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John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor

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There are not too many men whose five hundredth birthday is a cause for remembrance, not to mention celebration. Yet here we are, five hundred years after the birth of John Calvin, witnessing widespread celebration of his birth. This year we see many conferences dedicated to understanding Calvin's impact on the church and on society, even centuries later, and we see the publication of many books looking at the man and his theology. It strikes me as a strange oversight that we do not yet have a definitive biography of Calvin (as Marsden has done for Edwards, as Dallimore has done for Whitefield, as Murray has done for Lloyd-Jones, and so on) and I am hoping that this year will end the drought--that by year's end we will have that one biography that will stand for many years as the definitive life of Calvin. With several biographies set for release in 2009, one would think this ought to be the year.

Into the fray steps Robert Godfrey with John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor. He begins by saying "Today for many people the name of John Calvin is known only in a vague sense and has become a label for attitudes that are negative, judgmental, and joyless. Historians, by contrast, know that John Calvin was one of the most remarkable men who lived in the last five hundred years and that his influence on the development of the modern western world has been immense." Indeed, Calvin's influence is felt in the rise of democracy, capitalism and even in modern science. "The life and work of John Calvin have always been controversial as well as influential. Some have loved him, and some have hated him. All would agree that he was a man with a brilliant mind and a powerful will who had a profound impact on the development of western civilization. But was the impact positive or negative?" Even among Christians, many of whom have no sense of the debt they owe Calvin, many see the negative much more than the positive. Everyone has an opinion about Calvin but one wonders how many of these opinions are based on fact.

Even in his own day Calvin was loved by some and hated by others. Even in his own day he was a figure of great controversy. Yet, as Godfrey points out, he did not set out to be controversial or to be a figure of great renown. "The real Calvin was not in the first place a man who lived to influence future generations. Rather he was a spiritual pilgrim finding anew the apostolic Christianity expressed in the Bible and serving as a faithful minister of that Word in the church of his day. The influence that Calvin would have regarded as most important was as a purifier of the Christian religion and a reformer of the church for his day. The essential Calvin was a pilgrim and pastor. From that reality all his influence flowed." This book is "an introduction to the life and thought of John Calvin," a man who lived out his faith as both a pilgrim and a pastor.

Though the book introduces Calvin's life and his thought, it focuses primarily on the latter. The first few chapters, along with the final one, give that overview of his life. It looks to the outline we tend to be familiar with--his "fateful" journey from France to Strassburg and his meeting there with William Farel who convinced Calvin that he must stay; his initial ministry in Geneva and his eventual banishment; his short ministry in Strassburg; and the rest of his career after returning from his exile and taking up again his ministry in Geneva.

The bulk of the book describes Calvin's theology. Some of this theology is woven into biography, but in many cases it stands alone. Godfrey focuses on topics such as the church and worship, predestination, sacraments, city and schools, and Calvin as pastoral counselor. He describes each well, looking primarily at how Calvin formulated his thoughts and his theology in each of these areas. He looks often to Calvin's writings, the Institutes, his sermons and his voluminous personal correspondence. I feel that the chapter on Calvin as Pastoral Counselor is particularly important to those who would seek to understand Calvin as something other than the caricature so many present. Here we see a man who had a pastor's heart and who was eager to bless and encourage others. He shows himself to be a far cry from the angry tyrant that so many present him as. Godfrey clearly has an exhaustive knowledge of Calvin and in this book he conveys it in a way that is at once deep and accessible.

In the end analysis, John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor is more of a life and theology than a life and times. Perhaps history has not recorded enough about Calvin's life that we can construct the kind of biography that would be the equal of Marsden's Edwards or Dallimore's Whitefield. We will continue to wait and see. But I do not wish to criticize this book for what it is not and, perhaps, what it cannot be. This is, after all, a very good overview of Calvin's life as well as a description and assessment of his theology. What it seeks to do, it does very well and it is well worth the read. As you close the back cover, you will know more about Calvin the man, more about Calvin the theologian, and more about Calvin's influence in history. And I suspect, even if you cannot agree with all of his theology, you'll thank God for raising up the right man at the right time. Calvin is one of those rare men who deserves to be remembered, even on his five hundredth birthday.

We oftetimes ask people "who are you" and we get pleasantries as answer,"OK, "Fine" etc. But this book takes under the surface of John Calvin and tell us the frustrations of a man just like us. It tells us his grief in the death of his wife and child. It describes the persecution from the people of Geneva and from the Popish Church. In a year when publishers went wild with books on John Calvin's 500th Birthday, I admit, I was leery of another book on John Calvin. But after hearing Godfrey describe his book and the track he took to describe this man (the interview aired on the 'the White Horse Inn') I was intrigued to see a book that would tell me the formation of Calvin's theology in the midst of the pilgrim life led by John Calvin. I was not disappointed.

The new book takes you to the familiar history of Calvin's plan for one night in Geneva and it makes sure that even the newest reader would grasp the life of John Calvin. But then comes the struggles, the depression, the fights with the City Council, the exile, the writings and revisions of texts and of course the five-fold revision of the two volumes that changed the map of Christian history--the Institutes. The details are all there, but the details are not just facts, it is so beautifully interwoven with the truth of real life in 16th century Europe.

In addition, Godfrey adds some new materials to the personal life of Calvin that are rarely added by other authors. Calvin is too frequently viewed in many volumes as a scholar, writer, and theologian. But now we see the pilgrim, the pastor, the father, the exile, the shepherd (who was prevented from visiting his flock by his own elders during the great plague in order to save his life so shepherd more people.) We see Calvin in written debate with the Roman Church and the desire to transform lives with the Kingdom of God. And yet, we see a man who rarely had a day go by without depression, feelings of worthlessness...a person we can identify with even if he penned the greatest systematic theology of all time.

If I could recommend one book for this year to know the person, the pastor, and the pilgrim...this would be the volume to add to the library. In fact, buy a case and give it to the families of your church. Rarely will you ever read such a volume so tender and yet so strong.

Godfrey's book on John Calvin, to celebrate the Reformer's 500th birthday, is well written and engaging. Of course much is written about Calvin, both positive and negative, but this one has Godfrey's ability to make old historical things come to life. The book rehearses Calvin's life and the events that led up to his conversion to the Protestant faith out of Rome, which is fast paced and an enjoyable read. However, if you are familiar with the life of John Calvin, there is not much new information on that. But what causes this book to shine is that Godfrey shows the things that drove Calvin to be what he was. A history book that doesn't put the subject in context is worthless, of course, but Godfrey, as a good historian, understands that period of time and how people thought and weaves that into the story to make Calvin a real person and not a stilted controversial theologian. Moreover, Godfrey helped us get to know Calvin by examining his teachings on various subjects that Calvin thought important. More than just biographical material, he helps us to understand Calvin's "psyche." Calvin is often only seen as a stern theologian, unbending in his doctrine of predestination and condemnation of heretics. But Godfrey shows that he was preeminently a Pastor. What kind of pastor? What kind of preacher? What kind of counselor? Why was he this kind of theologian rather than another kind? He wasn't perfect, and those weaknesses are pointed out in this book, but Dr. Godfrey reveals just how he was a man driven by a true desire to see God glorified and Christ's church built up through choice quotes from various sources of Calvin's own works. I readily recommend this book for a good introduction to the man and thought of Calvin.

John Calvin was a man whose heart beat for God, a true disciple of Jesus Christ. That is the impression with which you should leave this book, regardless of your opinions of his theology. This short biographical work, which covers essential elements of Calvin's theology, is a great way to be introduced to the Reformer.

Godfrey introduces Calvin the humble. This was not a man who sought the ministry--he wanted to be a scholar, living in peace and quiet! Yet, twice he was accosted by fellow Christians who saw in him the gift of preaching and called him to pastoral office. At his death, by his own desire, no great tomb or mausoleum was erected for him, no edifice to say, "This was a great man!"

Godfrey also shows us Calvin the tireless worker. He wrote numerous letters--and not only to statesmen (such as the preface to his famous "Institutes of the Christian Religion", addressed to the king of France), but to common parishioners in Geneva and elsewhere, letters of encouragement and exhortation. He preached, on a weekly basis, many more sermons--and original, distinct ones at that--than the average pastor today, I suspect. He was involved in the religious life of his congregation (indeed, his congregations plural, as he rotated through the churches in the city) at every level--including the catechesis, or teaching, of the children. Calvin was a busy man.

We see, in this book, Calvin the product of his age. The account of Servetus, burned at the stake for heresy, seems to be a perennial favorite for those who dislike Calvin and the doctrines he taught. Yet we see that Calvin's approval of Servetus' execution was hardly out of character for any society in that period of history--Servetus would likely have suffered the same fate in another Protestant locality, or in Catholic France. Of course, this does not excuse the act, and Calvinists today rightly ought to reject such views. The Reformation in which Calvin participated corrected many things, but had not yet reached the point of once again seeing the church as a "community-in-exile" within the larger world, vice the national or geopolitical instrument as which it existed in the medieval era and still often functioned in his day.

Inevitably, we also see Calvin the theologian, perhaps the Calvin best known today--but Godfrey clearly paints a picture of Calvin the theologian as a natural outgrowth of Calvin the pastor. This was no ivory tower academician, but a man who was concerned at his core to rightly understand and teach doctrines that practically assisted believers in their life and worship.

Ultimately, Calvin was concerned that God in Christ be glorified, that the gospel of Jesus be proclaimed. This book, in recounting the life of one of the saints, should help us to do just that, namely, to worship Jesus, as we rejoice over what He did through this man--as we should rejoice over God's work through all of His saints in Christ.

" The Bible directs Christians in all their living: . . we ought surely to seek from Scripture a rule for thinking and speaking. To this yardstick all thoughts of the mind and all words of the mouth must be conformed."

Lifes' afflictions can only be sweet if we recognize they are directed by God, serve his purpose and invariably lead to good ultimately. A greater good that we may not live to see.

Hence, true security for a happy life lies in acceptance that our lives are under complete divine government

God's promisses are given to all but only those elected by God can receive because the elect are moved by Grace.

It is God alone who enlightens our minds to perceive his truth, who seals it on our hearts by his Spirit and who by his sure witness confirms it to our conscience.

While Calvin did not object to capital punishment for heresy committed against the bible, he advocated the quick and relatively painless method of beheading instead of burning at the stake.

First thing I did was check the pages on Michael Servetus (132-134) and these I found convincing. Next, I read the introductory pages and was very impressed by what reads like a Hollywood movie treatment/proposal. Then, I just kept reading, finding the whole book to be a satisfying experience.

This book will make one realize that everything that you were taught in history class was, well, shallow. Here we have and example of a man who the world loves to criticize without actually knowing him. Dr. Godfrey brings forth the breadth of John Calvin's life from theologian to pastor to educator and more. We read that Calvin was a theologian of the highest level and at the same time had a pastor's heart. He was not just an academic but got "his hands dirty" with all the problems, sufferings and joys of the people's daily life (and in those days life was hard indeed). We also read of Calvin within the context of the 16th century rather from today's inclination towards chronological snobbery.

I would recommend this book to all who want to understand the depth of this man who was - and still is - so influential in the Christian church. As quoted in the book, I think his colleague Theodore Beza's quote is worth repeating; "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, and example which is as easy to slander as it is difficult of imitate.'

Robert Godfrey gives us a delightful short biography of the life of John Calvin one of the most renowned Reformer in the 16th Century. Calvin spent his life studying, writing and preaching the word of the God. As part of that influence he also was involved in the local politics of the community as during that time the church and state were fairly closely tied.

One example pointed out in the text of this tie is the fact that Calvin believed that The Lord's Supper should be celebrated once a week during the normal worship time for the church. But the local city government declared that communion would only be held once a quarter, so that is what happened (this was a concession as it had been once a year). While we today would frown upon the state having control over when we administer communion it was not as harsh an edict during Calvin's life. The church and state often worked together.

Calvin was not a fan of the Catholic Church, he was a Reformer. He was driven out of France and went to live in Geneva. He was also run out of Geneva and went to Germany. But soon was inticed to come back to Geneva as the city fathers realized they made a mistake and they needed the intellect and piety of John Calvin to restore order to the church, and to defend the church against those whom took exception to their teachings.

As such Calvin at times would come under attack by critics. Some of those Critics were actually arrested, tried and put to death because of the heresy that they were teaching. Times were certainly different during Calvin's life than what we experience today.

Calvin found time to write commentaries on each book of the Bible as well as write a multi volume set on the Doctrines of the Church. He also preached, taught at the local Bible School and wrote hundreds of letters to correct both critics and other pastors who were in error.

This short book contains chapters regarding Calvins thoughts on;
1. The Church and Worship
2. The Church and the Sacraments
3. The Church and Predestination
4. The Church, the City, and the Schools
5. Calvin and the Institutes (his written work on Theology)

If you have never read anything on John Calvin this would be a wonderful place to start. After reading this you might consider picking up one of the books that contains his letters to others, or some of his sermons. Also you can find reprints of individual volumes of his commentaries or the whole set.

This book was written to commemorate the 500th birthday of John Calvin. I trust you will enjoy it as much as I did.

Enjoy!