Celebrating Calvin's Birthday

RELIGION IN THE NEWS

Now Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.This week’s item is from Christian Newswire April 28, 2008, with a headline:“Celebration Announced For Calvin’s Birth, Theology, World Influence”The following are excerpts:Calvin 500.org announces its plans for a 2009 Quincentenery Celebration of the Birth of Protestant Reformer John Calvin, born in 1509.Multiple conferences are planned in Europe and the U.S. as an International inter-denominational and interdisciplinary commemoration of Calvin’s life and work.“Calvin is one of the most important thinkers in history,” said Calvin 500 Executive Director Reverend David Hall.His ministry and writings left an indelible impression on the modern world, and especially Western culture.Culminating with conferences and multiple locations in 2009, Reverend Hall says the celebration combines history, spirituality, and culture to recognize the life and work of the Geneva reformer.Calvinistic scholars and ministers will serve as popular guides to acquaint participants with Calvin’s influence, especially in Western thought, his vibrant city and the cultural, religious, political and economic impact flowing from the movement he helped lead.“The event is a multi-faceted approach seeking to introduce many people to John Calvin,” said Hall.

Tom:

Dave, maybe I could say, reasonably, you wouldn’t be one of John Calvin’s biggest fans.On the other hand, are there things that we can appreciate about John Calvin, as many of the Reformers, you know, they were either Catholics or Catholic priests.They had left the Roman Catholic church, which at that time, seemed to them at least, the only religion in the world,yet they abandoned Roman Catholicism, not everything, they brought some baggage with them, but what can we say about John Calvin?You’ve been to Geneva, I’ve been to Geneva, I’ve visited Calvin’s church, I’ve been to the Reformers museum there, and so, plus and minuses.What would you say, is it worth having a celebration of the birth of this Protestant reformer?

Dave:

Well, I don’t think so, Tom, but then the Calvinists get very upset.Luther? Yes.Luther, really he got this thing going.John Calvin did not accomplish that.John Calvin took over Geneva, and then he was thrown out of Geneva because he was too harsh.

Tom:

Yeah, he’s known as the Protestant Pope.

Dave:

Yeah, then they welcomed him back.Well, you had to obey.In other words, this was salvation enforced upon people.Suddenly, here they are opening your door, and they want to know—oops, you’ve got too many dishes on the table—oops, too high of a cloth on the wife’s head, and so forth.Not only that, but they were—well, during John Calvin’s time, when he was, well, he wasn’t the mayor, he wasn’t the head of it but he was the head of the counsel, at least they consulted him.I mean, well, what did John Calvin say?I think they burned 64 people at the stake, they burned them for various reasons.If you bad mouth John Calvin, you could be burned at the stake.On one occasion they cut one of the, I think it was only one, maybe it was two of the people that they beheaded, and they cut them in quarters and they nailed those quarters of these martyrs in various parts of Geneva to remind you, to let you know the consequences were severe.Now John Calvin enforced religion, enforced Christianity. I have a lot of problems with him because he introduced Calvinism of course, and I will only give you one feature.I’ve had Calvinists that say, Well, you complain about limited atonement, in other words, Jesus only died for the elect.Well, but the same thing with you because you say that Jesus died for all, but everybody doesn’t get to heaven, what’s the difference?Well, the very big difference is that we believe what the Bible says that God wants everybody in heaven, but it’s up to them to choose that Christ did die for everyone.But you Calvinists say, No, Christ only died for the elect—O, He could have everyone in heaven if He wanted them, but He didn’t want everybody there.

Tom:

Dave, there are so many confusing elements to this.Number One: Calvin leaves the Catholic church, he was persecuted by the Roman Catholic church.

Dave:

Well, let me just quickly, Tom, I know there is no time.He was on the payroll of the Catholic church for right up to the end, and then, well, I won’t go into the details but he was on the payroll for several years after he sort of made his break, but he was a bit dishonest in this.

Tom:

But my point here is that, Dave, one of his heroes, Augustine the doctor of the church who probably most false teachings of the Roman Catholic church came through Augustine.Now, Dave, in just a couple of minutes here, why has the evangelical church, many Calvinist Reformed theologians, why have they embraced this man who brought so much Catholicism into the church when Reformers have a history of being anti-Catholic?I don’t understand this.

Dave:

Well, Augustine believed in the death penalty for heretics, but Augustine, when you read his confessions, there’s a lot of good stuff in there, so it’s a mixed bag and pretty hard to sort out the good from the bad.The same would be with Calvin, you read his Institutes of the Christian Religion, there is some very sound doctrine in there, but mixed in it’s enough to—well, I would question.You see, Calvin said the only way to know whether you are one of the electives if you are baptized as a baby.Now you’ve got a lot of people who aren’t Presbyterians, they were not baptized as babies.Nowhow are they going to know whether they are one of the elect?You really can’t know, and R. C. Sproul tells of a time when he was so concerned about his salvation because he wasn’t performing well enough.

Tom:

Right, that’s the “p” in TULIP, perseverance of the saints.

Dave:

It’s not perseverance of God keeping you saved, it’s perseverance of the saints.But if you persevere then you’ve got a good chance, you think you are probably one of the elect, but you still can’t be assured.

Tom:

You know, Dave, this, again, it’s really confusing to me as a former Catholic.This smacks of Catholic’s “works” salvation, honestly.