child confides in his father. Prayer is 'an emotion of the heart within, which is poured out and laid open before God.' In prayer, we both communicate and commune with our Father in heaven, feeling our transparency in His presence. Like Christ in Gethsemane, we cast our 'desires, sighs, anxieties, fears, hopes, and joys into the lap of God.' In other words, through prayer, a Christian puts his 'worries bit by bit on God.'"

The image of taking my worries "bit by bit" (Most of our worries are, in the scheme of things, small, you know.) and placing them in "the lap of God" has helped me in a present struggle with praying.

Books that are collections of essays by different authors are often repetitive because the chapters are stand-alone essays on similar subjects. While there is a little repetition in John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine and Doxology, it is kept to a minimum because each author was given a different piece of Calvin's life or teachings to write on. The writing style does change from chapter to chapter as the authors change, something that can be seen in the variation of the numbers of footnotes for the individual essays. Jay Adam's chapter on perseverance, for example, has only eleven footnotes, while Joel Beeke's on prayer has 116. Yet, since there is a progression in the subjects of the chapters, this collection of essays reads as a unified whole.

I'd say this book is intended for the ordinary Christian reader, one who might not know much about John Calvin, but is interested in learning more about this Reformer who has influenced so much Christian thought and so many Christian leaders since the Reformation. It was a satisfying read and I recommend it to you.

"John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine & Doxology" makes the life and writings of Calvin come alive. This is an easy read and a must-read for any serious student of theology.

Those who contributed to this volume have done an outstanding job of commemorating the great Reformer by getting to the heart of the many aspects of his multi-talented life. John Calvin had a great influence during his lifetime. Now, 500 years later, he is read, studied, and appreciated by increasing numbers of people. They will certainly want to read this book.

This year marks the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth. This book introduces a new generation to Calvin. As stated in the forward: this best purpose of the book will be served if readers of this book will want to read Calvin himself.
Each chapter is written by a different author and the list is like a "who's who" of the Reformed branch of Christianity. Due to the variety of authors, the reader will note some repetition and overlap of topics that could have been eliminated with better editing.
Burk Parsons begins by revealing that it was his studying of the Word of God that convinced him that Calvin's theology was the correct interpretation of Scripture. Derek Thomas next gives the reader a short biography of Calvin. Sinclair Ferguson reminds us of Calvin's heart for God with his life a marriage of learning and piety.
D. G. Hart addresses Calvin's role as Reformer and encourager of Protestants in various countries. Harry Reeder notes how Calvin restored the role of church leadership with the offices of pastor, teacher, elder and deacon. Steven Lawson says Calvin was the most prolific of all the Reformers, systematically preaching through books of the Bible.
W. Robert Godfrey emphasizes Calvin in the pastoral role, comforting and admonishing based on the sovereignty of God. Phillip R. Johnson claims that Calvin's writings, such as the Institutes (published when Calvin was only 27 years old), has secured him a place in history. Eric J. Alexander reminds us that Christocentric is the one word description of Calvin's theology, preaching and thinking. Thabiti Anyabwile shows us Calvin understood the working of the Holy Spirit in salvation and in the union of Christ and the believer.
John MacArthur explains the first of the "five points of Calvinism," total depravity. Richard Phillips brings light to the second point, predestination. Thomas K. Ascol defines redemption, recognizing the serious nature of sin. Keith Mathison explains the Remonstrance (opposing the teaching of Calvin) with the Canons of Dort answering the five points. He also gives a good summary of the doctrine of irresistible grace. Jay Adams rounds out the points of Calvinism with an explanation of the perseverance of the saints.
Philip Graham Ryken addresses Calvin's doctrine of union with Christ where, through the Holy Spirit and by faith, we receive Christ and all His benefits. Michael Horton clarifies Calvin's teaching on salvation and what union with Christ really means. Jerry Bridges explains how Calvin's theology is worked out in everyday in holiness through self-denial, cross-bearing and hopefulness. Joel Beeke ends the collection with a description of Calvin's teaching on prayer as a holy and familiar conversation with God.
Calvin has received a lot of bad press over the centuries. If you would like to read what Calvin really wrote, what he really preached and how he really addressed his pastoral roles, this book is for you. As a Calvinist myself, I am glad to see such a readable and understandable book presenting Calvin to our generation.

I learned so much about John Calvin from this book, it is such a great read. This book reveals aspects about John Calvin that most people don't know and shows his heart for the Lord and for ministry. The collection of authors who wrote the chapters in the book is quite impressive and it is what makes it such a great book. Not only does the book contain biographical information about Calvin but it also shows his work as a pastor, teacher, husband and friend. Certainly this book contains theology but it also reveals the heart in the man behind the theologian.

Having made some progress through the Institutes, but only partially so, I was happy to pick up a copy of this for my kindle. I found it to be well outlined and processed. The mateial flows well, beginning with some history of Calvin and his challenges in France then Geneva then Germany then back to Geneva. While I have read church history in the past, this just seemed to jive for me. I thought one of the funniest comments in this section was that Calvin was criticized for bringing contemporary music into church with a hymnal he created that got called the "Geneva Jigs". The more things change the more they stay the same...

The doctrinal sections were mostly outstanding. I didn't appreciate John MacArthur's section on depravity much and felt like he is becoming such a one trick pony in his old age, just wanting to blast everyone all the time. Robert Godfrey (who I had never head of) includes a section on how Calvin applied doctrine and devotion to counseling the afflicted which was marvelous. He and many others continually bring out the point that while we think of Calvin as a theologian because of his commentaries and the Institutes, Calvin was first of all a pastor with a pastor's heart for God's kids.

Overall this book gets a high recommendation from me with every chapter offering something worthwhile on which to meditate based on my highlights and notes.

John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine, and Doxology

This is an exciting review for me for a few reasons. First, this is the first full length text I have read on John Calvin and was really looking forward to learning quite a bit. Secondly, this was the first full book I read on my Kindle(and I enjoyed that experience greatly). Finally, I was very excited about this book because the contributors are a virtual all-star team of current reformed thought. Burk Parsons, Derek Thomas, Sinclair Ferguson, Steve Lawson, Bob Godfrey, Thabiti Anyabwile, Macarthur, Ascol, Beeke, Ryken, Jerry Bridges, Michael Horton--this book was contributed to by a vast array of reformed thinkers. The table of contents gives a good view of what is in store when you read this book:

1. The Humility of Calvin's Calvinism Burk Parsons

2. Who was John Calvin? Derek W. H. Thomas

3. Calvin's Heart for God Sinclair B. Ferguson

4. The Reformer of Faith and Life D. G. Hart

5. The Churchman of the Reformation Harry L. Reeder

6. The Preacher of God's Word Steven J. Lawson

7. The Counselor to the Afflicted W. Robert Godfrey

8. The Writer for the People of God Phillip R. Johnson

9. The Supremacy of Jesus Christ Eric J. Alexander

10. The Transforming Work of the Spirit Thabiti Anyabwile

11. Man's Radical Corruption John MacArthur

12. Election and Reprobation Richard D. Phillips

13. Redemption Defined Thomas K. Ascol

14. Transforming Grace Keith A. Mathison

15. A Certain Inheritance Jay E. Adams

16. The Believer's Union with Christ Philip Graham Ryken

17. The Principal Article of Salvation Michael Horton

18. The True Christian Life Jerry Bridges

19. The Communion of Men with God Joel R. Beeke

When I began reading this book, I had one major reservation. I was concerned about how I was going to be presented with a fair and balanced view of Calvin historically from a group of men who have been so immensely blessed by his teaching and ministry. I was unsure of their ability or desire to be critical of this oft-maligned man of the faith. To this end, I would have to say that the text is definitely, and unabashedly, pro-Calvin. I feel that it is a fair text but it should be noted that this is a celebration of the life and ministry of John Calvin, not a critique.

Burk Parson's take on the humility of Calvin in the first chapter was a good place to start, especially with the arrogance that is often associated with those who claim to be adherents to Calvin's theology. Chapter 2 is a brilliant and brief history of John Calvin. Derek Thomas masterfully takes us through the major points of the historical Calvin in just 12 rich pages.

Harry Reeder in Chapter 5 takes us through the role Calvin filled as Pastor. The roles that he outlines Calvin filling made me all the more grateful for the work God did through Calvin, but more so it reminded me of the work that is done week in and week out by my pastors, and many like them. I praise God for the men God uses to care for me and others as my Pastor, leader, preacher, teacher, writer, shepherd, evangelist and pastor to pastors. Steve Lawson's chapter on Calvin as preacher is an excellent summary of the topic and a great jumping off point to his wonderful book on Calvin the preacher.

Godfrey's chapter on Calvin the counselor was the most eye-opening for me on Calvin the man. I was completely unaware of the pastoral care that Calvin showed his flock, not just from the pulpit but in their everyday life. It is completely against the caricature of Calvin that is so pervasive in popular thought. Erick Alexander summarizes the teaching of Calvin that Christ is revealed in Scripture as Prophet, Priest and King.

John Macarthur begins a five chapter section on the TULIP of Calvinistic theology. Macarthur takes us through the understanding Calvin had of the extent of human depravity and why this is as critical a doctrine as any to properly understand not only Calvin's thought but Scripture as a whole. Richard Phillips tackles election and reprobation in a God-honoring yet gentle manner reflecting the humility that Calvin himself showed on the subject. Tom Ascol deals with the extent of the atonement in Calvin's theology by first showing the need for the atonement. He then shows the nature of the atoning work of Christ, a work that saves those for whom it was intended.

Keith Mathison and Jay Adams present cases for irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints that was new for me. I believe these chapters are true to Calvin's theology, but more importantly they seem Scripturally sound. To see these doctrines developed in a manner that was new to me, made my belief in them even more firm. Ryken's chapter on the believer's unity with Christ is key in truly understanding Calvin's theology.

The book closes with chapters from Horton, Beeke, and Bridges that are understandably brilliant. Horton deals with Calvin's view of justification and in many ways echoes Ryken's chapter on unity. Horton hits on the biblical view of justification being forensic and the agreement between Calvin and Luther on this key issue.(Side-note: I am constantly encouraged by our leaders who join hands with brothers who hold to different views on secondary issues-Horton and the White Horse Inn guys, Together for the Gospel, Desiring God and their conferences--we are too quick to divide over non-essentials or inconsequentials).

Horton's examination of justification is almost as appropriate as Jerry Bridges contributing on holy living. The book closes with a chapter from Joel Beeke on prayer in the life of John Calvin. One line that sums up the difference between the real John Calvin and the caricature that is often set forth is found in this chapter. "Calvin focused more on the practice of prayer than on its doctrine, which shows how practical his theology was. For Calvin, prayer is the essence of the Christian life; it is a precious gift, not an academic problem." Calvin is often presented as this stoic, heartless academic who rarely engaged in anything with emotion or practicality. This view is completely fallacious. Knowing God was not an academic quest for Calvin, it was everything to him.

I do not have much negative to say about this book. At times it did seem redundant, but I did not find that negative as it allowed me two major benefits: memorization by repetition and seeing the same thought/event from multiple perspectives. For someone who, like me, is a relative newcomer to Calvin (and reformed theology as a whole) I would greatly recommend this book. If you are inclined to read and write a review, Reformation Trust Publishing will provide you with a copy of the book-like they graciously did for me. You can learn more about that on their website.