CALVIN SCHOLARS LAUD REFORMER'S ENDURING
INFLUENCE
Ed Golder; Press Religion Editor
1,233 words
25 August 1990
The Grand Rapids Press
B1
English
(Copyright 1990)
In the environs of Burton Street and East Beltline Avenue
SE, John Calvin is omnipresent.
There Calvin's portrait - wearing a soft expression, one finger
raised admonishingly - overlooks the entryway of the seminary
that is named for him.
The seminary sits next to a college that also bears his name.
In his college resides the prestigious Meeter Center - a collection
of books, journals and clippings unrivaled in this country
that deal exclusively with this 16th Century man's life and
thought.
This week the theologian and reformer seemed all-pervasive
on the campus of Calvin Theological Seminary, as high-powered
scholars from around the world gathered to spend three intensive
days debating, discussing, critiquing and praising none other
than . . . John Calvin.
"It's only every four years that you get this level of
specialists on the life and thought of John Calvin together,"
said the Rev. James DeJong, president of Calvin Theological
Seminary, who delivered the opening paper of the congress
at a worship service Monday night. "This is the premier
conference on Calvin in the world."
From such such wide-ranging and relevant topics as, "Did
Calvin think the Bible came word by word from God?" to
such arcana as "Calvin and St. Bernard of Clairveax,"
the discussion focused on a man whose life and thought is
a continuing fascination to many.
In fact, compared to 40 or 50 years ago, Calvin is finding
a new and expanded audience in this ecumenical age, said Wilhelm
Neuser, a West German scholar and secretary of the quadrennial
International Congress on Calvin Research.
The congress, which this year gathered 100 scholars from 11
different nations, was first held in Geneva in 1974. There
it attracted about 40 participants.
After that the interest in John Calvin had a sort of "echo
effect," Neuser said, to the point where the conference
became an invitation-only affair. This year marks the first
time it is being held in the United States.
In the spirit of the day the echo has extended to other Christian
denominations, including Lutherans and Roman Catholics.
The German scholar said the congress takes two basic thrusts,
the first delving into basic research: "What exactly
was this famous man who changed history in Europe - what was
he doing?"
Second, seeking in Calvin answers to today's theological conundrums.
"There are two people people are asking questions of,"
Neuser said. "Martin Luther, and John Calvin from Geneva."
A prolific writer, Calvin had "an extremely fertile,
wide-ranging mind," DeJong said. " A lot of his
insights into the Christian faith are extremely relevant to
the Christian world today."
But he was also a controversial figure who perilously mixed
the church and the state in Geneva, delicately toed the line
between determinism and free will and pushed for the execution
of one of his theological rivals, Michael Servetus.
Like many more who had died at the hands of Roman Catholic
authorities, Servetus was finally burned at the stake for
heresy. The case of Servetus has been a continuing blemish
on Calvin's record.
Thought to have been a stern man - unlike Martin Luther, an
earthy, emotional German, Calvin was reserved and austere
- Calvin saw his share of tragedy in life. He was pursued
by Roman Catholic authorities, imprisoned briefly, and threatened
with the same fate that Servetus suffered.
His son, Jacques, died in infancy. Two other daughters did
not survive long after birth. His wife, Idelette, the woman
he called "the best companion of my life," died
after only nine years of marriage. 1564 at the age of 55,
he had become a recognized figure in the European Reformation.
The gathering at Calvin College this week proves that his
thought has endured.
One of the papers, presented by Neuser at a plenary session
Tuesday evening, dealt directly with the issue of "Calvin's
Understanding of the Holy Scripture."
The issue is of immediate importance in the Grand Rapids-based
Christian Reformed Church, where there is an ongoing debate
over how the inspiration of the scriptures should be understood.
Some in the church believe every word in the scriptures came
directly from God. Others argue that while the Bible is inspired
by the Holy Spirit, parts of it - like the story of creation
- should not be read literally.
Calvin's views are often invoked in the debate, but are just
as much a matter of contention.
At the beginning of his lecture, Neuser offered a warning
to his audience: "Many Protestants, and especially those
of the Reformed persuasion, are touched in their personal
faith by a discussion on the inspiration of scripture. It
is thus difficult for them to examine Calvin's views dispassionately
and to approach the sources with an open mind."
Neuser went on to give an on-the-one-hand, on-the-other-hand
exposition of Calvin's view of the Bible.
He concluded in his paper that while Calvin strongly believed
that the authors of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit,
he was "little interested in a verbal dictation by the
Spirit."
The Holy Spirit acts "in a personal manner," Calvin
believed, according to Neuser. "In and through the agency
of men."
"True the authors are often called `instruments of the
Spirit,' " Neuser said. "But they are `instruments
just the same.' "
In contrast, DeJong's paper, "An Anatomy of All Parts
of the Soul: Insights into Calvin's Spirituality from His
Psalms Commentary," offers a more revealing portrait
of Calvin himself.
"I was trying to get into his heart - the most difficult
and dangerous thing to do," DeJong said. "What he
believed may not always be what he lived."
Calvin's commentary on the Psalms reveal that this was the
book of the Bible that most accurately reflected his personal
spirituality.
Like the Psalmist, Calvin talked about competing affections
or emotions in his own soul, a poignant admission for a man
who did not wear his feelings on his sleeve.
What makes Calvin a great figure is "the profoundness
and breadth and continuing relevance of his thought,"
DeJong said.
"There are certain people who continue to influence the
course of events and continue to be talked about and read."
Although the central theme in Calvin's thought is - like many
other things - a matter of continuing debate, DeJong sees
it as "the greatness of God and our complete human dependence
on him."
Calvin had a strong sense of God's grace and transcendence,
a sense that trickled down to the 20th Century in Karl Barth's
theology.
For a man who specified that he be buried in an unmarked grave
so he wouldn't be distinguished from common people, Calvin
might have felt uncomfortable with this lavish attention.
The Rev. John Kromminga, past president of Calvin Seminary
and congress participant, said, "I've often felt, and
felt sometimes compelled to try to make this point in our
own circles, that he would be most interested in having his
followers evaluate everything in terms of the word than he
would be in having them adopt his system."
On the other hand, it's clear from history and Calvin's ongoing
influence that he was a thinker of great depth, Kromminga
added.
"One of the highest accolades that you could give him
is that he stands up well under close scrutiny," he said.
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