Book Review: With Calvin in the Theatre of God

Today's book review is of a book I hope will get read a little more than likely. Regular readers of this blog, fellow former students and people who've been to the pub with me will all know I am a bit of a John Calvin fan. Not a slavish idoliser, like some theological nightmare parody of 'beliebers', but instead someone who appreciates what God did and said through the Frenchman who transformed Geneva and bequeathed the Church with some excellent thought. This book is "With Calvin in the Theatre of God: The Glory of Christ and Everyday Life", edited by John Piper and David Mathis, and comprising a selection of essays on John Calvin from a range of theologians.

The endorsements pages read like a who's who of Reformed Evangelicalism, with serious heavyweights like Timothy George, Owen Strachan, Colin Hansen and Justin Holcomb all endorsing this slim volume about the long-dead follower of Jesus. The subtitle of the book, "The Glory of Christ and the Everyday Life", give a reasonable summary, and perhaps explain why this book is so well recieved. But the 'everyday life' part should provide a hint about why this book is for every follower of Jesus, not just the theologians or the reformed diehards.

The book uses the image of a Theatre (infuriatingly miss-spelt throughout due to its American origins) to explain Calvin's thought and life. This is very helpful - and the chapters themselves play on this image to build a coherent work, despite it being a multi-author volume. I particularly valued one of the rawest chapters, "Bad Actors on a Broken Stage: Sin and Suffering in Calvin's World and Ours", by Mark Talbot. This chapter really got under the skin of a man often seen as a theological tyrant, and makes his experience very relevant for the modern reader. Talbot also provides a helpful appendix on Calvin and Servetus (something I blogged on recently too), with the other appendix being a brief biography from the pen of David Mathis.

Two of the most useful chapters are riffs on a similar theme. The first is a fascinating study by Douglas Wilson; "The Sacred Script in the Theater of God: Calvin, the Bible and the Western World". The helpful analogy of a script is further built on. The second is "The Sacred Script in the Theater of God: Calvin on the Christian Meaning of Public Life" by Marvin Olasky. This superb chapter examines Calvin's (painfully relevant and applicable) thought and teaching on how to be a Christian in a secular world, and how to be a Christian in the public square. This is deeply helpful stuff  - especially for those of us in the very secular West.

As someone who is a big fan and amateur student of Jesus' Resurrection, I was excited to see and read Sam Storms chapter here; "Living with One Foot Raised: Calvin on the Glory of the Final Resurrection and Heaven". Pre-empting Tom Wright's "Surprised by Hope" by 500 years, Calvin was someone with a real hope of the future. Storms emphasises and applies this masterfully - I would consider basing a talk on this chapter, as it is immensely inspirational and mission-driving stuff. John Piper closes the book with a very Piper-y chapter; "Jesus Christ as Denouement in the Theatre of God: Calvin and the Supremacy of Christ in All Things". This is a fitting close to the book.

I'm really glad how this book turned out. It is a fitting tribute to Calvin, and even more so to God's glory made manifest in Jesus Christ. This book is a wonderful introduction to Calvin from a critical but sympathetic collection of authors - and its a great gateway into the wealth of literature on the Reformation. I'd recommend it to all Christians, or people interested in John Calvin. It is of particular relevance to those who want to take their faith into the public square, or are leaders.