John Calvin's magnum opus "The Institutes of Christian Religion" is a monumental text of Christianity and a foundational work of Western Civilization. First penned in 1536 in Latin, this seminal work of protestant theology has been translated into countless languages and studied widely by theologians, pastors, university students, and religious scholars alike for nearly five hundred years. In it, John Calvin sets out to examine, challenge, and critique the accepted Catholic doctrines of his day. He takes up Christian sacraments, justification by faith alone, and Christian liberty to introduce his vision of a reformed Christian theology. Calvin stays close to the scripture and with a lucid and sober mind establishes what would come to be known as Calvinism: the belief in predestination, the authority of Biblical scripture, and the sovereignty of god. This text firmly situates him alongside Augustine, Origen, and Thomas Aquinas as a great and formative religious thinker and writer. Calvin uses ethics, apologetics, eschatology, and biblical exegesis to create the architecture around modern Protestantism. "Institutes" quickly became a controversial and widely read text and many view it as pivotal in inciting the great Reformation of the 16th century. Calvin intended for the book to act as an introduction to the Protestant faith, and, in this vein, "Institutes" remains a central text to the millions of the world's Calvinists and stands as a major work of western civilization.

Description: From eternity past God intended that the most vivid and profound demonstration of his glory would come in the form of His work of salvation on the cross of Christ. God then made man to punish him. He made him perfect and thus unlikely to ever need punishing, or, for that matter, a Savior. By a happy coincidence, and against all the odds, this perfect man sinned, thus allowing God to fulfill His purposes for both the man and Christ. When he sinned, God, who is suddenly confronted with the prospect of being able to fulfill all of His original plans, becomes furious. What you have just read is not a joke. I wish that it were. Rather, I have simply enumerated the points that comprise the Calvinist theological system, or, as I call it: the Happy Coincidence model of sin and salvation. It reflects what can only be described as an Alice-in-Wonderland reality, in which the only sense is nonsense, and logic is the enemy. This book will seek to explore some of its many logical inconsistencies and, in the process, propose a perfectly viable--and biblical--alternative.

This study of the Five Points of Calvinism, as set forth in the Canons of Dort, is designed to underscore the sovereignty of God's grace and love in the matter of salvation. John Calvin did not write these Canons, but they are based on the his teachings and have become the confessional standard of Calvinist churches, in response to the doctrines of Arminianism. The purpose of this study is not to win a theological argument, but to direct us to the marvelous work of God, the purpose of which can only be that His people give Him all the glory.

Author Biography: Alan P. F. Sell, a philosopher-theologian and ecumenist, is employed in research, writing, and lecturing in the United Kingdom and abroad. He has held academic posts in England, Canada, and Wales, and ecclesiastical posts in England and Geneva. He is the author or editor of over thirty books, of which the most recent are Convinced, Concise and Christian: The Thought of Huw Parri Owen (Pickwick, 2012) and Christ and Controversy: The Person of Christ in Nonconformist Thought and Ecclesial Experience (Pickwick, 2012).

This is an annotated transcription of the Rev. Dr. James Muir's personal diary from 1805. Born in Ayrshire, Scotland in 1757, Rev. Muir served as the third minister of the Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, now known as the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, from 1789 until his death in 1820. The Old Presbyterian Meeting House was originally known as Alexandria's Presbyterian Church and then as its First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Muir's diary provides a historical document that, in its account of a single calendar year in the life of one individual, both raises and answers questions about a bygone era. It also provides a historical guide to aspects of the remarkable heritage that continues to this day in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia; a heritage that exists today in the vibrant religious community of the Old Presbyterian Meeting House and in the larger community, where the streets that Muir walked, and so many of the houses and places he visited still exist. A discussion of Alexandria in 1805, an examination of the original diary and its transcription, and a biographical sketch of Rev. Muir precede the diary. Appendices include: the diary's title page and handwritten notes that appear on end pages of the diary, a list of the Bible texts of sermons by Rev. Dr. Muir during 1805 (in the order delivered), and a list of the published works of the Rev. Muir. A bibliography and an index to full-names, places and subjects enhance the text.

Over the past half century, there has been a proliferation of scholarship on the great American theologian Jonathan Edwards. However, the vast majority of this output confines itself to the details of his work. With some welcome exceptions, the forest has often been missed for the trees. In this ground breaking study William Schweitzer presents a new reading of Edwards: He starts with the question what is distinctive in Edwards' theology? The answer comes in Edwards' insight into Trinitarian life. God is eternally communicative of his knowledge, love, and joy among the Three Persons of the Trinity, and this divine communicativeness was for Edwards the explanation for why God created the universe. More specifically, however, Edwards believed that God's communication carries with it the Trinitarian hallmark of "harmony." This hallmark is not always east to discern, even for the regenerate. Edwards' lifelong project-as demonstrated by the common purpose of all three unfinished "Great Works"-was to interpret the harmony found in and among the several media of revelation.

This anthology gathers thirty-one articles, some in print for the first time, from twenty-eight authors who use the Kuyperian framework to critique and to develop Christian perspectives on, among other things, the church, culture, gender, common grace, education, politics, scholarship, fashion, art, science, and evolution. This book provides an introduction to Kuyper's life and thought through the eyes of others. The breadth and scope of these articles stand as testimony to Abraham Kuyper's desire to see the lordship of Christ extend to every area of life.

Just how reformed do you think you are? With clarity of insight that comes only from firsthand experience, the authors of Kinda Christianity take on their own cultural-theological movement, offering tips and tricks for all you New Calvinists. From what to wear to who to marry (and how to court them) to what to read, Ted Kluck and Zach Bartels help you work out your reformedness with fear and trembling. "Kluck and Bartels don't wanna talk, they wanna scream at people, but they don't wanna listen or problem solve and that's what's frustrating about the dynamic of the group."-Richard Slade, M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary "This is one of those seminal works that embodies a significant portion of our Reformed theological heritage. We all should rejoice to see this material finally available in English "-Cory Hartman, age 12 "Demonstrates an indirect relationship and similarity between the perichoretic 'intra divine' communion and the complementary 'divine-human' relation."-Robert Rusigliano, professional boxer; mason

This volume in the popular Armchair series presents a short and reader-friendly introduction to the tumultuous life and theology of the fiery reformer John Knox. As leader of the Scottish Reformation, Knox notably came into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, particularly Queen Mary. He was also an outspoken advocate for education and care for the poor, and is widely regarded as the founder of the Church of Scotland. Each chapter includes a description of Knox's activities as well as a discussion of key texts that introduce Knox's theological convictions. Expertly written by Suzanne McDonald, and featuring witty illustrations from Ron Hill, this book offers an intriguing introduction to the life and work of this major theological figure.

A deeply researched, well-written and comprehensive biography which vividly brings its subject and the milieu of the Scottish Reformation to life - but, even more significantly, the author's approach to Knox is uniquely different to the contemporary preconception of a ranting dogmatic misogynist. This man of action lived a dramatic life - he was a galley slave, an exile, and a man who lived at the very centre of one of the most volatile periods in Christian and Scottish history, keeping his integrity intact.

In this accessible book, David Johnson examines the Christian spiritual life using the "Book of Confessions" of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as a guide. He demonstrates how the "Book of Confessions" can help us understand what it means to be a Christian and how one goes about living a Christian life. Johnson uses the rubrics of faith, love, and hope to ground our understanding of spirituality and help us develop disciplines for our spiritual lives. These disciplines include listening and speaking, worship and Sabbath, giving and stewardship, patience and planning, and reconciling. Three appendices give concrete guidelines for engaging in Bible reading and prayer--the two central spiritual disciplines of the Reformed tradition. Johnson's helpful book invites laity and clergy to participate in the blessings and joys of a Reformed vision of the spiritual life.

The Christian doctrine of God has traditionally been presented in two parts: an account of the existence and attributes of God on the one hand, and an account of God's triunity on the other. This study offers an analysis of Karl Barth's doctrine of the divine attributes (or 'perfections'), as it appears in his 'Church Dogmatics II/1'.

In this study of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Louis Weeks examines the present state of the denomination and how congregations can grow in faith through the current time of transition in the church. He considers markers of Presbyterian identity, new ways of connecting and faith development, and defining qualities of the church. Recognizing that many congregations are changing in different ways, Weeks includes case studies of congregations and interviews with leaders of local congregations and denominational leaders to explore aspects of Presbyterian faith and life that are viable and necessary for the future.

This book provides a history of Presbyterians in American culture from the early eighteenth to the late twentieth century. Longfield assesses both the theological and cultural development of American Presbyterianism, with particular focus on the mainline tradition that is expressed most prominently in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He explores how Presbyterian churches--and individuals rooted in those churches--influenced and were influenced by the values, attitudes, perspectives, beliefs, and ideals assumed by Americans in the course of American history. The book will serve as an important introduction to Presbyterian history that will interest historians, students, and church leaders alike.

With the rise of Pentecostalism in the early twentieth century and growth in the charismatic movement since, a resurgence of interest in the Holy Spirit and Christian spirituality in both theology and the church's life has become evident. Along with increased interest in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, there are criticisms of the treatment of the doctrine in church history for having neglected the Holy Spirit in both theology and the church's life. Critical studies of the treatments of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in church history have been laboriously conducted. However, there have not been many studies on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Reformed orthodoxy, particularly in its confessional standards. Recognizing the gap in the history of scholarship, this work explores and provides a systematic account of the person and some aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit as presented in the major Reformed confessions and catechisms of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Attention is particularly given to those aspects of the work of the Holy Spirit that have not been greatly explored but are pertinent to contemporary discussions.

George Leslie Mackay (1844-1901), the famous Canadian Presbyterian missionary who came to northern Formosa (Taiwan) in 1872 and preached specifically with aborigines in mind, is the subject of an interdisciplinary study by seven independent scholars interested in the nineteenth-century imperial project and Christian mission to China. Importantly, Mackay's mission defies such binary opposites as East and West: the missionary a conduit of an earlier Scottish-Canadian spirituality adapted to Taiwan that allowed converts to appropriate the Presbyterian faith on their own terms; the mission field in which he operated a "biculture" of foreign initiative and aboriginal agency working hand in hand. Mackay's ordination of aboriginal ministers, giving us the Northern Synod of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan (PCT), was a bold departure from the imperial, Anglo-Canadian, Presbyterian norm. So, too, his marriage to a Taiwanese slave-girl, Chhang-mia, and the arranged interracial marriages that he performed between select Chinese ministers and female Taiwanese graduates (which included his two daughters). Mackay's missionary writing and famous autobiography From Far Formosa-a fine specimen of the nineteenth-century heroic memoir genre-is notable for its defense of both gender and racial equality, and despite its unmistakable patriarchal leanings. Mackay's repudiation of Darwinism and belief in an early type of creation science therein also locates the so-called "Barbarian Bible Man" opposite such virulent, racist theorizing as Social Darwinism and Eugenics. He was a dentist not an abortionist. A relative unknown to most Western scholars of religion, Mackay is Taiwan's most famous native son, represented on the national stage in 2008 as a sky god and Taiwanese animistic deity of supernatural power and political influence par excellent. Although a product of the colonial times in which he lived, post-colonial scholars who ignore Mackay, his life and legacy, clearly do so at some peril.

John Calvin revolutionized Christianity. Without him, there would not have been apologetics, evangelism, or even the protestant reformation It's easy to say you think he's a pretty important guy, but it's hard to know why without a clear understanding of things like total depravity, sovereign grace, and predestination--concepts that are quite complex to fully grasp. This book breaks down Calvinism into language we can all understand: plain and simple English If you are curious about Calvinism, but don't want a bias view from someone either for the church or against the church, then this is the book for you. This unbiased book explains Calvinism in a way that's easy to understand: in plain and simple English