Protestants Plan to Honor John Calvin's 500th Birthday

Newsmax.com ^ | June 8, 2007 | William Connery

[Alex Murphy]

worldwide birthday party is being planned to celebrate the life and legacy of John Calvin, one of the founding fathers of the Protestant Reformation.

"Protestant theology and Western democracy owe a debt of gratitude to John Calvin," says Peter Lillback, president of Westminster Theological Seminary outside Philadelphia and one of the driving forces behind Calvin 500, a celebration that culminates on July 10, 2009, five centuries after Calvin's birth.

"Calvin is maligned or, worse, sometimes forgotten today. But along with his brother in the faith, Martin Luther, Calvin did much for the revival of biblical Christianity," declares Lillback.

Calvin was a central developer of the system of Christian theology called Calvinism. He rejected papal authority, established a new scheme of civic and ecclesiastical governance, and created a central hub from which Calvinism was propagated.

Although originally from France, Calvin escaped to Geneva, Switzerland, preaching and writing in that city from 1541 until his death in 1564. His most famous writings were "The Institutes of the Christian Religion," which he originally published in 1536 and kept revising until 1559.

"Calvin kept expanding ‘The Institutes,' while writing them in Latin and French," Lillback says. "Just as Luther is considered the father of modern German, Calvin is called the progenitor of modern French."

Although nearly all of Calvin's adult life was spent in Geneva, his publications spread his ideas of a properly reformed church to many parts of Europe, and from there to the rest of the world.

During his lifetime, Calvin published several revisions of "The Institutes," a seminal work in Christian theology that altered the course of Western history as much as any other book and that is still read by theological students today. The book was written as an introductory textbook on the Protestant faith for those with some basic learning and covered a broad range of theological topics from the doctrines of church and sacraments to justification by faith alone and Christian liberty. The overarching theme of the book - and Calvin's greatest theological legacy - is the idea of God's total sovereignty, particularly in salvation and election.

"Calvin is important in understanding how politics and faith interplay. The Protestant liberty he established in Geneva grew to fruition in the establishment of the United States," Lillback says.

To celebrate Calvin's life and his contributions to the world, the 500th anniversary, or quincentenary, of his birth on July 10, 1509, will be an international, interdenominational, and interdisciplinary commemoration. The details are available online at calvin500.org.

Scholars, theologians, and ministers will serve as guides to learning about this influential man, Geneva, and the cultural, religious, political, and economic impact flowing from his movement. This multifaceted approach seeks to introduce many people to one of the most important thinkers in history.

If you have been looking for a great opportunity to tour Reformation highlights while also learning from present-day experts, this is the best time for hundreds of years for hundreds of people to come together.

[pjr12345]

Protestants Plan to Honor John Calvin's 500th Birthday

Wow! He's really old.

[HarleyD]

To celebrate Calvin's life and his contributions to the world, the 500th anniversary, or quincentenary, of his birth on July 10, 1509, will be an international, interdenominational, and interdisciplinary commemoration.

Will the Pope be attending? :O)

[Dr. Eckleburg]

The good die young.

Thanks for this lovely reminder of the 500th anniversary of the birth of a man many consider to be the greatest human mind that God ever produced.

During his lifetime, Calvin published several revisions of "The Institutes (of the Christian Religion)," a seminal work in Christian theology that altered the course of Western history as much as any other book and that is still read by theological students today.

AMEN!

Without John Calvin, there would be no United States of America as we knew it in the past, nor as we hope to know it in the future.

"There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice." -- John Calvin

"A HEART PROMPTLY OFFERED:
THE REVOLUTIONARY LEADERSHIP OF JOHN CALVIN"
by David W. Hall

[Lee N. Field]

a celebration that culminates on July 10, 2009

Mark your calendars now. Julian or Gregorian?

What would it take to get some Calvinus on this side of the pond, to celebrate?

[ears_to_hear]

Will the Pope be attending? :O)

If the Holy Spirit works on him :)

[P-Marlowe]

Happy Birthday Calvin!

From the freeper with the only 100% Calvin score on the "Who's your Theologian" Test.

Go Figure.

I'm not too late, am I?

[xzins]

I scored 100% xzins on the test.

I’m a Calvinist in the Tradition of Xzins.

Happy b’day, brother John

[P-Marlowe]

Happy b’day, brother John

I think we may have arrived at the party a couple of years early.

At any rate the caterers aren't here yet, and I'm starved.

Wanna go out for a burger?

[xzins]

I’m sorta craving chili dogs this evening.

Don’t spose they have those in your neck of the woods do they?

I guess we could have a good traditional Genevan dinner in honor of Jean. But I have no idea what that would be.

Schnitzel & pommes??

[P-Marlowe]

I’m sorta craving chili dogs this evening. Don’t spose they have those in your neck of the woods do they?

We don't have woods and we don't have necks.

I guess we could have a good traditional Genevan dinner in honor of Jean. But I have no idea what that would be.

Leeks and Sausage.

Makes you want to take a leek, doesn't it?

I feel a Neener hijacking coming on.

[xzins]

Neener hijacking would be good for the return of the Blue Duncan.

Footprints In The Snow (Calvinist Guilt)

Published in the April 8, 1991 edition of The Banter

One night I had a dream.
I dreamed I was walking along the snow-covered beach of Lake Michigan.
As I looked back at the trail my feet left in the snow,
I saw my life clearly marked along my trek.

At all the high points of my life – when I made the church consistory,
when I completed my Precious Moments collection,
when my son chose Calvin over Dordt –
I noticed there was but one set of footprints dotting the frozen landscape.

But, at the low points – when our church had a series of seminarians for
seven months because no one would accept a call to Hudsonville,
when Zondervan’s sold out of my favorite Sandi Patti tape,
when my car broke down on Sunday in Holland, Michigan –
There were two sets of heavy footprints, marring the pristine flakes of the trail.

Puzzled, I cried to the Lord –
“Lord! Why this inconsistency?”

Suddenly, a cloud above the Grand Haven beach parted,
and John Calvin appeared in a single shaft of light.
“My child,” he said, “God sent me as your guardian theologian, to guide you
along life’s rugged pathways. When the burdens of the world plagued you,
when life’s heavy burden was almost too much to bear,
I was there beside you, holding your hand,
and whispering catechism quotations in your ear.

But, when you seemed to be enjoying yourself,
when happiness was the emotion in your soul,
it was then that I jumped on your back and made you feel guilty for having a good time.

Remember, my precious worm,
fun is not an option for you.”

I awoke in a cold sweat, glad to know Truth.

[blue-duncan]

He ordered one hamburger, one order of French fries and one drink. The old man unwrapped the plain hamburger and carefully cut it in half. He placed one half in front of his wife. He then carefully counted out the French fries, dividing them into two piles and neatly placed one pile in front of his wife.

He took a sip of the drink, his wife took a sip and then set the cup down between them. As he began to eat his few bites of hamburger, the people around them kept looking over and whispering. You could tell they were thinking, “That poor old couple - all they can afford is one meal for the two of them.”

As the man began to eat his fries a young man came to the table. He politely offered to buy another meal for the old couple. The old man said they were just fine - They were used to sharing everything.

The surrounding people noticed the little old lady hadn’t eaten a bite. She sat there watching her husband eat and occasionally taking turns sipping the drink.

Again the young man came over and begged them to let him buy another meal for them. This time the old woman said “No, thank you, we are used to sharing everything.”

As the old man finished and was wiping his face neatly with the napkin, the young man again came over to the little old lady who had yet to eat a single bite of food and asked “What is it you are waiting for?”

She answered

(This is great)

**********

**********

**********

**********

**********

“THE TEETH.”

[GinaLolaB]

Protestants are going honor an old dead man but they are constantly making remarks if we Catholics honor our saints. PROTESTANTS SHOULD STOP WORSHIPING DEAD HUMANS!!!!

[P-Marlowe]

Protestants are going honor an old dead man but they are constantly making remarks if we Catholics honor our saints. PROTESTANTS SHOULD STOP WORSHIPING DEAD HUMANS!!!!

Thank you for your spam.

We'll add it to the appetizer menu.

Would you mind picking up some crackers and cheese to go with that?

Oh and thanks for participating in the thread. You're welcome to stick around. The thread has been hijacked by the Neeners, and if you have any hamburger jokes, we'd be glad to hear them.

Spam jokes might be apropo as well.

Marlowe

[SeaHawkFan]

I don’t care who you are; that’s funny.

[PAR35]

I’ll tell you what - when I start praying to Calvin, I’ll swim the Tiber.

[Larry Lucido]

“Protestant theology and Western democracy owe a debt of gratitude to John Calvin,”

For what?? By Calvin’s own admissions (with Scriptural authority), nobody’s works can amount to more than dirty rags.

I sometimes find it curious that my Calvinist friends can find so much to praise about in other totally depraved beings, so long as they are totally depraved Calvinists and not totally depraved something elses.

[Larry Lucido]

By the way, has anyone figured out whether or not Calvin eneded up actually being one of the elect? I mean, just being John Calvin doesn’t equal being elect. Who really knows?

[P-Marlowe]

Hey Lucido, it's a birthday party.

Either grab a noisemaker and a silly hat or find another thread to hijack.

We're having a party here. Don't poop in the punchbowl.