The translator has done a truly excellent job of putting Calvin's work into a very readable English format. If you have ever wanted to read Calvin, here is your chance. Frankly, one might compare the study of Calvin to the opportunity to either sit with Christ on the mount or later to hear Matthew retell the story. Why go to a secondary source when Calvin is so easy to understand and so readily available in this edition? These pages bring Calvin right into your living room, where you learn the reformed faith first hand. To sum it up: Pastor, student, or layman, if you don't have this work in your study collection, such a collection is incomplete. Complete enough to suit the demands of the scholar, written so the average layman can understand, here is John Calvin. This is a terrific tool in understanding our Reformed faith from the very father of the reformation that led to the Presbyterian Church.

Long overshadowed by Luther and Calvin, Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560) is one of the most important figures in the Protestant Reformation and had profound effect on Western church history. This book gives the most detailed English-language biographical treatment of Melanchthon to date, moving from his historical context and personal origins, through his childhood, education, and early career at Wittenberg during the dramatic events at the dawn of the Reformation (1497-1524). Establishing the deep geopolitical and religious context of Melanchthon's early life, the volume then follows Melanchthon to the great halls of humanist learning at Heidelberg and Tubingen, where his studies and teaching career began and his'faith was richly fostered. The pivotal moment comes in his appointment to the chair of Greek in Wittenberg where Melanchthon became a great ally and supporter of Martin Luther. Melanchthon's role as key player in the advocacy for reform expanded through his involvement in the Leipzig Disputation, his visible representation of the evangelical cause in Wittenberg during Luther's absence at Worms and the Wartburg, and his struggle with the radical wing. The volume closes by looking ahead to Melanchthon's contribution to the Augsburg Confession of 1530.

Most biographers of Luther are faced with a choice-focus on Luther's life or focus on his thought. The choice, though real, is false. Luther's thought was inextricably bound up with his life. In this short, engaging volume, Hans Schwarz succeeds in blending the two-creating a volume that introduces Luther's thought in the context of his life story. The book meets the need for a clear and concise introduction to the life and teachings of the great church reformer, Martin Luther. After a brief overview of his life, the book devotes chapters to Luther's thoughts on key areas of the Christian faith and life, including the knowledge of God, church and sacraments, the Scriptures, marriage and parenthood, and vocation. The author incorporates quotations from Luther's own writings to show how Luther's insights have relevance for all Christians today. With questions for reflection and discussion, the book can be used as a study resource for individuals, church groups, or college and seminary classes. For this revised edition, Schwarz has thoroughly reviewed the text and added important new sections on Luther and music, Luther and the economy, Luther and the Jews, and more.

In Gereformeerdes onder die Suiderkruis gaan dit om flitspunte uit die geskiedenis van vier Afrikaanse Gereformeerde kerke in Suid-Afrika, asook oor die invloed van Gereformeerdwees op hierdie kerke en deur die kerke op die samelewing. Daarom val die klem hier op die mees invloedryke kerke wat hulself met Gereformeerde waarhede vereenselwig het. As gevolg van die houding en benadering van die betrokke politieke owerhede vanaf 1652 tot 2011 maak Gereformeerde kerke onder Afrikaanssprekendes en Afrikaners hier die hooffigure uit. In hierdie proses vorm die Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk (NGK) die sleutelfiguur. Die skrywer is ook persoonlik ’n getuie daarvan dat die regerende ANC in die jare 1994-2011 die NGK as ’n hoofvennoot vir gesprek uitgesonder het waar dit oor die party se kontak met die Afrikaanse Gereformeerde kerke in Suid-Afrika gaan. In Protestantse en Rooms-Katolieke kringe is en word die NGK uitgesonder as ’n noodsaaklike gespreksgenoot – dit was die skrywer se ervaring as moderator van die NGK (2007-2011). Hoewel die tema van kerk en samelewing ’n belangrike een in hierdie studie is, kry kernelemente in die Gereformeerdwees van die betrokke kerke ook aandag. Dit sluit in belydenis- en leerstellige benaderings, Gereformeerde karakter, onderlinge verhoudinge en ekumene en, waar van toepassing, jonger kerke of kerklike familie. As sentrale fokuspunt gaan dit om ’n greep op die sentrale aspekte van hierdie kerke in hulle kerkwees onder die Suiderkruis in Suidelike Afrika.