With Calvin in the Theater of God E-Book

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2010

Beschreibung

John Calvin saw this world as God's theater where his glory is always on display. Just as "day and night pour forth speech," the universe and history are not silent either; they tell the glory of God. Reflecting on over 500 years of Calvin's legacy, John Piper and this book's other contributors invite us to join Calvin in the theater of God. Stemming from the Desiring God 2009 National Conference, this volume includes chapters by Julius Kim, Douglas Wilson, Marvin Olasky, Mark Talbot, Sam Storms, and John Piper. It touches on topics such as Calvin's life, the Christian meaning of public life, sin and suffering, the joy of the last resurrection, and Jesus Christ as the dénouement of God's story. Editors John Piper and David Mathis, along with the contributors, make John Calvin's Christ-exalting perspective on the glory of God accessible to today's readers. Both Calvinists and other evangelicals interested in the life and work of Calvin will find these essays refreshing and instructive, leading to a robust understanding of the world as the theater of God.

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“From the recent flurry of studies on John Calvin, it is evident that we can understand neither the sixteenth century nor our own times without reference to the Reformer of Geneva. This little book reveals Calvin to be a God-saturated theologian whose love for Jesus Christ and his church touches every area of human life. A jewel of a book!”?

Timothy George, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School; general editor, Reformation Commentary on Scripture

“In a culture that applauds self-glory, and in a church that often appears to have forgotten its Christ, the work of John Calvin is as timely as when it was first penned. This wonderful book invites you into a theater of power, wisdom, authority, and grace, but it is not Calvin’s theater; it is the theater of the glory of God in Christ. Here you will be thankful for the man Calvin and how he enables you to see life-shaping truths, but you will be even more thankful for Calvin’s Christ. For as is true of Calvin, is true of every follower of Jesus, the faint glory of the man is only as good as it humbly and relentlessly points you to the spectacular glory of his Lord. Which is, in fact, the lasting legacy of the man this book remembers.”

Paul Tripp, President, Paul Tripp Ministries; author, What Did You Expect? Redeeming the Realities of Marriage

“Contemporary interest in John Calvin and his writings has stimulated a widespread renewal in Reform theology and with it has created considerable controversy regarding stereotypical perceptions of Calvinism. Speakers at the 2009 Desiring God National Conference made a significant contribution to these issues by focusing on practical aspects of John Calvin’s life and writings. These messages, edited by David Mathis and John Piper in With Calvin in the Theater of God, will be a blessing and encouragement to the reader in discovering an often neglected aspect of this influential theologian.”

Jerry Rankin, President Emeritus, International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention

“Sadly, for many Christians John Calvin has become more of a theological caricature than the real-life man of passion, reason, and pastoral concerns that he was. Fortunately, this is a book that tears back the curtain and allows us to see and understand the key intersections where his theology and his everyday life collided and then merged into the passionate love for Scripture and zeal for upholding God’s glory that became his calling card.”

Larry Osborne, Pastor, North Coast Church, Vista, California

“These distinguished contributors do not seek to exalt John Calvin. But they rightly recognize that Calvin’s ministry helps us exalt Jesus Christ. Follow them into the theater of God and behold the glory of the One and Only.”

Collin Hansen, Editorial Director, The Gospel Coalition; author, Blind Spots

“In an age where Scripture is on the periphery in so many pulpits and man is glorified in so many churches, we desperately need this book. It reminds us not only of the great life and work of John Calvin, but most importantly the supremacy of the Scriptures and the glory of God.”

Britt Merrick, Preacher, Reality Carpinteria

“What does a theologian and his theology look like if he and it are firmly centered on the triune God and his glory? These essays will show you. You will meet Calvin the pastor, the theologian, the polemicist, the husband, the father, the sufferer, the lover of God and his church—all roles played out in “the theater of God.” Whether you’re meeting Calvin for the first time or spending time with an old friend, this book will give you a glimpse of the wide horizons that are opened to one who has God’s glory firmly at the center of life. Be warned, Calvin’s vision is contagious.”

Stephen J. Nichols, President, Reformation Bible College; Chief Academic Officer, Ligonier Ministries

“The authors of With Calvin in the Theater of God present us with a world changing vision of God’s glory that has profound ramifications for the practical realities of everyday life. Here we find proof again of that old axiom, ‘There is nothing more practical than sound theology.’ I highly recommend it!”

Steven L. Childers, President and Founder, Pathway Learning; Former Resident Professor of Practical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

“With Calvin in the Theater of God takes Calvin out of the ivory towers that many people mistakenly believe he lived in and shows how his robust theology played out in the practical life of a pastor attempting to care for his people. It shows how his belief in the sovereignty of God allowed him to suffer often, and suffer well, throughout his life. It shows how his hope in heaven allowed him to deal with the relentless stress and pressures of leadership. But most of all, this book shows what God can do through one man who’s eyes are fixed, not on what we can see, but what we can’t see, the things that are eternal. It inspired me to do the same as a pastor, husband, father, and man.”

Jason Strand, Teaching Pastor, Eagle Brook Church, Lino Lakes, Minnesota

“As a church planter in New Orleans, I am continuously confronted by the destruction of this world’s depravity. My primary counter-attack is to present a biblical vision of the glory of God in Christ. John Piper and my good friend David Mathis have compiled an amazing work displaying Calvin’s biblical vision of God’s redemptive glory.”

Rob Wilton, Lead Pastor, Vintage Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

“For a generation of Calvinists who seem to know little about Calvin himself, this is a timely book. By taking us straight to the heart of Calvin’s everyday life and ministry, the authors introduce us to Calvin the pastor and expose us to the daily grind of his pastoral work and personal suffering that shaped and informed his teaching and writing. Calvin’s voice can be heard throughout the book, exhorting us to live our lives “with one foot raised,” ready for the day God wills our departure from this world. This book left me with a hunger to taste and trust God more, and in the end, truly honors Calvin by pushing our thoughts and worship past him and to the true hero of God’s theater and Calvin’s ministry, Jesus Christ.”

Beau Hughes, Campus Pastor, The Village Church, Denton, Texas

“As a young pastor with less than a decade of experience, I desperately need the wisdom of faithful pastors who have gone before us. I have found in these pages much needed, refreshing, and challenging insights for the daily grind of ministry life. Lest we forget the divine glory that is shot through this “grand stage,” Calvin—through his life and his writings—pulls back the veil of seeming routine to reveal it once again in all its splendor. And the authors of this brief volume you hold in your hands serve as worthy guides and fellow stage-hands with the old master in the theater of God. Read on, and behold again—in all things—God’s radiant glory.”

Matthew Molesky, Senior Pastor, Calvary Community Church, St. Cloud, Minnesota

“In this book you will meet John Calvin the pastor, apologist, evangelist, church planter, Bible teacher, theologian, and pilgrim. The version of Calvin you get from his enemies, and sadly even from some who claim to be his friends, is a hammer-headed, abstract bore. The real Calvin, and the theology he proclaimed, is the opposite. His life and ministry reflect the clearest message of Jesus and the deepest message of the Bible—the grace of God to sinners, for the glory of God.”

Justin Holcomb, Episcopal priest; Professor, Reformed Theological Seminary

“This book is a beautiful capstone to the helpful array of Calvin volumes published in the past few years. However, this book is more about the God who Calvin worships than about Calvin himself. Each chapter plumbs the depths of Calvin’s wretched but repentant and Spirit-regenerated heart and brings us face to face with Christ on the cross and leaves us there on our knees as it directs our eyes to the glorified Christ on high.”

Burk Parsons, Associate Pastor, Saint Andrew’s Chapel, Sanford, Florida; editor, Tabletalk

“With Calvin in the Theater of God is a rich and readable introduction to one of the church’s greatest pastor-theologians. Examining Calvin from many angles— including pilgrim, counselor, public intellectual, and sinner—the contributors offer an elegant composite of the man even as they point to the object of his worship and work: Jesus Christ. It is perhaps the resolute faithfulness of Calvin’s life that most stands out here; this steadfastness, which in God’s providence produced a major Christian movement bursting with energy today, reminds us that our faith is exercised hour by hour, day by day, trial by trial, all for the honor and acclamation of the Lord. Whether eminent or unknown, we are reminded in these pages that in the grand theater of God’s glory, there are no bit players.”

Owen Strachan, Associate Professor of Christian Theology; Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“The great glory of God revealed in all things is the Copernican Revolution for anyone seeking to live everyday life in an extraordinary way. John Calvin’s addiction to this view of God is worth studious exploration. David Mathis and John Piper’s With Calvin in the Theater of God is without a doubt a must read for those new to Calvin and looking for an introduction to the Revolution, or for those who are in need of another beautiful and freeing drink from the tavern of God’s sovereignty.”

Steve Treichler, church planter; Senior Pastor, Hope Community Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“If Calvin intrigues, inspires, or even baffles you, then you’ll want to get this latest contribution to his teaching ministry and life. This work digs through five hundred years of history and unearths one of the church’s greatest treasures—the heart and mind of John Calvin—and places it not behind the walls of academia but on the pulpits of pastors and in the pews for laymen. Applying the brilliance of Calvin to the hardest theological questions and the most stubborn challenges of everyday Christian-living, this book will enlighten you with the great breadth of Calvin’s biblical worldview.”

Robert S. Scott Sr., general editor, Secret Sex Wars: A Battle Cry For Purity

“These writers are not just historical spectators observing John Calvin’s life. They are participants in the theater of God with Calvin, and they want you to participate in that theater by embracing the truth that drove Calvin: God’s glory is demonstrated preeminently through Christ, revealed to us through the Word, and manifested in our everyday life. This volume points you back to the unfolding drama of God’s kingdom.”

James H. Grant Jr., Pastor, Trinity Reformed Church, Rossville, Tennessee

WITH CALVIN in the THEATER of GOD

THE GLORY of CHRIST and EVERYDAY LIFE

GENERAL EDITORS John Piper & David Mathis

ConTribuTors Julius Kim, Marvin Olasky, Sam Storms, Mark Talbot, Douglas Wilson

With Calvin in the Theater of God Copyright © 2010 by Desiring God Ministries   Published by Crossway

1300 Crescent Street Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Faceout Studio, www.faceoutstudio.com Cover illustration: Steve James First printing, 2010 Printed in the United States of America Italics in biblical quotes indicate emphasis added.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN 13: 978-1-4335-1412-8 ISBN 10: 1-4335-1412-5 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-1413-5 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-1414-2 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-2446-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data With Calvin in the theater of God : the glory of Christ and everyday life / general editors, David Mathis and John Piper ; Contributors Julius Kim . . . [et al.].

p.   cm.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-1412-8 (tpb) ISBN-10: 1-4335-1412-5 ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-1413-5 (pdf) ISBN-13: 978-1-4335-1414-2 (mobipocket) 1. Calvin, Jean, 1509–1564. 2. Reformed Church—Doctrines.

I. Mathis, David, 1980– . II. Piper, John, 1946– . III. Kim, Julius. BX9418.W58           2010

230'.42—dc22                                                           2010011673

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

In Memory of John Calvin Fellow in the Theater Wearer of the Spectacles

CONTENTS

Contributors15Timeline of Calvin’s Life17Introduction: Divine Glory and the Daily Grind19David Mathis 1 At Work and Worship in the Theater of God: Calvin the Man and Why I Care31Julius J. Kim 2 Bad Actors on a Broken Stage: Sin and Suffering in Calvin’s World and Ours53Mark R. Talbot 3 The Sacred Script in the Theater of God: Calvin, the Bible, and the Western World83Douglas Wilson 4 The Secular Script in the Theater of God: Calvin on the Christian Meaning of Public Life97Marvin Olasky 5 Living with One Foot Raised: Calvin on the Glory of the Final Resurrection and Heaven111Sam Storms 6 Jesus Christ as Dénouement in the Theater of God: Calvin and the Supremacy of Christ in All Things133John Piper Appendix One: A Note on Calvin and Servetus147Mark R. Talbot Appendix Two: The Life and Ministry of John Calvin—A Brief Biography153David Mathis Acknowledgments 163Subject Index 165Person Index 167Scripture Index 169Desiring God: Note on Resources 173

Calvin is a cataract, a primeval forest, a demonic power, something directly down from the Himalayas, absolutely Chinese, strange, mythological; I lack completely the means, the suction cups, even to assimilate this phenomenon, not to speak of presenting it adequately. . . . I could gladly and profitably set myself down and spend all the rest of my life just with Calvin.

Karl BARTH to eduard Thurneysen, 8 June 1922;in Revolutionary Theology in the Making: Barth-Thurneysen Correspondence, 1914–1925(Richmond: John Knox Press, 1964), 101

CONTRIBUTORS

Julius J. Kim is dean of students and associate professor of practical theology at Westminster Seminary in Escondido, California, as well as associate pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church in Escondido. He received a BA from Vanguard University; MDiv from Westminster Seminary; and PhD from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Julius directs the Center for Pastoral Refreshment dedicated to helping sustain pastoral excellence among Korean-American pastors. He is author of The Religion of Reason and the Reason for Religion: John Tillotson and the Latitudinarian Defense of Christianity, 1630–1694 and contributed to Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry: Essays by the Faculty of Westminster Seminary California. Julius and his wife, Ji Hee, have two daughters.

David Mathis is executive pastoral assistant at Desiring God and Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Spartanburg, South Carolina, graduated from Furman University, and came to the Twin Cities with the collegiate ministry Campus Outreach, with whom he ministered at the University of Minnesota and Northwestern College. He is a graduate of the Bethlehem Institute (now Bethlehem College and Seminary), a distance MDiv candidate at Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, and an elder at Bethlehem’s downtown campus. David has written articles and chapters for various publications, but this is his first published book. He and his wife, Megan, are the parents of twin boys Carson and Coleman.

Marvin Olasky is editor-in-chief of World magazine and provost of The King’s College, New York City. He earned a BA from Yale University in 1971 and a master’s and PhD in American culture from the University of Michigan in 1974, 1976. From 1978 to 2008, he worked at the DuPont Company and was a professor at The University of Texas at Austin. Marvin has written twenty books as well as two thousand articles for publications ranging from World to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. He is an elder of the Presbyterian Church in America, and he and his wife, Susan, have four sons.

John Piper is pastor for preaching and vision at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he has served since 1980, seeking to “spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.” John has written over forty books, including Desiring God; The Pleasures of God; Don’t Waste Your Life; Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ; What Jesus Demands from the World; God Is the Gospel; and most recently Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God. John and his wife, Noël, have five children and an increasing number of grandchildren.

Sam Storms is senior pastor at Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and president of Enjoying God Ministries. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma (BA in history) and Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM in historical theology) and received his PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas. In addition to over thirty years of pastoral ministry, Sam taught theology and historical theology at Wheaton College for four years and is author of many books and numerous journal articles. Sam and his wife, Ann, have two grown daughters and two grandsons.

Mark R. Talbot is associate professor of philosophy at Wheaton College, where he has taught since 1992. He earned his PhD in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. His areas of academic expertise include philosophical theology, philosophical psychology, David Hume, Augustine, and Jonathan Edwards. Mark has published many book reviews, magazine articles, and chapters in collaborative volumes. He is married to Cindy and has one married daughter and three grandchildren.

Douglas Wilson is pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho. He is a founding board member of Logos School, a senior fellow of theology at New St. Andrews College, and an instructor at Grayfriars Hall, a ministerial training program at Christ Church. Douglas helped establish the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC), edits Credenda Agenda (www.credenda.org), and has authored numerous books on classical Christian education, the family, the church, and the Reformed faith. After serving in the U.S. Navy in the submarine service, he completed a BA and MA in philosophy and a BA in classical studies from the University of Idaho. Douglas and his wife, Nancy, have three children and a bunch of grandkids.

TIMELINE OF CALVIN’S LIFE

1509, July 10—Born in Noyon, France, to Gerard and Jeanne Calvin.

1517, Oct. 31—Martin Luther nails his Ninety-five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg (Calvin age eight).

1523—Departs with two of the Montmor sons for the University of Paris (age fourteen) where he would learn Latin from Mathurin Cordier and become aware of Wycliffe, Hus, Luther, and the ongoing Reformation; he would earn a BA and MA in Paris.

1528—At his father’s request, goes to Orléans to study law (almost a year), then to Bourges (three years); surrounded by the best of humanism but felt little admiration for it; converted sometime between 1528 and 1532.

1529—Luther and Swiss reformer Ulrich Zwingli meet at Marburg, agreeing on every point of doctrine but the Lord’s Supper.

1531—Calvin’s father, Gérard, dies; Calvin returns to Paris (age twenty-two).

1532—Writes his first book, a commentary on Seneca’s De Clementia (age twenty- three).

1533—Sixteen years after Luther’s Ninety-five Theses, Nicolas Cop delivers con- troversial All Saints’ Day convocation address that heralds Christ as the sole mediator (not any “saints”); many alleged it was written by Calvin.

1535, Jan.—Goes to exile in Basel.

1535, May—Geneva becomes a Protestant city.

1536, March—Published first edition of the Institutes from Basel.

1536, Summer—Leaves Basel to travel to Strasbourg for secluded study; Hapsburg- Valois war forces him to reroute through Geneva for one night; convinced to stay in Geneva by William Farel.

1537, Jan.—Calvin and Farel begin their work in Geneva in earnest.

1538, April—Farel and Calvin expelled from Geneva; Calvin goes first to Basel, then to Strasbourg for the happiest three years of his life (his “golden years”).

1540, Aug.—Married Idelette de Bure, widow with two children, Jacques and Judith; they would be married almost nine years until her early death.

1541, Sept. 13—Reenters Geneva; would stay in Geneva until death.

1542—Plague comes to Geneva; Calvin stays to care for his congregants; only child born and dies.

1548—Wife of Antoine (his brother) imprisoned on suspected adultery and soon released; convicted nine years later of adultery with Calvin’s manservant.

1549, Spring—Death of Calvin’s wife, Idelette.

1549—Union of the Swiss Reformed churches under the Consensus of Zurich, drawn up by Calvin and Heinrich Bullinger.

1553–1554—“The fateful years” when according to T. H. L. Parker “two large storms blew from different quarters and raged simultaneously. The one was the decisive battle with the libertines; the other (of which they were glad to make use) the Servetus affair.”

1553, Sept. 3—The day when Libertine named Berthelier was to return to the Table and Calvin took his stand; would prove to be the deathblow for the libertines.

1553, Oct. 26—Servetus condemned to be burned; burned the following day.

1558—Calvin very ill during the winter of 1558–1559; thought he was about to die.

1559—Denis Raguenier begins taking down Calvin’s sermon notes.

1559—Academy of Geneva established; definitive edition of Institutes published.

1564, May 27—Dies at Geneva; as requested, buried in an unmarked grave.

INTRODUCTION: Divine Glory & the Daily Grind

David Mathis

Five centuries have passed since John Calvin walked the streets of Geneva. If you would have passed him along the way, you could have recognized him as the thin man wearing a strange cap (so the artists tend to think) and carrying a Bible (the Book that changed everything for Calvin, and has something to say about everything). And if you greeted Pastor Calvin and extended your right hand, you might be surprised.

Don’t only notice his smile and the pastoral warmth in his eyes, but as he raises his hand to yours, see if you can catch a glimpse of his fingernails. If so, you’ll see the dirt—maybe not what you were expecting. Geneva’s pastor may have wished in early adulthood to keep his hands clean with a quiet life of ivory-tower study, but the dream never became a reality. He was instead divinely consigned, for his own good and for ours, to everyday life in the real world where the rest of us live—the life of pain and mess, disorder and emergency, sin and suffering, dirt and grime.

THE PLEASURES AND WORRIES OF DOMESTICITY

Church historian Stephen Nichols writes,

Calvin is often understood out of context, as if he formed his ideas and established his particular take on doctrine, what we call Calvinism, in utter isolation from other people and cut off from the world around him. The picture most have of Calvin is a lone gun turning ideas over in his head in his ivory tower. This couldn’t be further from the truth.1

The Calvin home was no scholar’s paradise. Biographer T. H. L. Parker notes that “for most of his life Calvin’s house was full of young children.”

He “passed his life, not in the seclusion of a monastery or in humanistic quiet but in the midst of the pleasures and worries of domesticity,” and so his famous Institutes “was not written in an ivory tower, but against the background of teething troubles.”2 Added to that, Calvin was “not unfamiliar with the sound of the mob outside his house threatening to throw him in the river and firing their muskets.”3 He kept his fingers dirty with everyday life.

EVERYDAY LIFE: ORDINARY AND GLORIOUS

But we should be quick to note that Calvin’s subjection to the daily grind did not prove to be an obstruction to his view of the divine glory. On the contrary, the difficulties of the everyday—his “light momentary affliction” (2 Cor. 4:17)—were used by God to open Calvin’s spiritual eyes and to enable them to see more beauty and more light.