John Calvin Myth and Reality: Images and Impact of Geneva's Reformer. Papers of the 2009 Calvin Studies Society Colloquium

The chapters in this volume were originally presented as papers at the 2009 colloquium of the Calvin Studies Society held to mark the five-hundredth anniversary of John Calvins birth. They offer a fresh evaluation of Calvins ideas and achievements and describe how others--from his contemporaries to the present--have responded to or built upon the Calvinist heritage. This book dispels popular misperceptions about Calvin and Calvinism allowing readers to make a more accurate assessment of Calvins importance as a theologian and historical figure. Contributions address areas in which Calvins legacy has been most controversial or misunderstood such as his attitude toward women his advocacy of church discipline and his understanding of predestination. These essays also give a nuanced picture of the impact of Calvinism by taking account of both the positive and negative reactions to it from the early modern period to the present. Part 1: Calvin: The Man and His Work Part 2: Appeal of and Responses to Calvinism Part 3: The Impact of Calvins Ideas The essays in this volume do an admirable job of carefully distinguishing Calvin and his influence from the myths that have grown up around him beginning with the myth that Calvin is the most important figure of the tradition that has taken his name and that Calvinists always followed his advice. The temporal and geographical reach of the analyses is impressive extending from Geneva through France and the Netherlands to Java and Korea and from Calvin himself to twentieth century political thought and philosophy. --Randall C. Zachman Professor of Reformation Studies University of Notre Dame Among the late-blooming fruits of the Calvin Jubilee in 2009 is Amy Nelson Burnetts John Calvin Myth and Reality. The articles gathered here inform engage correct and sometimes even delight the reader. The team of scholars demonstrates the wide audience that Calvin still attracts while the depth of the scholarship promises an ongoing benefit to both the novice and the advanced scholar. --R. Ward Holder Associate Professor of Theology Saint Anselm College Amy Nelson Burnett is Professor of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is the author of Teaching the Reformation: Ministers and Their Message in Basel 1529-1629 (2006) and The Yoke of Christ: Martin Bucer and Christian Discipline (1994).