Christian Book Notes

Godfrey, W. Robert. John Calving: Pilgrim and Pastor. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2009. 208 pp. $15.99. Purchase at Westminster Books for $10.55.

Introduction

W. Robert Godfrey serves as president of Westminster Seminary in California where he is also a professor of church history. He is passionate about researching the Reformation. This love has led to the publication of John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor in this, the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth.

Synopsis

Godfrey first writes about Calvin’s life as a pilgrim. He is not writing so much about his life as a believer waiting for eternal glory–though that is true of Calvin. Rather, he is writing about Calvin’s travels and being on the run from the Catholic Church. In this first section of the book we see how grueling life was for John Calvin amidst all of his pastoral duties and his writings. It really helps to introduce the newer admirers of John Calvin to how much duress he was under while studying and writing the masterpieces he did.

The second section comprises about two-thirds of the book and is most beneficial for the young seminarian or pastor among us. We get an excellent introduction into Calvin’s ecclesiology (understanding of the church) and how she should function. Calvin pretty much formulated the Regulative Principle–we can only use what the Bible commands in our worship of God–in writing out his understanding of how the church should worship God.

We find that he held the Lord’s Supper in even higher esteem than what the Catholics did based upon what was being symbolized. He viewed the Lord’s Supper as given to the church by Jesus to sustain us until He returns. His views of predestination led him to be more of an evangelist in both the pulpit and in his everyday dealings with people. Finally, we see how he applied Scriptural truths to all of his counseling.

Recommendation

As an introduction to the man, John Calvin: Pilgrim and Pastor does an excellent job of showing how he lived and pastored. There is much ado this year about John Calvin because of the 500th anniversary of his birth. This book would make an excellent gift to the young man or woman wanting to learn more about who John Calvin was and how he influences the church still today.