The necessity of reforming the church by John Calvin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a good little read, which has the advantage of being very concise and direct. It was written to Emperor Charles V on the eve of the Diet of Speyer (1544). This tract was written as an apologia for the Reformation. What was going on in the sixteenth century that made reformation necessary? I think Calvin lays out a case that it was quite necessary, and that the only course of action open to the Christian who loved the church of Jesus Christ was to support the Reformation.
What will be most surprising about this work is how heavily some issues factor into Calvin’s reasoning. You might expect him to focus on sola scriptura or sola fide. These issues simply do not get much attention. Instead, Calvin focuses on the abuses in worship, prayer, and the Sacraments. This, I think, should be quite instructive for us. Too often, we place a great stress on theological purity, but scarcely think about purity in the corporate action of the church. We should have done the one without leaving the other undone. Let us serve our Lord by pressing forward toward excellence in all areas of life.
I don’t know if serving the Lord by pressing forward toward excellence in all areas of life requires the reformation of my Church…
Mark, how couldn’t it? I certainly recognize that those who are not in leadership cannot have direct influence. However, one can still have conversations with those who are in leadership. Also, one can pray for wisdom for one’s leaders.
Anyway, Mark, it’s nice to see you back here. Feels like it’s been a while since I’ve virtually seen you.
I love you, brother. I hope you are well. I’ve enjoyed your family pics on FB.
Tim,
You are so right that Calvin’s apologia is instructive. Often internet debates have Protestants giving in and placing the corruptions of worship and morals in Rome’s communion to one side. Then it’s time to argue fallaciously and at length about the alleged problems with Sola Scriptura. Miraculously, Rome’s human magisterium swoops in like a super hero and settles all epistemological dilemmas.
Take the reclusive Stellman piece for illustration. If, for the sake of argument, the cases for Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide are troublesome for Protestants, the Roman Catholic failure to justify its “Christianized” idolatry from Scripture is grave for proselytizers for the Pope. That is, unless, one heeds the order to pay no attention to issues behind the curtain.