October 2009 New Horizons

John Calvin: Theologian and Pastor

by James Edward McGoldrick

The Protestant Reformation, initiated by Martin Luther, was the most important development in church history since the apostolic age. Many people returned to biblical teachings long obscured or perverted in the Middle Ages. The foremost theologian of the Reformation was John Calvin (1509-64), whose five hundredth birthday we celebrate this year. Calvin was born and educated in France, and he early demonstrated great intelligence and scholarly aptitude. His cousin Pierre Olivetan appears to have been a major influence persuading Calvin to embrace the Protestant faith. Calvin wrote, "God, by a sudden conversion, subdued and brought my mind to a teachable frame." [1] Olivetan was an able Bible scholar who assisted in translating the Scriptures into French. Calvin later improved that translation, and it became the basis for the Genevan Bible. By the time of his conversion, Calvin had become a proficient scholar in classical literature and law—preparation which equipped him well to become a ... Read more

Calvin, American Calvinism, and the OPC

by John R. Muether

What is the difference between John Calvin and Homer Simpson? At least this much: only one of them is featured on a United States postage stamp this year. The cartoon character is the honoree, and Calvin's five hundredth birthday is not acknowledged by the Postmaster General (unlike Martin Luther, who was judged to be a sufficiently significant cultural icon to have his five hundredth birthday acknowledged in 1983). As disappointed as Reformed philatelists may be, it is just as well, because not only would Calvin not recognize Homer Simpson, but were he to witness the state of contemporary Calvinism, he would scarcely recognize himself among many who claim to be his contemporary descendants. A century ago, when Princeton Seminary's Benjamin B. Warfield reflected on the four hundredth anniversary of Calvin's birth, he noted that there were more Calvinists in the world in his day than ever before. At the same time, he lamented that "the fortunes of Calvinism were not at their flood," because he could ... Read more

Nuggets in a Golden Booklet

by Mark A. Garcia

Surely one of life's great pleasures is to have a worthwhile volume that fits in a coat pocket. John Calvin's so-called Golden Booklet of the True Christian Life qualifies as a most worthwhile volume, though the fit in the pocket is, in its most recent printing at least, snug. [1] A devotional classic to be placed alongside Augustine's Confessions and Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, Calvin's Golden Booklet is not in fact a book in its own right, but an extract from his famous Institutes of the Christian Religion. It comes not from the first edition (1536) of that great work, but from the second edition (1539). From the second to the fourth editions of the Institutes, it served as the last chapter, "On the Christian Life." Calvin kept the material in the last two editions of the Institutes, but divided it into five parts and placed it in Book Three as chapters 6-10. The Golden Booklet is written simply, elegantly, and vigorously, as the best spiritual literature ordinarily is. However, ... Read more

Senioritis at Rutherford College

by "Uncle Glen"

Dear James, I intended to write to you six weeks ago, when you embarked on your senior year at Rutherford College, but time slipped away from me. I hasten to wait no longer, in light of your recent letter that finds you in the throes of the sort of anxiety that besets most collegians as they approach graduation. As you consider the prospect of taking the GRE and LSAT exams, it is understandable how unpleasant is the thought of pursuing graduate work. Perhaps taking a year off would be helpful, though I do fear that getting off the treadmill of classes would be something you would soon get used to. Even so, do not despair at the prospect of grad school. You are no doubt aware that most college grads require further training as vocational directions take shape. A liberal arts education is often pre-career education—granted, a discouraging thought when you consider the student loans you will have to begin repaying! So will your liberal arts degree turn out to be a waste of time and money, as you ... Read more