Book Review - 'The Gospel as Taught by Calvin'

What is Calvinism, and is it Biblical? This question will be asked by many people in the church this year. On the one hand we have the empty rhetoric of so many Arminians and free-willers, who are long on assertions and short on Bible texts taken in context. On the other hand we have little books like this. First published in the 19th century, The Gospel as Taught by Calvin was written by Rev. R.C. Reed. Drawing on Calvin's legacy, Reed sets out the Biblical teaching on grace expertly and with care.

The book opens with an historical section setting out the origins of Calvinism and Arminianism, and then moves on to deal with each of the famed Five Points in turn. He engages with the writings of actual Arminians, so we are not just dependent on his ipse dixit for what Arminians believe, an excellent feature. Even in his day there were some who wanted a 'once saved, always saved' position, but who insisted that man's free will can resist saving grace when he is unregenerate. This position, he notes, is utterly inconsistent with the free-will theology - after all, if free will is so important that God will not infallibly draw men to Himself so that he won't violate free will, doesn't it follow that the saved sinner ought to have the free-will to damn himself again?

The two final chapters are 'Calvinism Tested by Love' and 'Calvinism Tested by Fruit'. In these chapters Reed argues that the historical legacy of Calvinism gives the lie to many of the criticisms levelled against it. This is an excellent little book, and one that every non-Calvinist ought to read. So should every Calvinist, but the non-Calvinists need it more! It is the answer to all those horrible tomes represnted by Dave Hunt's What Love is This?

The Gospel as Taught by Calvin, by R.C. Reed, is published by the Banner of Truth Trust and retails at £ 5.50. It is available from your local Christian bookshop. If you really can't get it at your local bookshop, it is available direct from Banner of Truth.

Banner of Truth celebrates Calvin 500

The Banner of Truth Trust has been consistently the best British publisher of Reformed reprints since its establishment in 1957. Thanks to the efforts of the Trust, many excellent gems of Reformed theology have been brought back into print over the last half-century. These books range from the era of the Reformation to the earlier part of the twentieth century, with authors from all sorts of places and backgrounds. John Calvin is well represented, as he ought to be, of course. His sermons predominate, as they ought to for a man who was first and foremost a preacher, with seven different titles listed on the Banner website. Second come Biblical commentaries, which again is as it should be, as Calvin remains one of the greatest of Biblical commentators. There are four volumes stocked, commentaries on Genesis, Jeremiah and Lamentations, Daniel and the Minor Prophets. Until this year there were only two other Calvin titles published by the Banner, Truth for all Time, Calvin's short summary of Biblical doctrine, and a selection of Letters of John Calvin. But for this Calvin 500 year the Trust has produced a real treasure, the seven-volume set of Tracts and Letters by Calvin. This set brings together what were originally two separate publications, the three-volume set of Tracts published by the Calvin Translation Society in the mid-nineteenth century (1844-51), and the four-volume set of Letters of John Calvin, first published in America by the Presbyterian Board of Publication in 1858. For this year only, the Trust is offering the set for £45, which adds up to less than £6.50 pervolume. Given that these are cloth-bound volumes, this is quite a bargain!

The first three volumes of Tracts contain shorter writings of Calvin. The first volume begins with Beza's Life of John Calvin, giving a good introduction to Calvin himself. It is chiefly concerned with the Reformation of the Church, including his Letter to Cardinal Sadoleto, and The Necessity of Reforming the Church. Volume two contains a more miscellaneous selection of writings, including the Catechism of the Church of Geneva, Calvin's Geneva liturgy, and his writings on the Sacraments, particularly on the Lord's Supper. The final volume opens with Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent, with the Antidote. This particular writing is extremely important, as Trent still forms the foundation of the modern Roman Catholic Church. This work shows where the dividing line between Rome and the Reformation still lies.

The four volumes of Letters are proably the closest we can get to Calvin the man, they show him as he was. Time and again, reading biographies of Calvin, I have come across writers saying "read the letters". Now, thanks to the Banner of Truth, we can.

Books to use for non-Calvinists

The accusation has been made that I have only given references to books by Calvinists. For this reason, I give a list of books about Calvin by non-Calvinists that you can give to your Dave Hunt-influenced friends.

1. William J. Bouwsma: John Calvin: A Sixteenth Century Portrait (New York, Oxford University Press, 1988). By a historian at a secular university, namely Berkeley, and published by a secular publisher, there is no way that this can be accused of being a mere fan piece.

2. Andrew Martin Fairbairn: ‘Calvin and the Reformed Church’ Pp.342-376 in The Cambridge Modern History Vol. 2 (Cambridge, 1934). Great if you can get hold of it. Fairbairn was a dedicated Arminian who had deliberately rejected his Calvinistic upbringing in Presbyterian Scotland. His whole mental bias was against Calvin, yet he is almost laudatory of Calvin!

3. R.N. Carew Hunt, Calvin (London, the Centenary Press, 1933). Another great biography to give to Dave Hunt's followers. Hunt makes it quite clear that he is no Calvinist, but at the same time he refuses to close his eyes to Calvin's good qualities.

4. Hugh Y. Reyburn, John Calvin (London, Hodder and Stoughton, 1914). Liberal Presbyterian author, very scholarly and full of quotations from the original sources.

5. Williston Walker, John Calvin: Revolutionary, Theologian, Pastor (Reprinted Fearn, Christian Focus, 2005). Yale Church historian. I trust that no-one will suspect him of Calvinism. Certainly not after reading this book!

If the Dave Hunt fan refuses to read any of these books, or says he doesn't believe them afterwards, ask him why. Point out that a refusal to examine the evidence is not a Christian virtue. I own and have read all of these books, and I like them.

An old classic that deserves to be reprinted, but hasn't been yet

R.N. Carew Hunt's Calvin (London, the Centenary Press, 1933), is probably my favourite biography of John Calvin. I find it a slightly better read than Reyburn, though it's a close call. This book is a classic, and it wasn't written by a Calvinist either! Robert Reymond writes of it:
“As a biography it is unsurpassed, but Hunt is somewhat hard on times because of his doctrine of predestination.” T.H.L. Parker writes of this book:
"whatever qualifications must be made about its interpretation of Calvin's theology, [it] is reliable and well-written history." Simply put, this is one of the classics, a book that I can recommend to everyone who wants to learn more about Calvin. It is not merely a rehash of what is found in Reyburn, and Hunt's racy English prose is a joy to read. Since Hunt is not a Calvinist, this can be a good book to use to correct a victim of Dave Hunt's silliness. The final paragraph of the book is wonderful. I give it here:

"At this point what we may think of his doctrine or his system become of no
importance. We are left in the presence of a man who followed what he believed
to be the truth, and consecrated his life to its attainment, and for this he
will be had in honour as long as courage and singleness of purpose are held as
virtues among men."

On Books About Calvin: 4

In addition to the nine biographies of Calvin that I have listed, there are a number of special studies that deal with aspects of the Reformer's life that are worthy of mention.

1. Timothy George (ed.): John Calvin and the Church (Westminster/John Knox, 1990). This is a series of essays on Calvin. Despite the title, it does in fact deal with far more than just Calvin and the Church. There are essays on such diverse subjects as 'Calvin's Illnesses and Their Relation to Christian Vocation', 'The Church as the Elect in the Theology of Calvin', and 'The Place of the Academy in Calvin's Polity'. Its diversity makes it a great book to read. It is aimed at the scholar, but the intelligent Reformed non-scholar will find something here as well. Available from Amazon.

2. David W. Hall: The Legacy of John Calvin (Presbyterian and Reformed, 2008). The question of Calvin's influence on the world is one of the questions that will be asked in this year of Calvin 500. Hall tries to give an answer to this question. This book is in three parts, part one deals with 'Ten Ways Modern Culture is Different because of John Calvin', part two is a short biography of Calvin, and part three consists of quotations demonstrating Calvin's influence across the denominations. This is an excellent book, and well worth the read. Available from Amazon.

3. Richard Stauffer: The Humanness of John Calvin (Solid Ground Christian Books, 2008). Calvin is often caricatured as an ogre. Whilst the biographies that I have listed are all of a more balanced type, there are still some Arminians and free-willers out there who like to regurgitate the old lies about Calvin. This book, originally published back in 1964, was written to correct these misrepresentations. It draws on the best scholarship, and quotes Calvin himself. It is a good, short introduction for those who have been influenced by such people as Nelson Price and Dave Hunt. Available from Amazon.

4. Steven J. Lawson: The Expository Genius of John Calvin (Reformation Trust, 2007). Calvin was a preacher first and foremost. In this useful little book, Lawson examines Calvin as preacher, his abilities and his methods as a preacher and commentator. It is extremely useful for those who want to dig deeper into Calvin the preacher. Available from Amazon.

Of course there are other books about Calvin available. This list is simply those that I have first of all read, and secondly they are books that I have found helpful. The literature on Calvin is huge. That being so, there's no excuse for those who just regurgitate mere slander as if it actually described the real Calvin.

There will be other 'Calvin 500' posts here in future.

On Books About Calvin: 3

Part 3. Scholarly works on John Calvin. These books are fairly in-depth, and many have a lot of footnotes or endnotes.

1. William J. Bouwsma: John Calvin: A Sixteenth Century Portrait (New York, Oxford University Press, 1988) : A scholarly study of Calvin by the Sather Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley, this is an extremely accomplished tour de force study of Calvin’s life and teaching. Rather than taking a strict chronological approach, Bouwsma takes a more thematic view of Calvin's life and thought. Those who agree with Calvin theologically will find things they disagree with, but this is a well-researched book. Available from Amazon.

2. Alister E. McGrath: A Life of John Calvin (Oxford, Blackwell, 1990). A modern scholarly biography by an Oxford Don, McGrath’s work is an in-depth examination of Calvin’s life by an evangelical Anglican scholar. McGrath treats Calvin in his historical context, and gives a readable and engrossing book. I debated where to put this, but decided that it belongs in the 'scholarly' category. He does not shy away from difficult issues. This book distils the results of 20th century Calvin scholarship. Available from Amazon.

3. Hugh Y. Reyburn, John Calvin (Reprint, Bibliobazzar, 2009). I am really excited by the reprint of this classic 1914 biography of John Calvin. I possess a first edition of it, and I ahve found it extremely useful. Its original release was overshadowed by the First World War, and it has not received the recognition that it deserves. This 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth is a perfect time for this book to be re-issued. It is a work that impresses by its level of scholarship and the author’s evident familiarity with the original source documents, which he draws on with masterly skill. Reyburn’s own theology is rather liberal, but he does not let theological disagreement colour his assessment of Calvin. T.H.L. Parker wrote of this book: “Reyburn’s book has been unjustly neglected; no doubt it suffered from being published in the year that the Great War broke out. Reyburn made good use of the original sources and quotes liberally from them.” (John Calvin P. viii) Available from Amazon.

4. Herman J. Selderhuis: John Calvin: A Pilgrim's Life (IVP, 2009). This latest biography of John Calvin by an accomplished Dutch historian is a real treat for the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth. Each chapter is entitled for an aspect of Calvin's life, a character that Calvin bore, such as 'Orphan', 'Pilgrim', 'Stranger' and 'Refugee'. The subtitle says it all, this is Calvin as a man of suffering. Excellent. Available from Amazon.

Next time: Specialist studies.

On Books about Calvin: 2.

Medium-level books on Calvin, for those seeking a little more information than Reymond gives, are legion. I have only listed good books here, and those that have a degree of scholarship.

1. Williston Walker, John Calvin: Revolutionary, Theologian, Pastor (Reprinted Fearn, Christian Focus, 2005). Walker is deeply scholarly and very readable. His work is the first modern English biography of Calvin. He does not avoid the hard facts about Calvin, and is quite willing to criticise the Reformer where he thinks Calvin was in error. Although first published more than a hundred years ago, it is still extremely important, and a good read as well. Although it is a fairly scholarly book, the fact that it was the first modern English biography of Calvin means that it does not assume previous knowledge of Calvin's life. Robert Reymond writes of it: “This biography is truly a classic and quite scholarly.”

2. T.H.L. Parker, John Calvin (Tring, Lion Publishing, 2006). A fuller treatment of Calvin’s life by a scholar second to few in his knowledge of Calvin and his works. Parker devotes a sizable portion of his work to Calvin’s earlier years. He is not afraid to differ from previous writers. This is another book that is a good, solid read. It is not, however, an easy read, and it would be best to read this one after something like Reymond, or even Walker. It demands serious attention from the reader, and won't let you listen to the radio news while reading it. Reymond writes about this book: “In my opinion, this biography of Calvin is one of the best.” Available from Amazon.

Next time: Scholarly Calvin biographies for serious students.

On Books about Calvin: 1.

This year is the 500th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. Calvin is a giant of Christian theology by any standards, and readers of this blog will be aware that I am not ashamed to be called a Calvinist, even though I do not follow him, but Jesus Christ. I admire Calvin because of his passion for God, and his love of the Bible.

This 500th anniversary is a good time to think about reading a biography of Calvin. Yet the fact is that there are literally dozens of books to choose from. Where to start? Having read practically every biography of Calvin available in English, I think I have some right to make a few suggestions. I have linked from most books to the publisher, if not, links lead to Amazon.co.uk. I have only listed books that are currently in print.

First are some good introductory books on Calvin - call them good places to start.

1. Theodore Beza, The Life of John Calvin (Trans. Darlington, Evangelical Press, 1997): This is the first biography of Calvin, written by his friend and successor as pastor of St. Pierre, Geneva. It is of course very much on Calvin’s side, but as the author knew and worked with Calvin, his witness is invaluable. It is a short book, and a good starting point for anyone interested in Calvin. This was the first Calvin biography that I read.

2. Robert Reymond: John Calvin: His Life and Influence (Fearn, Christian Focus, 2004). Based on lectures, this is a popular-level work by a Presbyterian theologian. Reymond is very readable, and his book is based on the best scholarship available. This is a short and accessible book for the general reader. Again, it's a good place to start, giving more information than Beza, and with the perspective that has come with the centuries since Calvin's death.

3. Emanuel Stickelberger: Calvin (Lutterworth Press, 2003). A translation of a popular work by a leading Swiss man of letters, Stickelberger’s book is based on good scholarship, as the notes indicate, but readability is the first concern of the author. Stickelberger writes very much in defence of Calvin. The book is now over fifty years old, but it is still a good read. Available from Amazon.

Next time: Medium-level works.