Calvin and the Calvinists
Predestination and election are also often suggested. Indeed, as R Scott Clark suggests, “No person in the history of Christianity, with the possible exception of Augustine of Hippo, has been so identified with the doctrine of election as John Calvin has been.” This has led, in A M Hunter's phrase, to Calvin bringing on himself and his system “cataracts of horrified abuse”. However, his view on such matters was virtually identical to Luther, Melanchthon and other Reformers (and for that matter Augustine and Mediaeval theologians such as Aquinas and Bradwardine). Ironically, as Partee points out in a footnote, the man who wrote a Treatise on free will is much more closely identified with predestination than Luther who wrote Bondage of the will.
As for Calvinism and the so called “Five points”, it is important to remember that though consistent with what Calvin taught, Calvin died 54 years before their formulation at the Synod of Dort in 1619 in response to the teachings of Arminius. The five points, most easily remembered by means of the mnemonic TULIP, are “Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement; Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints”. We will not look at these doctrines today, important as they are, but at others where Calvin perhaps had a more unique contribution to make.
Unlike most Reformed theologians Calvin's influence has been massive down the years. A recent UK radio programme described him as a “man who altered the shape and changed the thinking of western Europe”. It has been said that “Calvinism has touched every sphere of life and penetrated every century since its formulation under Calvin’s pen”. At the beginning of the 20th Century German economist Max Weber (The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) suggested that capitalism itself is rooted in a Reformed or Calvinist world view. His thesis was that the root of this is in the high view of secular callings espoused by the Reformers and the high ethical standards Calvin and others encouraged. It is just as likely that Calvin's more liberal view of usury or charging interest lays behind the undoubted correlation between Protestantism and Capitalism.
Calvinism has been very popular in European nations and later in America and beyond. In England, the English version of the Institutes went through 11 editions before 1632 and the catechism went through 18 editions in a similar period. Calvin's influence on the Puritans and beyond is incalculable. In America, the Calvinism of low-church Anglicans in Virginia, Congregationalists in Massachusetts, Scots-Irish Presbyterians in North Carolina and Baptists in Rhode Island was reinforced by the Dutch Calvinism of New Jersey and New York and the German Calvinism of Pennsylvania. In the 18th Century the great Jonathan Edwards wrote that he would “not take it at all amiss, to be called a Calvinist, for distinction’s sake: though I utterly disclaim a dependence on Calvin, or believing the doctrines which I hold, because he believed and taught them”. George Whitefield similarly said “I embrace the Calvinistic scheme, not because Calvin, but Jesus Christ has taught it to me.” Even John Wesley is said to have confessed that his theology came within a 'hair's-breadth of Calvinism'. In the 19th Century Spurgeon famously said that “there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.”. In the 20th Century Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was in many ways a lone voice but was (in Iain Murray's words) “A Calvinist not simply in belief but through and through.” Today the so called “new Calvinists” such as Piper, MacArthur, Mohler, Sproul and others are active to such an extent that Time magazine recently placed Calvinism in its top ten ideas that are changing the world right now.
Where the influence of Calvin ends and that of the Calvinists begins is not easily assessed but we should not make too much of it. In more recent years some have tried to drive a wedge between Calvin and those who followed but there is no reason to suppose that such a divide exists. There was clearly development among the Calvinists in their understanding after Calvin's death but they essentially continued to build on the solid foundation he and others had laid. Covenant theology and the five points can all be seen, at the very least in embryo form, in Calvin's writings.
Predestination and election are also often suggested. Indeed, as R Scott Clark suggests, “No person in the history of Christianity, with the possible exception of Augustine of Hippo, has been so identified with the doctrine of election as John Calvin has been.” This has led, in A M Hunter's phrase, to Calvin bringing on himself and his system “cataracts of horrified abuse”. However, his view on such matters was virtually identical to Luther, Melanchthon and other Reformers (and for that matter Augustine and Mediaeval theologians such as Aquinas and Bradwardine). Ironically, as Partee points out in a footnote, the man who wrote a Treatise on free will is much more closely identified with predestination than Luther who wrote Bondage of the will.
As for Calvinism and the so called “Five points”, it is important to remember that though consistent with what Calvin taught, Calvin died 54 years before their formulation at the Synod of Dort in 1619 in response to the teachings of Arminius. The five points, most easily remembered by means of the mnemonic TULIP, are “Total depravity; Unconditional election; Limited atonement; Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints”. We will not look at these doctrines today, important as they are, but at others where Calvin perhaps had a more unique contribution to make.
Unlike most Reformed theologians Calvin's influence has been massive down the years. A recent UK radio programme described him as a “man who altered the shape and changed the thinking of western Europe”. It has been said that “Calvinism has touched every sphere of life and penetrated every century since its formulation under Calvin’s pen”. At the beginning of the 20th Century German economist Max Weber (The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism) suggested that capitalism itself is rooted in a Reformed or Calvinist world view. His thesis was that the root of this is in the high view of secular callings espoused by the Reformers and the high ethical standards Calvin and others encouraged. It is just as likely that Calvin's more liberal view of usury or charging interest lays behind the undoubted correlation between Protestantism and Capitalism.
Calvinism has been very popular in European nations and later in America and beyond. In England, the English version of the Institutes went through 11 editions before 1632 and the catechism went through 18 editions in a similar period. Calvin's influence on the Puritans and beyond is incalculable. In America, the Calvinism of low-church Anglicans in Virginia, Congregationalists in Massachusetts, Scots-Irish Presbyterians in North Carolina and Baptists in Rhode Island was reinforced by the Dutch Calvinism of New Jersey and New York and the German Calvinism of Pennsylvania. In the 18th Century the great Jonathan Edwards wrote that he would “not take it at all amiss, to be called a Calvinist, for distinction’s sake: though I utterly disclaim a dependence on Calvin, or believing the doctrines which I hold, because he believed and taught them”. George Whitefield similarly said “I embrace the Calvinistic scheme, not because Calvin, but Jesus Christ has taught it to me.” Even John Wesley is said to have confessed that his theology came within a 'hair's-breadth of Calvinism'. In the 19th Century Spurgeon famously said that “there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.”. In the 20th Century Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones was in many ways a lone voice but was (in Iain Murray's words) “A Calvinist not simply in belief but through and through.” Today the so called “new Calvinists” such as Piper, MacArthur, Mohler, Sproul and others are active to such an extent that Time magazine recently placed Calvinism in its top ten ideas that are changing the world right now.
Where the influence of Calvin ends and that of the Calvinists begins is not easily assessed but we should not make too much of it. In more recent years some have tried to drive a wedge between Calvin and those who followed but there is no reason to suppose that such a divide exists. There was clearly development among the Calvinists in their understanding after Calvin's death but they essentially continued to build on the solid foundation he and others had laid. Covenant theology and the five points can all be seen, at the very least in embryo form, in Calvin's writings.
1 comment:
Great stuff Gary (both articles), and what a treat for those in Manila.
Was reflecting on your quotation to the effect that Calvin was a “man who altered the shape and changed the thinking of western Europe". It reminded me of a conversation I had with a non-Christian tour guide at the military museum in Edinburgh castle, in November. As we chatted the topic of Calvin's influence (via Knox) for the improvement of Scottish society came up. The force and conviction with which the guide spoke in favour of Calvin's social impact was breathtaking. How amazing!
Blessings to you on the other side of the other side of the world!
A
Post a Comment