Calvin at 500

Aside from editing a few notes pages, I have completed my work on With Heart and Mouth, Reverend Daniel Hyde's commentary on the Belgic Confession, a publication of Reformed Fellowship. Now that I won't be spending my "at home" evenings copyediting my heart out, I may have a little more time for blogging. I'm back!

And speaking of Reformed Fellowship, that excellent organization had its annual meeting last Friday, October 12, which featured a lecture by Dr. Robert Godfrey, president of Westminster Seminary, California. Dr. Godfrey specializes in Reformation history (one of the books he has written--now on my "to read" list--is Reformation Sketches), and in anticipation of Calvin's 500th birthday in 2009, Dr. Godfrey spoke on the topic of Calvin at 500: Was He a Success?

Dr. Godfrey talked about Calvin's contributions in three areas: government, the church, and his legacy of spreading the gospel. Dr. Godfrey talked about all of Calvin's great contributions, that he was probably one of the most influential people of the millenium, and the fact that even today we are interested in our political candidates' religious beliefs--probably because of Calvin's influence. If there were an area in which Calvin was not a success, however, according to Godfrey, it was in government. But, of course, Calvin's contributions to the church and to a rich gospel legacy were a profound success.

Some interesting insights Dr. Godfrey shared were his observation that Calvin, and Calvinists, are usually perceived today as solemn and joyless. He shared an anecdote in which he met a young man who was from an area of the Netherlands particularly known for its rich Reformed heritage (at least at one time). Dr. Godfrey asked the young man if he was a member of the Reformed church there (which would have been Calvinistic), and the young man responded that those were the people who had no TVs. Dr. Godfrey noted how sad Calvin would be to find that those who followed him would be identified in these ways rather than for their love for the gospel and its spread.

One other interesting insight that has stuck with me was Calvin's favorite verse--and it isn't in Romans. His favorite verse (reflecting his love for the gospel) is John 17:3: "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."

It was a great evening, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet Dr. Godfrey and hear him speak about his passion, John Calvin. I expect that eventually his address will be posted on Reformed Fellowship's Web site (see the link, above right).