Walter W. Bryden, a leading professor of church history and the history of philosophy of religion at Knox College extolled the virtues of the Westminster Confessions at a time when it was assumed that most Canadian Presbyterians considered the seventeenth-century statement of Reformed theology as having little more than historical significance. It is the objection of many Canadian church leaders to Bryden's support of Westminster Confession and what could possibly provoke such a strong reaction among church leaders that provides the key issue raised throughout this book. The main purpose of this book is to examine both dimensions of Bryden's theological contribution and their interdependence. On the one hand, Bryden marshaled the new Reformation theology of Barth and Brunner to launch a broadside against Canadian Protestantism in general and the church union movement in particular. At the same time, his increasing disillusionment with the idealism of modern Protestant theology and church life, especially as it was expressed in church union, had already prepared him to embrace wholeheartedly the witness of the neo-orthodox theologians.(James Clarke & Co 2011)

Calvin@500 is an exercise in appreciative criticism and appropriation of the Reformer's work for church and society. The collection serves as an introduction to the life and thought of this sixteenth-century Reformer in his context. The book also traces Calvin's continuing legacy for political, economic, theological, spiritual, and inter-religious practices of our own time. The essays reflect the depth and breadth of Calvin scholarship from the sixteenth century to the present. They also reflect Calvin's own wide-ranging ministry: the authors are pastors, teachers, social justice workers, and theologians. Calvin@500 arose from two Canadian conferences on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth.