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Armchair Theologians
John Knox for Armchair Theologians
This volume in the popular Armchair series presents a short and reader-friendly introduction to the tumultuous life and theology of the fiery reformer John Knox. As leader of the Scottish Reformation, Knox notably came into conflict with the Roman Catholic Church, particularly Queen Mary. He was also an outspoken advocate for education and care for the poor, and is widely regarded as the founder of the Church of Scotland. Each chapter includes a description of Knox's activities as well as a discussion of key texts that introduce Knox's theological convictions. Expertly written by Suzanne McDonald, and featuring witty illustrations from Ron Hill, this book offers an intriguing introduction to the life and work of this major theological figure.
174 pages, Paperback
First published March 29, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 15, 2013
This was a fun reading experience for me. I had always wanted to learn about John Knox. He was a character from the Reformation era that I knew was significant but really knew almost nothing about. I also had wanted to read one of the Armchair Theologian books. I love the idea of a short biographical sketch of specific theologians and their contributions to theological thought and was curious about how these books fleshed out. So I was excited about the chance to read John Knox for Armchair Theologians.
Suzanne McDonald provides a great overview of Knox's life. It spans his entire life and, while never diving too deep into the man and specific events, it definitely provides alot of information in a short amount of pages. It also is a good overview of his major writings. One drawback for some would be the lack of firsthand information. I do not see it as a drawback however. This is in no ways a John Knox reader, it is a biographical sketch that also covers his writings and it does so in an informative and entertaining way.
One of the really exciting things about how McDonald has written is how she leaves the reader wanting to know more. You finish the book and you find yourself wanting to know more about Knox but also wanting to read and study about other characters introduced through the narrative of Knox's life: Mary, Elizabeth, Bullinger, Cranmer.
Knox has been the recipient of much derision for multiple reasons. He held to an explicit exclusion of women from any roles of authority over men and a view of worship that forbade anything in worship that God himself did not command. So he definitely would not have joined in any campaigning for Sarah Palin and would not have bobbed his head in unison with the drummer during the Sunday morning worship service. In fact, he would have argued that that the Republican nomination of a woman and the local worship band to not just be inappropriate or obnoxious, but utterly sinful. McDonald does an excellent job of not just exposing these facts about Knox but putting them in the perspective of his life and thought and allowing the reader the privilege of knowing why Knox came to these stances.
There is much to the life and thought of John Knox and I feel McDonald gives a gift to any curious reader. Easy to read, informative, and entertaining. This is a book that is well worth the time and effort.
I was provided a review copy of this book from the publisher to read and offer honest feedback.
Suzanne McDonald provides a great overview of Knox's life. It spans his entire life and, while never diving too deep into the man and specific events, it definitely provides alot of information in a short amount of pages. It also is a good overview of his major writings. One drawback for some would be the lack of firsthand information. I do not see it as a drawback however. This is in no ways a John Knox reader, it is a biographical sketch that also covers his writings and it does so in an informative and entertaining way.
One of the really exciting things about how McDonald has written is how she leaves the reader wanting to know more. You finish the book and you find yourself wanting to know more about Knox but also wanting to read and study about other characters introduced through the narrative of Knox's life: Mary, Elizabeth, Bullinger, Cranmer.
Knox has been the recipient of much derision for multiple reasons. He held to an explicit exclusion of women from any roles of authority over men and a view of worship that forbade anything in worship that God himself did not command. So he definitely would not have joined in any campaigning for Sarah Palin and would not have bobbed his head in unison with the drummer during the Sunday morning worship service. In fact, he would have argued that that the Republican nomination of a woman and the local worship band to not just be inappropriate or obnoxious, but utterly sinful. McDonald does an excellent job of not just exposing these facts about Knox but putting them in the perspective of his life and thought and allowing the reader the privilege of knowing why Knox came to these stances.
There is much to the life and thought of John Knox and I feel McDonald gives a gift to any curious reader. Easy to read, informative, and entertaining. This is a book that is well worth the time and effort.
I was provided a review copy of this book from the publisher to read and offer honest feedback.
April 25, 2013
This is the third book in this series I have read. The previous volumes have been very good, and this one is no exception.
Not as many people know about Knox as they do Calvin and Luther. Knox dealt with a lot of controversy. His book, "First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women", could have literally got his head cut off. McDonald takes us through the different stages of Knox's life and shows us how it molded his beliefs.
Like other reformers, he wanted to bring church back to the Gospel. He felt the church had turned from Biblical worship to idolatry. Their worship was created in men’s mind as opposed to Biblical worship that comes from God. If we worship in any way the Bible has not prescribed we are sinning.
Knox's biggest struggle was with Roman Catholicism. He believed the ceremonies used in the mass were idolatry. The bread and wine were not the literal blood and body of Christ and bowing would be worship to an idol. He believed in the Reformation doctrine of justification by grace alone in opposition to the Roman Catholics. They added other things like penance and indulgences.
He desired to overthrow the Government because it was forcing people to worship in a Roman Catholic manner. He sought theologians of his day to ask if it was biblical to rebel against an ungodly government. He believed that any time the government backed idolatry, the citizens should resist. He also wrote much against women being in authority. He even called Mary Tudor a Jezebel.
He spent time with Calvin in Geneva and considered it, “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on earth since the days of the Apostles.” He wanted to see the same kind of society in other countries.
This book was a good summary of Knox's life. I enjoyed the book, but feel that it is a little out of place in the Armchair Theologians series. I dropped a star because, even though it is a great little biography, the Theologians series is usually more about theology than biography.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Not as many people know about Knox as they do Calvin and Luther. Knox dealt with a lot of controversy. His book, "First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regiment of Women", could have literally got his head cut off. McDonald takes us through the different stages of Knox's life and shows us how it molded his beliefs.
Like other reformers, he wanted to bring church back to the Gospel. He felt the church had turned from Biblical worship to idolatry. Their worship was created in men’s mind as opposed to Biblical worship that comes from God. If we worship in any way the Bible has not prescribed we are sinning.
Knox's biggest struggle was with Roman Catholicism. He believed the ceremonies used in the mass were idolatry. The bread and wine were not the literal blood and body of Christ and bowing would be worship to an idol. He believed in the Reformation doctrine of justification by grace alone in opposition to the Roman Catholics. They added other things like penance and indulgences.
He desired to overthrow the Government because it was forcing people to worship in a Roman Catholic manner. He sought theologians of his day to ask if it was biblical to rebel against an ungodly government. He believed that any time the government backed idolatry, the citizens should resist. He also wrote much against women being in authority. He even called Mary Tudor a Jezebel.
He spent time with Calvin in Geneva and considered it, “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was on earth since the days of the Apostles.” He wanted to see the same kind of society in other countries.
This book was a good summary of Knox's life. I enjoyed the book, but feel that it is a little out of place in the Armchair Theologians series. I dropped a star because, even though it is a great little biography, the Theologians series is usually more about theology than biography.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
I received this book free of charge from Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
August 25, 2013
Short Review: A good history of the Scottish Reformation . Wish there was more about Knox's writing.
This is mostly a history of the Scottish Reformation and Knox's role in it, more than an exploration of Knox as a theologian. I think given the limitations of the book (it is designed as a short introduction) it was a good decision. Knox is known for his long history of the Scottish Reformation and some very sharply worded critiques of Queen Mary and Queen Mary of Scots. There was a hint of the content of those, but no significant quotes from them. Knox also was significantly involved in writing the book of discipline, order of worship and confession of faith for the Scottish church. So he was quite influential. This was a good introduction to his life in just over 100 pages.
Click through for the full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/knox/
This is mostly a history of the Scottish Reformation and Knox's role in it, more than an exploration of Knox as a theologian. I think given the limitations of the book (it is designed as a short introduction) it was a good decision. Knox is known for his long history of the Scottish Reformation and some very sharply worded critiques of Queen Mary and Queen Mary of Scots. There was a hint of the content of those, but no significant quotes from them. Knox also was significantly involved in writing the book of discipline, order of worship and confession of faith for the Scottish church. So he was quite influential. This was a good introduction to his life in just over 100 pages.
Click through for the full review on my blog at http://bookwi.se/knox/
January 25, 2017
I enjoyed this short book from Suzanne McDonald. John Knox is a complex and controversial character who has had a profound impact on Scotland and the Presbyterian family of churches around the world.
The book enables the reader to put Knox into his cultural context and begin to understand the forces that shaped him and how he, in turn, shaped those around him. His battles with Mary Queens of Scots are legendary yet what is not so well known is his pastoral sensitivity or his family life.
This is a helpful book for anyone wanting to learn about John Knox and anyone interested in the roots of the Presbyterian Church.
The book enables the reader to put Knox into his cultural context and begin to understand the forces that shaped him and how he, in turn, shaped those around him. His battles with Mary Queens of Scots are legendary yet what is not so well known is his pastoral sensitivity or his family life.
This is a helpful book for anyone wanting to learn about John Knox and anyone interested in the roots of the Presbyterian Church.
August 11, 2013
Never have read much about John Knox before.
It is hard to put ourselves in the time period to understand how the religion of a country would be tied to the religion of a monarch and how the Protestant Reformation created such upheaval and that monarchs would feel threatened by those disagreed with their faith and preachers, like Knox, who felt that a Catholic monarch was a sign of God's judgement.
It is hard to put ourselves in the time period to understand how the religion of a country would be tied to the religion of a monarch and how the Protestant Reformation created such upheaval and that monarchs would feel threatened by those disagreed with their faith and preachers, like Knox, who felt that a Catholic monarch was a sign of God's judgement.
March 27, 2013
Very disappointed. I have read every "armchair theologian" book. This one had little to nothing to do with theology. The author spends most of the book talking about Knox's historical battle with women then concludes that he was not a woman hater.
July 17, 2014
This was a very good review of John Knox's life. It portrays him in a positive light and one that is not misogynistic, even though there seems to be quite a bit of evidence that he was, McDonald counters those ideas.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews