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Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition

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In this short book of just over 100 pages you'll find the heart of a Christian philosopher who is transparent about the potential pitfalls and more importantly the splendor, depth, and riches of Reformed theology. Chief among the former is the potential for pride which has regrettably characterized far too many who wear the label "Calvinist." Yet the counsel, and rebuke, within these pages is tempered by the humility that is only earned by someone who has been there. Smith admits he's as much talking to a younger version of himself as he is the fictional subject of his letters. I found the format warm, thought-provoking and intimately personal. At the same time he engages such heavy topics as grace, election, Arminianism, choosing the right church, infant baptism, the New Perspective, egalitarianism, the difference between creeds and confessions and some of their distinctives, covenant theology and more. Some of these receive just a mention but by the end of the book you'll come away with a much broader perspective of what really is at the heart of Reformed theology. I even learned how a good Baptist like me can call myself Reformed. Essentially, we (in the Baptist tradition and others) are more influenced by the Westminster stream of confessions which "diminishes the catholicity of the Reformed tradition, so the `Calvinism' that it articulates is just the sort of slimmed-down, extracted soteriology that can be basically detached and then inserted across an array of denominations (and `non-denominations'). And so you get that strange phenomenon I've noted before: that a place like Southern Baptist Theological Seminary could be a vibrant center of Calvinism." (61) Fascinating!

Younger Calvinists will receive some sage advice from a seasoned mentor. Older Calvinists will find a model that can help them communicate the center of Reformed theology and ways in which it can be kept in proper focus. I emphasize this is just a model and perhaps the bare skeleton of what it should look like. But it's a beginning. There are plenty of resources recommended throughout the letters.

Finally, if you're not a Calvinist you're welcome to read some of our mail. If you're tired of having your Christianity questioned this would be a good place to see what true Calvinism should look like when it's not primarily interested in winning debates or scoring points.

In the vast work of John Calvin the industrious author offers no information on any striking moment or dramatic conversion to Christ and Reformation thought. Calvin came to saving faith overtaking his legal studies as a young law student through reading the original Hebrew and Greek texts of the Bible. This inspired him to adhere to Luther's grace based faith and the Reformation. Calvin later notes:

"I tried my best to work hard [at the Law], yet God at last turned my course in another direction by the secret rein of his providence. What happened first was that by an unexpected conversion he tamed to receptivity a mind too stubborn for its years--for I was so strongly devoted to the superstitions of the Papacy that nothing less could draw me from such depths of mire. And so this mere taste of true godliness that I received set me on fire with such a desire to progress that I pursued the rest of my studies more coolly, although I did not give them up altogether. Before a year had slipped by anybody who longed for a purer doctrine kept on coming to learn from me..."

And in "Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition" James K.A. Smith (yes many Calvinists enjoy having single letters/initials embedded in their name) provides a winsome and witty volume that provides a very readable outline of many important features of Calvinism. Smith aims at young adults but this work is fine for non-students as well.

Herein Smith discusses:

- Salvation and entrance into the visible church

- Grace alone

- Semper Reformanda

- The importance and delight of being confessional

- "Wide-angle Calvinism"

- Augustine's influence on Reformed thought

- and more.

Give this to a young person and it may direct the reader to pick up Owens, Watson, Love, Edwards, and most importantly the Bible.

Ephesians 1:4-9 "Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ."

This easy-to-read volume is just 160 pages, so it is just a short theological inauguration and that may lead the young reader to the deeper waters of Puritan thought. Furthermore this is not a polemical book devoted to directly dismissing non-Calvinist thought through potent contentions.

Smith writes in a kind, unruffled, and caring manner that is missing sometimes in the outreach of Reformed thought; he communicates as a patient Puritan and not as aggressive Calvinistic neophytes sometimes do. He presses the truth of Reformed soteriology, yet regrettably, at times he seems to show consideration for Wright's notion of Justification. Nonetheless it is well written, accessible, and makes an outstanding gift, or it can be used as a family devotional outline along with the Bible and the WMSC.

Also see:

Truth, Knowledge and the Reason for God: The Defense of the Rational Assurance of Christianity

or the book that contends for moral absolutes:

There Are Moral Absolutes: How to Be Absolutely Sure That Christianity Alone Supplies

additionally see my presuppositional apologetic book written for Students at my site:

Mike A Robinson

In The Devil Reads Derrida Jamie Smith offers an apologia for writing popular works: he sees it as 'a responsibility to function as public intellectuals for the church as "public"'. This popular book does just that - it serves the church; it provides an accessible and erudite introduction to the Reformed faith in an epistolatory format.

He has traveled from Plymouth Brethren to Pentecostal and Reformed. He knows popular evangelicalism. This book provides, in part, insights from the journey. As one who has traveled to neocalvinism from traditional anglicanism to free church to house church charismatics I appreciated Smith's helpful advice. As one unfamiliar with the different streams of Reformed in the US I found this a helpful and insightful guide. I particularly appreciated his comments on the different 'Reformed confessions' (Letters XX-XII). He also has some useful comments about the justification 'debate' and Tom Wright.

Thankfully Smith doesn't focus on TULIP, election and predestination - not that they aren't important issues - but there are other issues: 'I have a hard time believing that the denial of limited atonement is the most pressing matter of discipleship right now. We should be more worried about Walmat' (p. 91).

He draws upon Augustine, Calvin and Kuyper and makes an excellent case for the virtues and strengths of the Calvinist position. Calvinism he sees as: 'a lens that magnifies a persistent theme in the narrative of God;s self-revelation: that everything depends on God (p. 14); as an 'Augustinian renewal movement within the church catholic' (p. 40); as a '"region" of Reformed theology' (p. 44); as a counter to 'the rampant gnosticism that characterises North American evangelicalism' (p. 103); it's 'an entire "complex" or "world- and life-view"' (p. 110). This is a broad and fully biblical view.

There are many introductory books to Reformed thought, but most are dry and dull; this one is full of wit, warmth and wisdom. Buy it, read it and then buy another to give away.

Contents

Introduction

Letter 1 - Welcome to the Family

Letter 2 - On Religious Pride

Letter 3 - Proud to Be a Calvinist?

Letter 4 - Grace All the Way Down

Letter 5 - God Owes Us Nothing

Letter 6 - God Doesn't Even Owe Us an Answer

Letter 7 - Semper Reformanda

Postcard from Geneva

Letter 8 - A Historical Tour of Reformed Theology

Letter 9 - Augustine, Patron Saint of the Reformers

Postcard from Princeton

Letter 10 - To be Reformed Is to Be Catholic

Letter 11 - On Being "Confessional"

Letter 12 - Beyond Westminster

Letter 13 - God's "Social" Gospel

Letter 14 - Our Promise-Keeping God

Postcard from Amsterdam

Letter 15 - Elected to Love

Letter 16 - Church Matters

Letter 17 - Too Reformed for Church?

Postcard from Seoul

Letter 18 - On Grumpy Speculations

Letter 19 - Wide-Angle Calvinism

Letter 20 - Far as the Curse Is Found

Letter 21 - What Are We Saved For?

Letter 22 - Bibliographical Providence

Letter 23 - Enjoying God by Enjoying Creation

Whenever I finish a book by James K. A. Smith, I feel encouraged, puzzled, and provoked. Perhaps that's one reason I continue to read Smith's books. I like when writers force me to think. Good books shift categories and reframe discussions in ways that shine light on truth from different angles.

Smith's shortest book to date is Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition (Brazos, 2010), a collection of letters that Jamie writes to a younger version of himself. The book is designed to respond to the Reformed Resurgence among young people in recent years. Jamie wants to help young Calvinists avoid the pitfalls of Reformed theology and instead embrace the promise of the wider Reformed tradition. And just as I expected when reading Jamie's work, I was encouraged, puzzled, and provoked.

Encouraged

I've counseled lots of guys who (1) grew up in typical evangelical churches, (2) went to college where they asked deep questions about their faith, (3) found in Calvinism some clear, seemingly biblical answers, and (4) came home ready to share their nuggets of wisdom with the rest of their congregation. I could probably put together my own collection of emails I've sent off to young Calvinists. (I should say younger Calvinists, since I still fancy myself as young!)

Much of Smith's book overlaps nicely with the counsel I've given others. Most helpful is the warning against the sin of pridefulness. Humility should be the primary Calvinist virtue. Jamie writes:

"How strange that discovering the doctrines of grace should translate into haughty self-confidence and a notable lack of charity." (xi)

"The way you talk in this most recent letter seems more concerned with pointing out what's wrong with all the other Christians around you - especially our friends at church. I'll be honest with you: it sometimes sounds like you think you've achieved some new secret knowledge, which somehow gives you license to mock those who don't have it." (6)

Right on. The last thing we need is a bunch of neo-Gnostic Calvinists impressed by their ability to read between the lines of Scripture until they can rightly discern all the ways of God.

Particularly helpful in Jamie's warning against pride is his communal focus. He constantly prods his young Calvinist conversation partner toward the local church. Friends matter. The church matters. The church you grew up in, even if it is decidedly not Calvinistic, is the church God used as the instrument in your life to bring you to faith and shape your Christian character. You were loved into the kingdom. Jamie is right to remind us of our need to serve the church. I especially like this line of advice:

"What should you be doing to become a Reformed theologian? That's easy: teach third-grade Sunday School." (30)

Another positive aspect of this book is Jamie's decision to begin his brief exposition of Reformed theology by emphasizing that everything is a gift, including our existence. "To be is to be graced." (15) By speaking of grace that "goes all the way down," he effectively reframes Calvinism as more than the doctrines of election and predestination. Instead, one must adopt a God-centered view of the world that widens the lens of Calvinism to all the earth, not just tulips.

Puzzled

As the book progressed, I found myself scratching my head at times, not quite sure regarding the direction Jamie wanted to take us. For example, in his letters about the wide scope of God's redemptive work, Jamie writes:

"To say that God is concerned with more than the salvation of individual souls is not to say that he's interested in less than the salvation of individuals." (65)

He goes on:

"The you of God's dealings is always an `us'. The gospel is always already a social gospel." (68)

I think I agree with Jamie here, but I question the language he uses. Jamie prefaces his remarks about corporate salvation by insisting that individual salvation cannot and should not be undermined. I say something almost identical in Counterfeit Gospels.

But I don't think it's wise to call this a "social gospel." Even if Jamie's point is that God's salvation incorporates us into the covenant community, the term "social gospel" has too many negative connotations for it to be a helpful description. There's not enough room in this book for Jamie to further explore what he means here, which is why "social gospel" will throw up unnecessary red flags to conservatives on guard against last century's liberal "social gospel" theology.

Another point that puzzles me is the way Jamie describes the storyline of the Bible. Granted, he traces the plot line in a way that emphasizes the covenant community (which is the subject of the letter this storyline appears in). But I fear this way of reading the Bible's story is reductionistic:

The basic lineaments of the narrative are simple and unchanging: the Creator of the universe establishes norms and standards for his creatures ("the law") and requires them to obey. In the face of their original disobedience, he doesn't suspend those norms or standards; rather, he keeps calling humanity to that standard while at the same time graciously enacting countermeasures. But the call is the same: humanity, created in God's image, is called to bear his image as Yahweh's ambassadors, his vice-regents in the territory of creation, by continuing to unfold and unpack all the potential that has been folded into creation. And he calls us to do that well, in ways that accord with his norms and desire for the final flourishing of his creation "to the praise of his glorious grace" (Eph. 1:6). The core of the covenant remains the same. Unfortunately, our covenantal infidelity also remains constant - until the climax of the covenant when a Son of Mary lives up to the calling on our behalf, and then makes it possible for us, by grace, to live up to the covenant." (74)

There's nothing untrue in this summary of the Bible's plotline. But the emphasis on the creation mandate appears to overshadow and even eclipse the weight of biblical testimony upon how the cross resolves our sin problem. If this is the major plot line of the Bible's grand narrative, one wonders why so much of the covenant story deals with bloody sacrifices, the temple as the place of God's presence, and the exile that is only ended when the Jesus - the true Israelite - lives, dies, and rises on our behalf.

Provoked

And then there is the underlying irony of this book that makes it difficult for me to recommend it to my young Calvinist friends. Despite his advocacy for a wider view of Reformed theology, Jamie takes an adversarial stance toward the young, restless, Reformed from the Westminster tradition.

While his desire to widen our view of Reformed theology is admirable (I too prefer the Heidelberg Catechism over Westminster), Jamie jabs at the Calvinists who want to "get people to toe the party line." Included in this group are the Baptists (like myself) who lean Reformed in certain aspects, and yet who are unashamedly Baptist in ecclesiology.

Jamie wants people to embrace Reformed theology as a full package, which includes infant baptism and Reformed ecclesiology. That simply won't do for guys like me, and it's the Reformed principle of sola Scriptura that keeps me from going there. I am beholden - not to Westminster, Heidelberg, or even the Baptist Faith and Message - but to Scripture above all. Jamie would surely agree with this conviction, but then he targets Westminster:

"The Westminster stream diminishes the catholicity of the Reformed tradition, so the `Calvinism' that it articulates is just the sort of slimmed-down, extracted soteriology that can be basically detached and then inserted across an array of denominations." (61)

The irony here is that - even as he assumes the role of peacemaker and advocate of big-tent Reformed theology - Jamie is actually narrowing "Reformed" in a way that excludes, rather than includes. He criticizes Westminster for diminishing catholicity, when it appears to me that Westminster-influenced Baptists, at least in this instance, have a greater understanding of the catholicity of the Christian church than he does. For all his talk against the party line and drawing lines about who's in and who's out, Jamie's book is - at least at some level - an attempt to draw lines.

Conclusion

Encouraged, puzzled, and provoked. But overall, I believe Letters to a Young Calvinist contains good, pastoral insight into the pitfalls and promise of Reformed theology, even if I disagree with Smith in some of the particulars.

For many, Calvinism is nothing more than the theological concepts represented by TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints. Yet, what does Calvinism offer the theological layman? In James K. A. Smith's Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition, readers are treated to a charitable, wide-sweeping view of how Calvinism includes TULIP and a whole lot more.

I love the letter format. Smith creates a fictional "Jesse" as the recipient. At the book's start, Jesse has just discovered Calvinism and has begun a snail-mail conversation with Smith, a former mentor. Smith gently and truthfully guides Jesse through various stages, including TULIP obsession, theological snobbery, and spiritual amnesia. Thanks to the letter format, Smith is able to treat topics sparingly as he pursues each letter's message.

And the overall message about Calvinism that Smith sends to Jesse is rewarding. Smith illustrates how Calvinism is about one word-grace-and about how that one word goes "all the way down" to the bottom of everything. He explains how creation itself is an act of unmerited grace, and how, because of the grace-nature of everything, God owes us absolutely nothing. One might suspect that the letters get dark here-but that's far from the case! Smith goes on to discuss the history of Reformed theology, the "catholicity" of Reformed theology, Reformed confessions, God's "people" (versus individual) purposes in salvation, the concept of covenant, and the "far as the curse is found" scope of Reformed theology.

Though I love all that stuff, it's inevitable that someone who sets out to write a colloquial, epistolary discussion of a topic as big as Calvinism is bound to say things that readers will disagree with. Smith's letters touch on a vast array of controversial topics, including dispensationalism, predestination, hell, infant baptism, male and female roles in the church, worship, and creeds. Though I don't land with him on every issue, he's writing personal letters, not theological treatises. If you're able to read for the big picture, this is a winning book that invites readers in to the grandeur of Calvinism.

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.")

In a generation of believers that have quieted at the sound of voices like Paul Washer or Mark Driscoll, John Piper or Al Mohler, C.J. Mahaney or R.C. Sproul, Calvinism has come again to the forefront as a radical take on Christianity that a younger Christians have embraced in contrast to their parents and grandparents. Going by names like "New Calvinists" or "Young, Restless, and Reformed", we have a veritable movement who have rediscovered a treasure in the Christian tradition. And in light of this, Dr. James K. A. Smith, a "New Calvinist" himself in many respects, writes us all a series of letters as "an invitation to the Reform Tradition."

Exploring everything from Augustine and Calvin to Edwards and Kuyper, Smith deftly displays the wider treasures of the reformed tradition beyond what Calvinism has been known for. The reality that Calvinism is a "world- and life-view" and that its orientation is about worship, not lectures or picky doctrinalism are just two fine examples of the points that Smith makes with these easily-read, finely-written, and often amusing letters. Whether you consider yourself reformed or Calvinist is beside the point. This book is well worth reading.

_Letters to a Young Calvinist_ really stands alone as a book of pithy counsel to the fervent young Calvinist who needs a 'map' for the new terrain he or she has entered. Since Smith can vividly recall the time (not so long ago) when he himself was a Calvinist neophyte, he is like a doctor writing a prescription that fits a widespread condition. The 'medicine' prescribed is largely good and sound. I especially appreciated his emphasis on the Reformed faith's recognition that God is determined to call not only individuals but "a people" to salvation. But a few qualifications are in order.

1) The book does not really escape the truncated notion which it spots in the young Calvinist: the notion of a Reformed tradition mainly rooted in Calvin and bequeathed quite directly to us. Yet, Calvin was increasingly neglected in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries because of the well-founded belief that he had many worthwhile successors, who were as capable as he of writing good theology. Almost all versions of Calvinism current today (including Smith's neo-Calvinism) are versions that have arisen since 1820 --when Calvin began to be "rediscovered". All modern versions of Calvinism press this romanticized notion that we have it "straight from Calvin".

2) Similarly, _Letters_, just like the 'patient' under treatment, props up the notion of Calvin as a solitary colossus at Geneva, when in fact Calvin and his city were but one 'spring' of four or five issuing forth the Reformed faith as it was transmitted across Europe. Must Zwingli,Bucer, Vermigli,& Bullinger still be kept on the sidelines? Apparently they must in _Letters_,just as in other popular Calvinist literature.

3) _Letters_ takes a dim view of today's followers of Calvin outside the Presbyterian and Reformed churches; they do not have the 'right' pedigree. But some of these streams of Calvinism go right back into the seventeenth century, and generated their own post-Reformation confessions. Thus, _Letters_ draws the Calvinist 'circle' tighter than good historical analysis would warrant. Non-Presbyterian & Reformed Calvinists are not necessarily "Johnny-come-lately's".

4) Smith's adoptive Dutch neo-Calvinism is treated preferentially, as if it were the fittest 'heir' of Calvin and the Reformation. He does not like Westminster Confession Calvinism.This is a matter over which sincere Calvinists will disagree. What is incontestable is that Smith's neo-Calvinism is only one of five or six streams of Calvinism generated in the last 200 years. It holds no 'copyright' which other streams of Calvinism infringe upon at their peril. All thoughtful Calvinists will not inevitably find their true home in the neo-Calvinism Smith especially associates with Abraham Kuyper and followers.

5) _Letters_ may create the (mis)impression that it is only today's "New Calvinism" which stands in need of critique for its excesses. In reality, every stream of Calvinism could benefit from critique of the kind offered to "New Calvinism" by _Letters_. Hubris and arrogance are not uniquely associated with today's 'New Calvinists'. So, can we look for a sequel called "Letters to _Old_ Calvinists"? I encourage Jamie Smith to take on the task! It is no less necessary.

I truly appreciated this book for all its worth. Jamie does a great job at breaking down the major "sticky" points that have confused some on the Reformed faith. I would have given this a fifth star but some of the words he uses were just too advanced for younger people or those new to the faith. The words he uses are important and necessary but alternatives could have been used - thus openg this book up to other generations and age groups. Overall, this is a great read for Reformed believers and seekers alike.

Amazing book. I wish someone could have given me this 4 years ago when I started exploring Reformed Theology. A must-read for any Calvinist, and anyone who thinks that all Calvinists are evil, evil people who have departed from the Bible and made predestination the Gospel.

James K.A. Smith is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Books such as Desiring the Kingdom, Who's Afraid of Postmodernism?, and The Devil Reads Derrida were all excellent reads, so I was excited to hear he had released a new book directed -primarily- at the new young Calvinist movement.

That book, Letters to a Young Calvinist, is framed as a collection of letters written to Jesse (a stand in for the young Calvinist of today and Smith's younger self) which walk him through his newfound passion for Calvinism and lead him into the larger hall of the Reformed tradition. The format works quite well with the goals of the book and serves to make it quite an engaging as well. To that point, I read it in more or less one sitting.

Throughout the book James Smith's primary concern seems to be to invite the young Calvinist who is enthralled by his recent discovery of TULIP soteriology to see that this is just one small part of a much larger, and richer, story. A story that focuses on a good God making a good world which has fallen but is being redeemed. A story that has room for continental and Anglo Reformers, for complementarians and egalitarians, for postmodernism, and even for Tom Wright. A story that is less about fighting Arminians and more about realizing it is "grace all the way down" and worshiping God with our whole lives in response to that grace.

Many times Jesse is warned against the pride and hostility that (sadly and ironically) often takes hold of those who discover the doctrines of grace, and the infighting that follows. One of my favorite such sections comes at the end, and I'll let Smith speak for himself,

"you'd think these folks see Pentecostalism as more of a danger to our souls than capitalism - or Willow Creek as more of a threat than the temptations of nationalism. It's like they have a myopic fixation on the `Arminian' errors of other Christians and thus miss the downright diabolical systems of injustice that are all around us... I have a hard time believing that the denial of limited atonement is the most pressing matter of discipleship right now. We should be more worried about Walmart." (pg. 91)

Now, I'm not a Calvinist (though I'm not Arminian either), but I've often stood at the edge of the Reformed tradition, and even stepped into it a few times over the years. Many close friends and classmates of mine are Reformed, and besides I live in West Michigan which is something of a Reformed Mecca. So this book hit home and was quite relevant to me.

Why I'm not Reformed isn't the point of this review, but the cold, TULIP obsessed, "Old Perspective Justification theology is the test of orthodoxy" faith that many in the neo-Reformed movement seem to be offering is part of it to be sure. And this is shown in Letters to a Young Calvinist not only to be the wrong way to approach being Reformed, but also to be missing most of what makes the Reformed tradition rich and powerful. And though I might not be there in the hall at the moment, Smith's larger presentation of what it means to be Reformed is something I can appreciate and build bridges to.

I'll definitely be recommending this to the young Calvinists in my life, and I recommend it to you as well.