A Life Of John Calvin, A Study in the Shaping of Western Culture.

By Alister E. McGrath. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers, 1990. 332 pp. $46.95. Paperback.

John Calvin is one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented men in history. In some religious groups, it is almost a past-time and an article of faith to malign the theologian of Geneva. Calvin has been accused of drowning Anabaptists in their baptismal waters, decapitating a child for disobeying parents, having Servetus burned for heresy, being a dictator in Geneva, and inventing the doctrine of predestination. None of this, McGrath seeks to demonstrate, is true. McGrath dispels a multitude of false information regarding Calvin and endeavors to uncover the real Calvin in his actual setting. This book is a service to the church in this way. 

It is often said of those who essentially agree with Calvin’s theology that they are “following a man” and consequently they are given the expletive, “Calvinist.” McGrath presents Calvin as abhorring personality cults. Calvin, McGrath points out, requested that he be buried in a common grave and that no monuments be erected. Little is know of his childhood or of his education. Calvin was notoriously private and what little he did write regarding himself left many questions. McGrath posits that even the term Calvinist was surprising to Calvin. In fact, this designation was given to Reformed believers by many Lutherans in an effort to slow down the spread of the Reformed Faith in Germany. McGrath rightly points out that Calvin was not the first to believe such doctrines. The Hussites and the Huguenots were pre-Calvin. Calvin was heir, McGrath writes, to this teaching. Calvin was able to arrange it well and utilize avenues at his disposal to propel the Reformed Faith into an international movement. 

McGrath’s use of Genevan records is compelling. Much of the inaccurate information about Calvin and his role in Geneva has been cleared due to McGrath’s collating the activities of the City Council. McGrath’s fairness is commendable. It is clear that he holds Calvin in high regard and yet he points out that Calvin was probably not ordained by a religious organization but by the city council. He notes that Calvin was a simple civil servant and was often outranked by the council. He further discusses the weakness of Calvinism to degrade into the secular. On the other hand, McGrath makes a special effort to show Calvin’s many contributions. He especially endeavors to dispel the accusation that Calvinism is devoid of Culture and deplores art. 

McGrath’s constant comparison of Calvin and his accomplishments with those of Karl Marx is unsettling. To point out one or more similarities is insightful but a constant comparison would not be a compliment to Calvin and to potentially imply a real similarity between the two that does not exist. The purpose behind so many comparisons was left ambiguous in the book.

Another misconception that McGrath corrects is that “Calvinism” does not mix with a missionary zeal. This is clearly not the case. For example, as soon as Calvin was able to launch a missionary endeavor to France he did so. In fact, the Reformed Faith proved quite capable of international influence contrary to other expressions of Evangelical faith that were more or less local in influence. Calvin’s theology has shown adaptability to differing cultures. It is remarkably versatile and resilient under hardship. It also offered a viable option for socio-economic and governmental concerns for city-states that wanted to embrace the Reformation. The Radical Reformers offered little more than anarchy to those who wanted to leave the fold of Rome. The pattern that was being made at Geneva was showing the way for others and Calvin was giving them the religious expression to guide them. 

McGrath’s A Life of John Calvin should be read by every student of Western Civilization and every Christian Minister. John Calvin continues to be a fruitful study to all who love to sit at the feet of the truly great, though, as McGrath notes, Calvin never considered himself to be great but only a humble scholar.        

Post tenebras lux, 

Scott 

Soul Food      

Books that Blessed Me in 2018

Scott Slaughter

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great 19^th Century Baptist preacher, and pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle once said, “Visit many books, but live in the Bible.” With such profound counsel as a guide, before I mention a few of the more helpful books that entered my study in 2017,  let me first emphasize the importance of Holy Scripture in life. For starters, I want to encourage those of you that dear to me, those of you who have only recently taken up the Bible in your daily reading. Allow me to be your cheerleader for a second. Don’t give up. The Bible is the most profound book that has ever been written. Not only is the Bible filled with exciting story-telling, beautiful poetry, and amazing prophecy, it is God’s Word. The Bible is a miracle book. Paul reminds Timothy that it is inspired by the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16). So when you get discouraged because you do not understand it on the level of Dr. John MacArthur Jr., John Piper, or R.C. Sproul, give yourself a little slack. The Bible is a lifetime book, not a good holiday read. Before you start purchasing and reading any of these excellent volumes below, make sure you’ve given plenty of time to the systematic reading of the Bible. I am thankful to my N.T. Greek Professor, Dr. James A. Qurollo for instilling this in me so many years ago.

Vaguely, I remember reading another piece of advice from The Prince of Preacher (C.H. Spurgeon). In his book, Lectures To My Students, he challenged his pupils to read much and widely on many subjects. As a young seminarian, I took this bit of wisdom to heart and it has been a personal rule of my reading ever since. With this in mind, it occurred to me that my little list could be more helpful if a general category was provided. If you are looking for a book in any of these areas, perhaps this will give you a little more perspective.   

The Spiritual Life & Growth

• Comfort In Affliction, James Buchanan. 
• Confessions, St. Augustine
• The City of God, St. Augustine
• The Revived Puritan, The Spirituality of George Whitefield, Michael A.G. Haykin

Buchanan’s little book was used by God to keep my heart and mind closed to Scripture as He prepared me to go through a time of suffering in 2017. Perhaps your prayer life could use a bit of inspiration. The classic writings of St. Augustine, Confessions & The City of God are wonderful sources of drawing your devotion back to the simple love of Jesus Christ that it needs to be. In The Revived Puritan you may witness spirituality in action through the letters of the great Puritan evangelist, George Whitefield. 

Doctrine & Culture

• Beauty, A Very Short Introduction, Roger Scruton
• Behold Your God, Rethinking God Biblically, John Snyder
• The Beauty of God, Theology and the Arts, Editors: Daniel J. Treier, Mark Husbands, & Roger Lundin

The two books on beauty are challenging to be sure. So if you are looking to stretch your mind and heart in the coming year, all three of these books are for you! Behold Your God, is another spiritual treasure and source of growth in your understanding of God. 

Worship & Ministry

• Embracing Obscurity, Anonymous

Almost three years ago this book was gifted to me by a dear friend. It lay in my “Read Next Stack” for that whole time. It lay that pile not because the desire to read it was not present but because of the height of the stack. Are you ready to be challenged by God to give glory to Him for what He does through you? Are you reading to grow in genuine humility? Then get your hands on this little book, then prayerfully read each section.    

Biography & History

• Logic On Fire, The Life & Legacy of Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones,  John Snyder
• Robert Lewis Dabney, A Southern Presbyterian Life, Sean Michael Lucas
• Saints and Sinners at Jersey Church Settlement, The Story of Jersey Baptist Church, Garland A. Hendrick
• Truths That Transform, The Life of Dr. D. James Kennedy

Though the titles of each of these works are self-explanatory, don’t let that stop you from broadening your understanding of what it means to live for and serve our Lord Jesus Christ. Biographies are a great love of my life, especially, biographies of Church Fathers, pastors, theologians, and missionaries. Occasionally, I run across a history of a local congregation that is a challenge and filled with stories of God’s wonderful power through the gospel. That’s what I found when John and Ellen Sharpe gave me a Saints and Sinners at Jersey Church Settlement. 

These are the books that I thought might be helpful to recommend to each of you. If you venture into the pages of one or more of them, I hope they bless you as they did me. 

Happy Reading in 2019!
Post tenebras lux, 
Scott

Bringin Up Boys, Practical Advice and Encouragement for Those Shaping the Next Generation of Men. Dr. James Dobson

Audio Book currently FREE at Amazon.com

The October 12^th, 1970 issue of Time magazine warned about the dangers of a society blurring the lines between male and female. The piece highlighted the research of Dr. Charles Winick then professor of anthropology and sociology at City University of New York. Dr. Winick studied 2,000 cultures and found that only 55 had attempted merging masculinity and femininity. According to Winick, not one of the 55 cultures survived the attempt to make a gender-neutral society. 

Dr. Winick's ominous words have been largely ignored by American educators and leaders. Since the 1970s piece, the feminization of boys and masculinization of girls has gained momentum. Nearly fifty years later we read about six-year-old Zachery Christie being suspended from his Delaware elementary school for bringing his Cub Scouts camping utensil to school so that he "use it to eat his pudding." Thankfully his case has been re-evaluated and the suspension reversed. Some saw in this situation merely an example of the breakdown of common sense in the zero-tolerance policy. But another issue looms behind this "breakdown of common sense;" a failure to understand the nature of boys.         

“Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory.” Douglas MacArthur, “A Father’s Prayer”

With the rise of the tran=s=gen-der movement, Dobson's thesis and insight are more relevant than ever. There are certainly more Scripture-based works on parenting but we would do well not to dismiss this clear voice in a cultural wilderness for men and boys. Happy reading my fellow book-lovers!

This post in response to those of you who've encouraged me to return to this blog. Thank you for your kind support. It is my hope that in some small way I can return the favor by turning you on to some really good reads!

Post tenebras lux, 

Scott

The Gospel According to Isaiah 53, Encountering The Suffering Servant In Jewish And Christian Theology, Darrell L. Bock & Mitch Glaser Editors

   Eleven evangelical, biblical scholars combine their skills to provide the church with a thorough and faithful exposition of the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. Each writer provides dispassionate and profound research into one of the most fascinating chapters in the entire Bible. Questions such as

• What is a Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 53? 
• What is a Christian interpretation of Isaiah 53? 
• Are there any agreements between the two? 
• What are the differences? 
• How do we preach Isaiah 53 today?    

   This book is not a quick read. It is well researched and therefore can get quite academic at times. On the other hand, pastors, professors, seminarians and serious students of the Bible will find page after page of in-depth research coupled with warm devotion. Though not written in a simple style The Gospel According to Isaiah 53 is worth the effort. Having now worked my way through this helpful volume, it will not leave my study. On every page, after page, the wonderful beauty of God's plan of redemption is on full display! Thank you, Richard E. Averbeck, Michael L. Brown, Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Michael J. Wilkins, Darrell L. Bock, Craig A. Evans, David L. Allen, Robert B. Chisholm Jr., John S. Feinberg, Mitch Glaser, and Donald R. Sunukjian for giving the church this delightful expose on Isaiah 53. 

Post tenebras lux, 

Scott

Plowshares & Pruning Hooks, Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic, D. Brent Sandy

   "The moon turning to blood,""a beast with seven heads and ten horns," "giant scorpions stinging men during the last days." What are we to make of such disruptions? How do we interpret them? Of course, those of us who believe the Bible through and through are compelled by our faith to make every effort to allow Scripture to say what God intends it to say. That being said, we must never approach Scripture with a simplistic attitude. The doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture declares that the knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ is plainly presented through the overarching storyline of the Old and New Testament. On the other hand, there are things in God's Word that the world's most profound minds have labored to understand. 

   In Plowshares & Pruning Hooks D. Brent Sandy helps us begin to understand the linguistic peculiarities of the hardest genre in Scripture, prophecy and the apocalyptic. The Reformers were adamant that Scripture interprets Scripture and Sandy's book seeks no variance with this interpretive principle. On the contrary, Sandy quite thoroughly shows that the only way to interpret biblical prophecy and apocalyptic literature is to apply the Bible's own definitions to metaphorical and symbolic passages. 

   This is a book expressly for pastors and those who handle the Word. Do not pick up this book and think you will understand it without hard work. But to all those who toil over Plowshares & Pruning Hooks there is great interpretive reward. It was such a profound blessing to me that I read it twice! And though Plowshares & Pruning Hooks is probably not for many laymen, it is for some. Sandy has written a classic in the discipline of biblical hermeneutics. Every seminarian should digest this book before pontificating upon biblical texts that fall into the prophetic and apocalyptic genre.

Post tenebras lux, 

Scott

The Unquenchable Flame, Discovering The Heart Of The Reformation, Michael Reeves

EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.

   The Unquenchable Flame is a thrilling 198-page account of one of the most pivotal events in the history of man, the Protestant Reformation. Author and theologian Michael Reeves is a master storyteller. Even if you are not very familiar with the specifics of the Reformation or the key people involved, you will be able to follow Reeves as he unfolds one amazing event after another. Who needs a novel when history is this exciting!

   In this account, Reeves has intentionally made the material accessible to the popular audience. You will learn about Martin Luther, the medieval, German, Roman Catholic monk who through studying the Bible came to believe that a person is justified before God by faith alone in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You will learn about how this discovery set in motion a movement of God the world had not witnessed since the early church. You will also learn how important these truths are for today. 

   Not only does this short book give the fascinating tale of days gone by, but it also carries a critical message for today. Dare we boast about the state of churches today? It would not be wise. Much understanding about how to restore churches to faithfulness to God's Word can be found in how these men lead the churches of their day. Of these men Reeves writes, "...The Reformers were not after progress but regress: they were never mesmerized by novelty as we are, nor impatient of what was old, just because it was old; instead, their intent was to unearth original, old Christianity, a Christianity that had not been buried under centuries of human tradition." 

   Churches should purchase this book by the case! Churches should draw strength from those faithful to the Word in days long past. These men met the challenges to the gospel in their day with a thoroughly biblical response. From their example and teaching churches might well do the same. Currently, B&H Academic is giving a free copy of this book to everyone who signs up to receive their blog! Take advantage of this generous offer. You may also purchase the paperback from their site as well at the link provided above. 

Post tenebras lux, 

Scott

The Message of Isaiah, On Eagles' Wings, Barry G. Webb

   Considering the modern debate about whether or not Isaiah the Prophet really wrote the book in the Bible that bears his name, keeping a little gem like Barry Webb's, The Message of Isaiah, On Eagles' Wings, readily available to believers is vitally important. Webb's position falls within the scope of a conservative stance on the authorship and dating of the book. Webb argues somewhat against the prevailing modernistic views that question even the existence of a prophet Isaiah and break up the unity of the book by proposing multiple "Isaiahs." He is concerned for the validity and unity of the book and rightfully so seeing that it has suffered greatly at the hands of scholarly investigation, so-called. Beneath much of this "scholarly investigation" is belief that is predisposed to doubt the possibility of biblical prophecy. Hence, there cannot have been only one Isaiah because it is impossible for him to have predicted future events with such assurance. Instead, there must have been multiple men we may call Isaiahs which means that these are not prophecies but simply men speaking about current events, so the thought goes. Webb's approach is not distrusting of the Bible's ability to foretell future events. Webb endeavors to take the text at face value. I appreciate that. In fact, at times he is quite devotional. I appreciate that as well. On the other hand, Webb is not naive. He wrestles with the text and the facts. 

   In this work, Webb is fixated on the task of giving his readers a faithful and concise expose of the majestic message of Isaiah's prophecy. In a little more than 250 pages, he sweeps over the towering landscape of Isaiah's prophecy with amazing insight and observation. He is concise but does not let that fool you. Webb deals with the text as well. There is much sound exposition to be helpful to the student of the Bible. You will not waste your time reading this book. The book has become somewhat of a classic for a good reason. It's good! This is brevity that has grown from a thorough knowledge of the book. 

   If you would like to study the book of Isaiah on your own time, for Bible study, for a sermon, or a college class let me encourage you to include The Message of Isaiah, On Eagles' Wings by Barry G. Webb. It's clear, concise and trustworthy. 

Post tenebras lux, 

Scott