Calvin Today: Reformed Theology and the Future of the Church

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This inspiring collection of essays spells out the relevance of John Calvin's theology for today in three areas: Faith Calvin's theology asks how God deals with the persistent presence of human sin. For Calvin, the chief end of life is to know God and devote our life to his glory. The still topical point is that we are freed from our fixation with ourselves, thereby recognising and living out our true reality in relation to God. Ecumenism The unity of the Church in Christ is of central importance to Calvin. We must do our utmost to make it visible. In Calvin's view, if there is agreement in the understanding of God and grace, all other differences have no divisive importance. This still characterises Reformed understanding today. Public responsibility Calvin posed the question about the church's public responsibility as no other Reformer did. Part 3 reveals the sources of the worldwide impact of Calvin's and Reformed theology on politics, the law, scholarship and the organising of life in society, including civil society.

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'This collection of essays, written for the 500th anniversary of John Calvin's birth, illuminates the continuing relevance of Calvin's writings in the 21st century. Focusing on major themes, such as the call to live for the glory of God, the living image of God in creation, and the theological interpretation of Scripture and its practical relevance, Calvin Today demonstrates that although the context has changed radically, the issues of unity, ecumenism and public responsibility which shaped Calvin's thinking have powerful resonance for the modern church.' - Eddy van der Borght, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands; and Editor of the Journal of Reformed Theology -- Eddy van der Borght
'Aninternational and ecumenical group of world-class theologians explore here fromthe perspectives of faith, ecumenism, and public responsibility the presentsignificance of Calvin for Reformed theology and the future of the church. Thisvolume demonstrates a relevance of Calvin for all Christians and offers apresentation of ignored aspects of his thought. It is a substantial work thatdemands attention by those concerned with the history of the church and theapplication of the church's faith to the contemporary world.' - WilliamG. Rusch, Yale Divinity School, USA -- William G. Rush

Author Bio

Dr. theol., Oberkirchenrat and Head of the Department for Mission, Ecumenism and the Church's World-Responsibility in the Church Office of the Evangelical Church of Westfalia, Germany. Dr. theol, Dr. theol. H.c., Professor of Systematic Theology, Dogmatics and Ecumenism, Director of the Ecumenical Institut at the Protestant-Theological Faculty of the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. Michael Welker, Dr. theol, Dr. phil., Dr. h.c., Professor for Systematic Theology and Director of the Center of International and Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.