More than 500 years ago, 16th-century Reformer John Calvin was born—a theologian whose teachings set the stage for reformation of the church around the world. The modern world is in continual need of his Christ-exalting doctrine and vision of the Christian life. In 20 essays by leading Reformed pastors and scholars, this primer explores Calvin’s life, teaching, and legacy for a new generation. This book is a clarion call to Christians everywhere to take seriously the ongoing need of theological reformation across the globe.

Table of Contents

Preface -Derek W. H. Thomas and John W. Tweeddale

Abbreviations

Part One: The Life and Work of John Calvin

1. The Young Calvin -Michael A. G. Haykin

2. The Call to Geneva and the Struggle for Orthodoxy -Stephen J. Nichols

3. Calvin the Pastor -David B. Calhoun

4. Calvin and the Consistory -Douglas F. Kelly

5. Calvin and Friends -W. Robert Godfrey

6. The Expository Pulpit of John Calvin -Steven J. Lawson

7. The Development of the Institutes from 1536 to 1559 -Derek W. H. Thomas

Part Two: The Teaching of John Calvin

8. The Divinity and Authority of Scripture -K. Scott Oliphint

9. Creation and Humanity -J. V. Fesko

10. The Providence of God -Burk Parsons

11. The Law of God -Guy Prentiss Waters

12. The Person and Work of Christ -Paul Wells

13. The Holy Spirit -Joel R. Beeke

14. The Christian Life -Edward Donnelly

15. Knowing God through Adversity -Derek W. H. Thomas

16. Predestination -Paul Helm

17. The Church as Mother -John W. Tweeddale

18. The Sacraments -Keith A. Mathison

19. God’s Preservation of His Saints -Robert A. Peterson

20. The Last Things -Cornelis P. Venema

Afterword -R. C. Sproul

Appendix: Reading Calvin and His Interpreters -John W. Tweeddale

Contributors
General Index
Scripture Index

Endorsements

“Thomas and Tweeddale have brought together an impressive team of sympathetic scholars to provide us with this wonderful in-depth exposition of many important aspects of Calvin’s life and teaching. The contributors to John Calvin not only highlight but also understand the profound contemporary relevance of his theological and pastoral emphases. Here is a genuine Calvinian treat! May it encourage twenty-first-century pastors and teachers—indeed, all serious Christians—to think, worship, serve, and live in the kind of dependence on God and confidence in his word that Calvin so courageously exhibited in his day.”

- Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“If I have only one chance to influence the minds of my students with a voice from the past, I turn to John Calvin. No one marries biblical knowledge to systematic theology with an eye to Christian piety like Calvin. Unfortunately, many Christians today have never read Calvin, and their theological house is the less stable for it. Do not fear: John Calvin: For a New Reformation equips Christians to withstand the storms of theological compromise. By introducing Calvin’s theology, this book provides the church with a biblical and theological foundation that will not be shaken. Read this book, and then run to read Calvin himself. In doing so, you will discover an exegetical ally, a theological father, and a Christian friend whose life, teachings, and ministry will guide you into Christian godliness.”

- Matthew Barrett, Associate Professor of Christian Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Executive Editor, Credo Magazine; editor, Reformation Theology

“Those who think everything about John Calvin has already been said and written will be pleasantly surprised by this great book. Complete, accessible, scholarly, and highly relevant, this fine collection makes Geneva’s Reformer a companion and guide for today’s church and theology.”

- Herman Selderhuis, President, Theological University Apeldoorn, the Netherlands; Director, Refo500; President, Reformation Research Consortium

“Not all books on John Calvin are equally helpful, interesting, or valuable. This one ranks high in all three areas. The team of scholars and pastors that Thomas and Tweeddale have assembled is impressive; the accounting of Calvin’s life, ministry, and thought is both thorough and accessible; and the overall value of the essay collection is significant. For busy pastors and church leaders who wonder what John Calvin thought or how he served, this is the place to turn. For all those of us who long for a new reformation in the global church, this is the book we can return to again and again.”

- Sean Michael Lucas, Senior Pastor, Independent Presbyterian Church, Memphis, Tennessee; Chancellor’s Professor of Church History, Reformed Theological Seminary

“Tweeddale, Thomas, and their team have produced a wonderful volume that will surely be a useful companion to Calvin scholars and students alike. Well-written pages rest on piles of densely packed notes, and for newcomers to Calvin, the bibliographic essay at the book’s close is worth half the price of the book. Best of all, Calvin himself emerges as the careful scholar, complicated friend, severe pastor, and brilliant theologian that he really was.”

- Chad Van Dixhoorn, Professor of Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary; author, Confessing the Faith and God’s Ambassadors

“A comprehensive and engaging survey of Calvin’s life, theology, and pastoral practice that deserves to be read—and savored—again and again.”

- Scott M. Manetsch, Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; author, Calvin’s Company of Pastors

“After five hundred years, the life, writings, and legacy of John Calvin continue to pose considerable challenges. How are we today to understand such an extraordinarily creative yet, in many ways, enigmatic figure whose influence on Christianity has been, and is still, enormous? From his own day to ours, this Frenchman has remained a profoundly controversial figure. These essays, rich in learning and thoughtful in approach, offer a sympathetic and accessible approach to Calvin as a theologian, churchman, and pastor, without avoiding the difficult questions. Readers will encounter the Reformer of Geneva in the full force of his character. The editors have brought together an important and fine collection of essays that interpret Calvin for our time.”

- Bruce Gordon, Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History, Yale Divinity School

“John Calvin: For a New Reformation bears witness to the vastly significant contributions made by the famous French Reformer, pastor, and theologian. Not only have the editors assigned topics that represent the many foci of Calvin’s thought—and they are great in both number and quality—but they have also chosen widely respected authorities to write on them. In addition, they have allotted to them a generous page limit to explore the topics in depth. This volume will whet the appetite of those who are in the initial stages of exploring Calvin and will also satisfy those who have long studied the legacy of Reformed thought.”

- W. Andrew Hoffecker, Professor of Church History Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary