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.

EMW Bookshop, Bryntirion

Presenting the second in an occasional series: 'In Many Bookshops with Mr. Charmley'.


The Evangelical Movement of Wales maintains a number of bookshops, located in strategic places in Wales. The bookshop at Bryntirion, Bridgend, is located in the EMW headquarters at Bryntirion House, also home to the Wales Evangelical School of Theology. These two institutions impact the nature of the bookshop. While it stocks many general titles, the fact that the buildings see a relatively high proporion of ministers and theological students means that there is a great quantity of more intellectually demanding material as well. The stock is balanced, and there is a wide range of books on the shelves. The books found here are generally Reformed in their orientation, with a certain amount of general evangelical stuff as well. Our photograph shows just one corner of the shop, and mostly the 'New Titles' shelves. There is a small second-hand section, the books in it of course being very much dependent on what people want to get rid of at the time. I found the staff helpful and knowledgable, and they are willing to order books that they do not have in stock. The shop is located on the ground floor of the building, with level access. I found this a good bookshop to use, but then I was going to a fraternal in the EMW offices at the time!

'A Passion for God' - Review

A.W. Tozer was a prophetic voice in the wilderness of American Fundamentalism in the first half of the 20th century. Born in rural Pennsylvania in 1897, he began his life's work as a minister in the final years of the First World War, and continued until his death in 1963. His books are still widely read, and yet little is known about the man in most circles. Lyle Dorsett's book A Passion for God (Moody, 2008) is therefore especially welcome.

A writer of biography himself, Tozer disliked those books that applied a liberal coat of whitewash to their subjects. He knew there was only one perfect man on earth, and that was the Lord Jesus. Thus I think Tozer would have welcomed Lyle Dorsett's honest appraisal of his life. We have here both the good and the bad - and, indeed, the ugly. Dorsett paints a picture, not of a plaster saint, but of a real man who seems often to have been so wrapped up in the affairs of the Kingdom and the things of God that he forgot his role as a husband and a father. I do not bring this up to attack Tozer, but as a warning, it is possible to be so taken up with the work of the Church to forget that we also have a life as a human being to lead!
Dorsett is always a refreshing read because he is so honest about his subjects, even when those subjects are iconic figures in evangelicalism, such as Tozer, Moody and Billy Sunday. Thus the reader can evaluate for himself the character of the man. In A Passion for God, Dorsett gives us Tozer 'warts and all', yet without the sort of exaggeration of faults that makes the picture more a close-up of the warts than a portrait of the man. So we have Tozer the pastor and preacher, Tozer the man who cared for the Church, and who was grieved to his heart by the fact that the Church in America seemed divided on racial lines, "I do not believe there is any color line in the Kingdom of God", he said. Yet even in Chicago Sunday morning seemed to be the most segregated time in the life of the community. We see the man who prophetically challenged the attempt to draw crowds to the churches with sensational and tasteless gimmicks - the example that Dorsett gives is Tozer's criticism of a church that advertised "Moving pictures of cannibalism" to draw people to a missionary convention!

This is a book the only real complaint about which is that it could have been longer. Long may Dorsett be spared to give us such volumes! It is available through Amazon.co.uk, and from good Christian bookshops.

Bethel Laleston

Bethel Baptist Church, Laleston, is located, as the name suggests, in the village of Laleston, just outside the town of Bridgend (Pen-y-bont Ar Ogwr). It is an historic and evangelical church, originally founded in 1848 by Ruhamah Baptist Church in Bridgend itself. The cause of this was that a large number of members of Ruhamah were living in Laleston, and in 1848 a branch Church was formed at Laleston. This became independent of Ruhamah in 1892, and in 1905 it was placed under the oversight of Rev. W. Hill. In 1911, together with the Baptist Church at Corntown, the congregation at Bethel called Rev. Evan Jones to a joint pastorate. He served for five years. The first pastor of Bethel alone was Rev. J.H. Jones, a graduate of the Cardiff Baptist College. The present minister is Rev. Jim Grindell.

Ruhamah, Bridgend

This is Ruhamah Welsh Baptist Church, Bridgend. The name of the chapel is unusual, being derived from the book of Hosea, Chapter 2, verse 1:
"Say ye unto your brethren, Ammi; and to your sisters, Ruhamah." The name means 'Having Obtained Mercy'. I have never come across another church with this name in the UK before, although I am sure there are some. This is the original Baptist Church in Bridgend, and was the mother-church of a number of Baptist causes in the area.

The language used in this church is Welsh. For this reason, I have no idea where it is doctrinally.