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.

In this book, Richard Mouw probes, from a Calvinist tradition, the place of obedience to a divine command. He suggests that a Calvinist perspective on moral theology can profit from an openness to some contemporary developments, particularly narrativist ethics and feminist thought.

A great deal has been written about the influence of humanism on the Reformation. The present study reverses the question, asking: how did the Reformation affect humanism? Although it is true that humanism influenced the course of the Reformation, says Erika Rummel, the dynamics of the relationship are better described by saying that humanism was co-opted, perhaps even exploited, in the religious debate. Both Reformers and Catholic reactionaries took from humanism what was useful for the advancement of their cause and suppressed what was unsuited to their purpose.

The year 2009 marked Calvin's 500th birthday. This volume collects papers initially written as the plenary addresses for the largest international scholarly conference held in connection with this anniversary, organized in Geneva by the Institute of Reformation History. The organizers chose as theme for the conference ''Calvin and His Influence 1509-2009, '' hoping to stimulate reflection about what Calvin's ideas and example have meant across the five centuries since his lifetime, as well as about how much validity the classic interpretations that have linked his legacy to fundamental features of modernity such as democracy, capitalism, or science still retain. In brief, the story that emerges from the book is as follows: In the generations immediately after Calvin's death, he became an authority whose writings were widely cited by leading ''Calvinist'' theologians, but he was in fact just one of several Reformed theologians of his generation who were much appreciated by these theologians. In the eighteenth century, his writings began to be far less frequently cited. Even in Reformed circles what was now most frequently recalled was his action during the Servetus affair, so that he now started to be widely criticized in those quarters of the Reformed tradition that were now attached to the idea of toleration or the ideal of a free church. In the nineteenth century, his theology was recovered again in a variety of different contexts, while scholars established the monument to his life and work that was the Opera Calvini and undertook major studies of his life and times. Church movements now claimed the label ''Calvinist'' for themselves with increasing insistence and pride. (The term had largely been a derogatory label in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.) The movements that identified themselves as Calvinist or were identified as such by contemporaries nonetheless varied considerably in the manner in which they drew upon and understood Calvin's thought. Calvin and His Influence should become the starting point for further scholarly reflection about the history of Calvinism, from its origin to the present.

Although "God loves you" is a common paraphrase of Christian teaching and preaching, a close reading of the Bible and attention to the Christian tradition will reveal passages of Scripture and Christian doctrines-- particularly John Calvin's doctrine of predestination--that seem to undermine confidence in God's love for all people. For many theologians, not only in the Reformed tradition, the secret decree of Calvin's God to save some and condemn others seems completely to undercut any assurance of salvation and the ability to trust in and worship God. However, pastor and scholar John Calvin confidently spoke of God as a loving Father throughout his teaching and preaching. In Uncovering Calvin's God, Forrest H. Buckner unearths Calvin's teaching about the God of love who reigns sovereign over predestination. Drawing upon sources from across Calvin's corpus, Buckner examines Calvin's teaching on the knowledge of God and the doctrine of predestination to provide a more robust and cohesive understanding of Calvin's theology, which Buckner then confirms through an extensive examination of Calvin's preaching in Geneva. He then offers a critical comparison of Calvin's approach with the teaching of Luther, Zwingli, Bullinger, Arminius, and Barth. Using Calvin's system as a starting point, this book helps readers perceive the essentials and trade-offs of any doctrine of predestination that takes seriously both the Bible and the loving God revealed in Jesus Christ.

This lively book not only unpacks the history of Christianity, but also explains how church history is created and organized. Different from traditional church history textbooks, the book: Has a global emphasis, rather than an exclusively Euro-American one; Explains the discipline of church history in addition to the content; Is readable, engaging, and inviting to new students; Makes church history accessible rather than stressing obscure dates and names. Conceptually, this book is revolutionary. The story of Christianity is never complete: it only expands. By allowing fresh players into the story, broadening our perspective to include women, the working class, heretics, and priests outside mainstream "orthodoxy," we become open to new ways of understanding. And these new perspectives enhance our comprehension of the endlessly surprising story of Christianity's past.

This title includes essays and examples of theological commentary on biblical passages from leading scholars in the field. This volume will contain examples of theological commentary written by systematic or biblical theologians who share deep concern for the Reformed scripture principle. Within the guild of dogmatic theology careful engagement with the biblical text and, furthermore, with biblical theology and historical exegesis in a consistent and faithful manner is a crying need of the hour. To spur on theologians to biblically-shaped thinking and to encourage biblical scholars to consider dogmatic implications of texts read within the church's traditions, this volume will include essays on critical passages related to a number of key doctrinal loci (e.g., Colossians 3 and deification, Exodus 3 and divine transcendence). Contributors have been and will be solicited for their proven ability to integrate biblical exegesis and dogmatic extrapolation. Inevitably, chapters will vary in emphasis and according to the talents and interests of their authors. Nevertheless, a continual conversation between Bible, tradition, and constructive formulation will mark each essay. This multi-author collection, then, will combine strong thematic coherence with individual variety.

Originally published in 1988, and the companion book to The Puritan Gentry, covering the period of the Civil War, the English republic and the Restoration of Charles II in 1660, this book gives an account of how the godly interest of the Puritans dissolved into faction and impotence. The fissures among the Puritan gentry stemmed, as the book shows, from a conflict between their zeal in religion and the conservative instincts which owed much to their wealth and status.

This book offers a new interpretation of political reform in the settler colonies of Britain's empire in the early nineteenth century. It examines the influence of Scottish Presbyterian dissenting churches and their political values. It re-evaluates five notorious Scottish reformers and unpacks the Presbyterian foundation to their political ideas: Thomas Pringle (1789-1834), a poet in Cape Town; Thomas McCulloch (1776-1843), an educator in Pictou; John Dunmore Lang (1799-1878), a church minister in Sydney; William Lyon Mackenzie (1795-1861), a rebel in Toronto; and Samuel McDonald Martin (1805?-1848), a journalist in Auckland. The book weaves the five migrants' stories together for the first time and demonstrates how the campaigns they led came to be intertwined. The book will appeal to historians of Scotland, Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the British Empire and the Scottish diaspora.

This STUDY GUIDE is a companion resource to Wayne Grudem's Christian Beliefs, revised edition. Not every Christian needs to go to seminary, but there are certain teachings of the Bible that every Christian should know. Whether you're a relatively new believer in Jesus or a mature Christian looking for a better understanding of basics of the faith, the Christian Beliefs Study Guide can help you reflect on and deeply internalize the core teachings of Christianity, when used in conjunction with Christian Beliefs, revised edition (sold separately). This STUDY GUIDE will help you think through important topics like: The Bible and its authority for our lives The characteristics of God The importance of prayer Angels and the reality of spiritual warfare What it means that we are created in the image of God What God has done for us in Christ The purpose of the church What happens when Christ returns The biblical understanding of heaven And much more Chapter by chapter, this STUDY GUIDE will lead you to examine and reflect on Christian Beliefs, revised edition (sold separately), by providing: Summary: A short summary of the chapter to help remind readers what they read. Key terms: Definitions of important terminology introduced in the chapter. Key quotes: Selection of one or two key quotes from the chapter. Central Scripture Passage: An important biblical passage related to the chapter for reflection or memorization. Content Questions: Questions that reflect on the theological content of the chapter. Practical Application Questions: Questions that help tie the theological content of the chapter to real-life situations. For Further Reading: Lists where to find more information on theological topics in Systematic Theology, second edition, by Wayne Grudem so readers know where to go for a deeper dive into specific subjects they want to know more about. The Christian Beliefs Study Guide is the ideal resource for every Christian who wants a solid foundation for understanding the most basic and essential teachings of the Bible.

Rejoice and Sing is a completely new collection of hymns and songs for the United Reformed Church. It is the first major hymnbook to draw together the three traditions within the URC and as such represents a significant landmark in the history of the denomination. The editors and compilers have aimed to offer a worship tool for use by today's Church. The material included ranges from the traditional and familiar to those pieces with a more contemporary feel. In addition to hymns and psalms, Rejoice and Sing contains a number of liturgical items, including responses and prayers for congregational use. Although intended primarily to reflect the distinctive character of the URC, Rejoice and Sing is also offered to Christians in wider ecumenical circles as an important resource for sung worship.