Digital Logos Edition
John Calvin saw this world as God’s theater where his glory is always on display. Just as “day and night pour forth speech,” the universe and history are not silent either—they tell the glory of God. Reflecting on over 500 years of Calvin’s legacy, John Piper and other contributors invite us to join Calvin in the theater of God.
Stemming from the 2009 Desiring God National Conference, this volume includes chapters by Julius Kim, Douglas Wilson, Marvin Olasky, Mark Talbot, Sam Storms, and John Piper. It touches on topics such as Calvin’s life, the Christian meaning of public life, sin and suffering, the joy of the last resurrection, and Jesus Christ as the dénouement of God’s story.
Editors John Piper and David Mathis, along with the contributors, make John Calvin’s Christ-exalting perspective on the glory of God accessible to today’s readers. Both Calvinists and other evangelicals interested in the life and work of Calvin will find these essays refreshing and instructive, leading to a robust understanding of the world as God’s theater.
In the Logos edition, this valuable volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
From the recent flurry of studies on John Calvin, it is evident that we can understand neither the sixteenth century nor our own times without reference to the reformer of Geneva. This little book reveals Calvin to be a God-saturated theologian whose love for Jesus Christ and his church touches every area of human life. A jewel of a book!
—Timothy George, founding dean, Beeson Divinity School
What does a theologian and his theology look like if he and it are firmly centered on the Triune God and his glory? These essays will show you. You will meet Calvin the pastor, the theologian, the polemicist, the husband, the father, the sufferer, the lover of God and his church—all roles played out in ‘the theater of God.’ Whether you’re meeting Calvin for the first time or spending time with an old friend, this book will give you a glimpse of the wide horizons that are opened to one who has God’s glory firmly at the center of life. Be warned, Calvin’s vision is contagious.
—Stephen J. Nichols, research professor of Christianity and culture, Lancaster Bible College
With Calvin in the Theater of God is a rich and readable introduction to one of the church’s greatest pastor-theologians. Examining Calvin from many angles—including pilgrim, counselor, public intellectual, sinner—the contributors offer an elegant composite of the man even as they point to the object of his worship and work: Jesus Christ. It is perhaps the resolute faithfulness of Calvin’s life that most stands out here; this steadfastness, which in God’s providence produced a major Christian movement bursting with energy today, reminds us that our faith is exercised hour by hour, day by day, trial by trial, all for the honor and acclamation of the Lord. Whether eminent or unknown, we are reminded in these pages that in the grand theater of God’s glory, there are no bit players.
—Owen Strachan, assistant professor of Christian theology and church history, Boyce College
John Piper (DTheol, University of Munich) is teacher and founder of DesiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. He served for 33 years as senior pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God, Don’t Waste Your Life, God Is the Gospel, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ, and many more.
David Mathis (MDiv, Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando) is executive editor at DesiringGod.org and an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Bethlehem College and Seminary.
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11/9/2021
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