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IVP has a series of six-lesson
studies on a variety of topics. John Calvin, Sovereign Hope focuses on
John Calvin and some of his major themes. The series is designed for either
individual or group studies. It contains some up front information on John
Calvin and his time and provides study notes at the end each section.
The topics of study range from
“how can we know God,” to “what does it mean to be chosen by God?” and “what
does God want from me?” The study’s inductive format will be familiar to those
who have used other IVP studies.
John Calvin was a theologian
who was careful to put God first in his work and the sovereignty of God was the
major overarching theme of his theology. He predated the modern, or
enlightenment philosophy that impacted so much of the philosophical and
theological world, even those who might be called classical Calvinists. For
these reasons, we believe he is important for the postmodern generation which
reacts against modernism and the theologies resembling its paradigm. No other
theologian has claimed the world impact of John Calvin; primarily because he
rightly understood that Christianity is a system, not just a collocation of
loosely held individual doctrines.
As stated above, John Calvin is
a theologian from the second wave of the Protestant Reformation during the 16th
century. Every Christian should read his works. While his greatest impact was on
the “reformed” part of the Reformation, he continues to be read by the
Protestant church in general. Not only did he see the sovereignty of God as the
overarching motif of the Reformation, he clearly accented the Bible as basis of
the Christian’s authority in faith and life. People who have only read what
secular historians have written about Calvin perceive that his major emphasis
was on predestination. While Calvin had a place for every biblical doctrine in
his work, including predestination, his scope was far broader and emphasized the
sovereignty of God.
He completed the Institutes
of the Christian Religion when he was 26 years of age. It continues to be
heralded as one of the best, if not the best, systematic presentations of
Christian theology based solely on the Word of God written. He wrote
voluminously, penning commentaries on the entire Bible (with the exception of
Daniel and Revelation.) More than 22,000 of his sermons and numerous “tracts and
treatises” have been published over the years.
This book is an excellent way to delve into Calvin for the first time or to keep
in touch with his great writings and offers a window into the mind of a
great Christian thinker.
- Charles Dunahoo, CEP
Coordinator
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