As noted in the forward by Gerald Bray, John Calvin seems to be a polarizing figure in most evangelical circles. He’s loved or loathed though it’s not always clear, outside the TULIP of Calvinism why he is denigrated. (Total Depravity of man, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance of the saints). John Piper’s short book John Calvin and His Passion for the Majesty of God is a sympathetic portrayal of John Calvin’s adult life and ministry. Certainly Calvin was respected by his peers in the first generation of the protestant movement during his lifetime. Though Luther disagreed with him on certain points, he respected his thoughtful approach to ministry and approach to the bible.
The small book is an easy read digested in a couple of hours. It gave me an appreciation for the fight of the early reformers. Calvin, though he tried a couple of times, didn’t live a life of quiet contemplation with hours to write at his leisure. He spent his life running from persecution. He felt very compelled to minister to his congregation through preaching and teaching, averaging nearly 10 sermons and lectures over every 2 week period. Additionally he did regular visitation to the sick or needy people in his flock. He wasn’t the lead preacher at a mega church that had various people on staff to handle the small details. So he certainly had a busy schedule. On top of that he was chronically sick. He lost children to various sicknesses and his beloved wife also died. His was not the cloistered life of a scholar.
Sadly he was also involved in the conviction and execution of Michael Servetus, who did have a radically unorthodox (probably it’s safe to say heretical) view of the Trinity. Certainly this book doesn’t gloss over probably the most revolting part of Calvin’s life. In answer to my earlier paragraph, his participation in the death of Servetus probably does explain Calvin’s unpopularity beyond our current generation’s bias against TUPLIP. The appendix also points out that from our cultural perspective 500 years after Calvin, it is quite easy to see Calvin’s response to Servetus was terribly wrong. However Piper shows that likely, if Christ should wait that long, in another 500 years things we see as perfectly normal and perhaps balanced may also look horribly out of place for a Christian. Thus we should perhaps be cautious in our feelings of having figured out everything. There are cultural blind spots in every culture during every era, and we shouldn’t be too smug in our sense of biblical superiority, or being on the right side of every issue. If nothing else that glimmer into lives beyond the scope of our current western milieu should give us pause when we reach for our bible to prove we are correct on whatever issue we feel we have ‘totally nailed’, and beyond any shadow of a doubt are convinced we are in the right.
Additionally though the book is short there are ample footnotes that could provide tons of material for further study. So though the book is a sympathetic review of Calvin it would be a good starting point for anyone curious about the life of the man behind the theology and an interesting launch point into a first generation look at the culture of the times during the reformation.
Reviewed by Ted Anderson
