What do you think?
Rate this book
John Calvin: Writings on Pastoral Piety (Classics of Western Spirituality
John Calvin, one of the most important Protestant reformers of the 16th century, is well known as a theologian. However, he was also a caring preacher, pastor and spiritual leader. This volume in the dynamic Classics of Western Spirituality™ series highlights this significant but relatively unknown side of Calvin by exploring his piety and spirituality. This volume covers the scope of Calvin's life and work and includes sections on his life, theological orientation, liturgical and sacramental practices, the psalms, worship and prayer. The sources translated, some of which were previously translated by other persons, include letters, sermons, prayers, lectures, scriptural commentary, worship services and theological writings. While other translations of Calvin's works are available, this volume stands out because of its emphasis on a lesser-explored aspect of his work, his piety. Students and scholars of Protestant theology and spirituality and those with an interest in Reformation studies will find this to be an indispensable addition to their library. †
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2001
About the author
John Calvin
1,754 books546 followersFrench-Swiss theologian John Calvin broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1533 and as Protestant set forth his tenets, known today, in
Institutes of the Christian Religion
(1536).
The religious doctrines of John Calvin emphasize the omnipotence of God, whose grace alone saves the elect.
* Jehan Cauvin
* Iohannes Calvinus (Latin)
* Jean Calvin (French)
Originally trained as a humanist lawyer around 1530, he went on to serve as a principal figure in the Reformation. He developed the system later called Calvinism.
After tensions provoked a violent uprising, Calvin fled to Basel and published the first edition of his seminal work. In that year of 1536, William Farel invited Calvin to help reform in Geneva. The city council resisted the implementation of ideas of Calvin and Farel and expelled both men. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg as the minister of refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and people eventually invited him back to lead. Following return, he introduced new forms of government and liturgy. Following an influx of supportive refugees, new elections to the city council forced out opponents of Calvin. Calvin spent his final years, promoting the Reformation in Geneva and throughout Europe.
Calvin tirelessly wrote polemics and apologia. He also exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition, he wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible as well as treatises and confessional documents and regularly gave sermons throughout the week in Geneva. The Augustinian tradition influenced and led Calvin to expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation.
Calvin's writing and preaching provided the seeds for the branch of Protestantism that bears his name. His views live on chiefly in Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, which have spread throughout the world. Calvin's thought exerted considerable influence over major figures and entire movements, such as Puritanism, and some scholars argue that his ideas contributed to the rise of capitalism, individualism, and representative democracy in the west.
The religious doctrines of John Calvin emphasize the omnipotence of God, whose grace alone saves the elect.
* Jehan Cauvin
* Iohannes Calvinus (Latin)
* Jean Calvin (French)
Originally trained as a humanist lawyer around 1530, he went on to serve as a principal figure in the Reformation. He developed the system later called Calvinism.
After tensions provoked a violent uprising, Calvin fled to Basel and published the first edition of his seminal work. In that year of 1536, William Farel invited Calvin to help reform in Geneva. The city council resisted the implementation of ideas of Calvin and Farel and expelled both men. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to Strasbourg as the minister of refugees. He continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and people eventually invited him back to lead. Following return, he introduced new forms of government and liturgy. Following an influx of supportive refugees, new elections to the city council forced out opponents of Calvin. Calvin spent his final years, promoting the Reformation in Geneva and throughout Europe.
Calvin tirelessly wrote polemics and apologia. He also exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition, he wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible as well as treatises and confessional documents and regularly gave sermons throughout the week in Geneva. The Augustinian tradition influenced and led Calvin to expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in salvation.
Calvin's writing and preaching provided the seeds for the branch of Protestantism that bears his name. His views live on chiefly in Presbyterian and Reformed denominations, which have spread throughout the world. Calvin's thought exerted considerable influence over major figures and entire movements, such as Puritanism, and some scholars argue that his ideas contributed to the rise of capitalism, individualism, and representative democracy in the west.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 7, 2025
CALVIN'S BEST KNOWN writings (e.g., The Institutes of Christian Religion) are mainly those of a theologian arguing with other theologians and can be a bear to tackle. McKee switches things up by focusing on writings in which Calvin is talking to lay people, members of his church or his movement, about being a Christian and living as a Christian: we get sermons, some prayers, some explanations of the liturgy, excerpts from books he wrote expressly for lay people, and some letters.
He still sounds learned and often stern, but he has taken the tone down a notch here, and he is not trying to lay waste to other people's arguments, so we get a different image of the man.
Still, he leans in hard on the basic tenets of reformed Christianity. You (and all of us) are one sorry case. (Calvin's near-perfect contempt for his own species counts for much in the general idea of him.) Nothing you could possibly do for yourself can save you. Nor can any church or sacrament save you. Only God can save you--and God did, through the agency of Jesus Christ. That's the whole story. Grasp that and hold on to it.
We can still get together in a community, i.e., a church, for mutual support and encouragement, and we can perform the sacraments recorded in the gospels (communion and baptism), but Calvin emphasizes that the bread and wine are but the "mirror" or "likeness" or "visible sign" of the atonement, not the atonement itself, as baptism is but the visible sign of your redemption, not the redemption itself. The sacraments, the pastors' sermons, the ceremonies of worship all keep us focused on the main idea, but they are means to an end, never an end in themselves.
As for pilgrimages to saints' relics, or counting repeated prayers, or venerating statues--kick all that back down to Rome where it belongs. None of that claptrap saves you. The priest and his sacraments don't save you. The church doesn't save you. Jesus saved you, and no matter what you do, you're going to stay saved, whatever the priest and the church say.
One item that particularly struck me is Calvin's unpacking of the Lord's Prayer, which he pointedly reminds us is not designed to be a prayer said by an individual for his or her own sake, but a prayer said by all of us for all of our sakes.
The final and for me most memorable item: a letter written to several women who had been arrested for worshipping as Protestants. In France, this worship made them heretics, who could be burned at the stake (as one of them was). I can't imagine what I would have been able to write to people about to be burned at the stake for belonging to a movement of which I was a leader. Calvin came up with something that honored them and might have consoled them. He seems like a mensch.
He still sounds learned and often stern, but he has taken the tone down a notch here, and he is not trying to lay waste to other people's arguments, so we get a different image of the man.
Still, he leans in hard on the basic tenets of reformed Christianity. You (and all of us) are one sorry case. (Calvin's near-perfect contempt for his own species counts for much in the general idea of him.) Nothing you could possibly do for yourself can save you. Nor can any church or sacrament save you. Only God can save you--and God did, through the agency of Jesus Christ. That's the whole story. Grasp that and hold on to it.
We can still get together in a community, i.e., a church, for mutual support and encouragement, and we can perform the sacraments recorded in the gospels (communion and baptism), but Calvin emphasizes that the bread and wine are but the "mirror" or "likeness" or "visible sign" of the atonement, not the atonement itself, as baptism is but the visible sign of your redemption, not the redemption itself. The sacraments, the pastors' sermons, the ceremonies of worship all keep us focused on the main idea, but they are means to an end, never an end in themselves.
As for pilgrimages to saints' relics, or counting repeated prayers, or venerating statues--kick all that back down to Rome where it belongs. None of that claptrap saves you. The priest and his sacraments don't save you. The church doesn't save you. Jesus saved you, and no matter what you do, you're going to stay saved, whatever the priest and the church say.
One item that particularly struck me is Calvin's unpacking of the Lord's Prayer, which he pointedly reminds us is not designed to be a prayer said by an individual for his or her own sake, but a prayer said by all of us for all of our sakes.
The final and for me most memorable item: a letter written to several women who had been arrested for worshipping as Protestants. In France, this worship made them heretics, who could be burned at the stake (as one of them was). I can't imagine what I would have been able to write to people about to be burned at the stake for belonging to a movement of which I was a leader. Calvin came up with something that honored them and might have consoled them. He seems like a mensch.
November 8, 2021
Collecting many different kinds of Calvin's work into one volume, this book provides a fuller picture of the various parts of Calvin's pastoral ministry, including Sunday services and letters. The book has good introductions and helpful explanations of all the texts that are included in the volume and they provide a lot of insight into worship in Reformation-era Geneva. There are several different groups of material in the work, including an introduction of piety (he did not use the word spirituality, including letters. The second section consists of excerpts from the Institutes. The third section includes liturgical and sacramental practices featured, including things like an introduction to the Psalter, a description of weekly worship, etc. Section four includes examples of prayers and the final section discusses issues related to the Christian life. Overall, this volume provides a helpful introductory picture of Calvin's understanding of the Christian life and the different ways he approached it in different texts.
July 17, 2022
This book is an excellent introduction to Calvin's piety by a former professor at Princeton Seminary. Unfortunately, I could not easily read it all because of the small font (and aged eyes) but I hardily recommend it both as a study of Reformed piety and as a correction to a perspective on Calvin that sees him only as a rigid and grumpy theologian.
August 22, 2025
Shows the pastoral and prayerful emotions and ministry of Calvin in an intimate way. An amazing resource for peering into the life of the man himself. Excellent resource! Especially Calvin’s prayers. 5/5
January 5, 2014
This helpful collection of Calvin's writings focuses on the man as a pastor, one connected with the practical concerns of the people, both in their worship and in their daily commitment to following Christ faithfully. The book begins with a general introduction to Calvin's life and work by the editor.
The bulk of the book is divided into five sections of Calvin's writing, each with a specific theme: Autobiographical details of significant moments in Calvin's life; Calvin's theological orientation; liturgical and sacramental practices; prayer; and piety, ethics, and pastoral care. The five sections have a nice balance between his better known writing (Institutes) with a number of bits pulled from other texts and letters that he wrote.
I found the greatest value in seeing Calvin engaged in the practical concerns of ministry. This was no ivory tower theologian, but a man who never felt he had enough "quiet time" to study and write as he wished. Calvin was constantly engaged in ministry, which meant ironing out practical details and rationale for specific worship practices, working on material that helped to disciple people in their faith, or writing letters to those who had lost loved ones or who were at odds with a spouse. Concerns about certain of Calvin's theological positions aside, this volume helps to paint a fuller picture of the man, moving our conception of him beyond the theological system that has grown up around his name.
The bulk of the book is divided into five sections of Calvin's writing, each with a specific theme: Autobiographical details of significant moments in Calvin's life; Calvin's theological orientation; liturgical and sacramental practices; prayer; and piety, ethics, and pastoral care. The five sections have a nice balance between his better known writing (Institutes) with a number of bits pulled from other texts and letters that he wrote.
I found the greatest value in seeing Calvin engaged in the practical concerns of ministry. This was no ivory tower theologian, but a man who never felt he had enough "quiet time" to study and write as he wished. Calvin was constantly engaged in ministry, which meant ironing out practical details and rationale for specific worship practices, working on material that helped to disciple people in their faith, or writing letters to those who had lost loved ones or who were at odds with a spouse. Concerns about certain of Calvin's theological positions aside, this volume helps to paint a fuller picture of the man, moving our conception of him beyond the theological system that has grown up around his name.
December 7, 2010
An excellent collection of primary resources.
December 24, 2016
Great selection of Calvin's writings on piety.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews