Thoughts on Calvin (& Book Recommendations)

In this video, I share some reflections on Calvin and the Institutes. I also recommend a few books to read if you are interested in reading Calvin for yourself.
Book links:
Institutes of the Christian Religion (2 Vol. Battles trans.): amzn.to/49FDLXM.
Institutes of the Christian Religion (1 Vol. White trans.): amzn.to/3TciGwX.
Biography: "John Calvin: A Pligrim's Life" by Herman Selderhuis: amzn.to/43cMgqW.
"The Theology of John Calvin" by Charles Partee: amzn.to/3wNizAz.
"Political Grace: The Revolutionary Theology of John Calvin" by Roland Boer: amzn.to/3Td3eAY.
**All Amazon links are associate links, wherein I receive a percentage of your total purchase.

[@joshissa8420]

I’ve been wondering about a better theological approach to Calvin beyond the watered down version of John Piper. I really appreciate this!

[@StephenDMorrison]

Partee was very helpful for me in that regard!

[@jeredmckenna]

I appreciate your sharing here...our interests are so niche, it's hard to connect with people who share them.
I've found that Calvin is a lot like the Bible: future proponents can obscure the integrity of the original message.

[@connorlongaphie]

Calvin was, singlehandedly, my theological bedroock. also, you are the man

[@Jbaggy8]

“Calvin, Participation, and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union with Christ” by Todd Billings is a really fantastic exploration of the theme of union in Calvin. Was released in 2008 as a work of historical theology. Really great.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll check it out.

[@TempehLiberation]

Interesting, as a lay person who hasn't had much exposure to Calvin (outside of what others, often derisively, say) I think this is a good resource. Plus I always love book recs.

[@AarmOZ84]

A significantly better discussion on John Calvin than simply, "Today we are going to learn about TULIP! YEEEAAAHHHHH!"

[@StephenDMorrison]

🤣 yep! Calvin is far more interesting than tulip alone!

[@redeemedzoomer6053]

Loved the video once again! I always point out that Calvin's "Calvinism" was ALL about union with Christ, making it far more Christocentric than even Thomas Aquinas's version of predestination, which is far more speculative about the mind of God the Father.

[@StephenDMorrison]

Thanks, RZ! Definitely agree that there’s so much more Christocentricity to Calvin than what’s sometimes assumed. I really enjoyed reading him. I wonder what you think about the idea that he rejects natural theology, since we’ve talked about that before. Anyway, nice to hear from you; let’s catch up soon!

[@zachr0]

Despite running social media accounts largely dedicated to portraying people like Stephen D Morrison as "soyboys" who are ruining christianity, Im glad you're engaging with real thoughtful scholarship.

[@redeemedzoomer6053]

@@zachr0 bruh… I get hate from the right for saying that gay affirming Christian’s exist - its when they drift into heresy, which is 90% of the time, that I say something

[@zachr0]

​@@redeemedzoomer6053 Calling out "heretics" is often an ego serving activity of fundamentalists, and is usually subjective. George MacDonald, denied the atonement, is he a heretic? You may think he so from your perspective, but CS Lewis called MacDonald his "master". But in my experience, the best scholars tend to be the least likely to call out the "heretics". There is something to the old adage "The more I know, the more I realize I know nothing." Learning creates humility.

[@zachr0]

​@@redeemedzoomer6053 Feeling the need to call out the "heretics" often only serves the ego, and is usually subjective. George MacDonald denied the atonement, is he a heretic? You may think so, but CS Lewis called MacDonald his "master". It seems to me that some of the greatest scholars are the least likely to call out the "heretics", while fundamentalists sling the word around pretty frequently. So its interesting to me your confidence as a college student to be so certain on who is in and who is out.

[@joshissa8420]

I wonder if your comments about Calvin’s approach to science can survive Calvin’s rejection of the heliocentric model of the solar system and the rejection that the Earth moves.

[@StephenDMorrison]

I actually wasn't aware of that, but that is an interesting point. I wonder if it was still considered a "fringe" theory at the time, even by scientists. I'm not familiar enough with that history, though I know Luther also rejected a heliocentric model.