In the final lecture of the Calvin Jubilee here, Joseph Small, director of Theology Worship and Education, discussed the definition of the word “church” — or the lack thereof.
In his speech, “Calvin and the Shape of the Church,” Small said that there isn’t a cohesive definition of the word and that the variety of mainline, emerging and mega-churches can be confusing and lead to fragmentation.
“What we mean when we use the word ‘church’ is important,” he said.
The Calvin Jubilee, July 8-11, was a celebration of Reformed leader John Calvin’s 500th birthday.
Calvin referred …
In times of blessing and adversity, God is always revealing God’s self to us, said Randall Zachman in “Calvin’s Doctrine of Providence: The Special Care of God for All Creation,” his July 10 lecture at the Calvin Jubilee.
Zachman, professor of Reformed studies at Notre Dame University, was one of the speakers here to celebrate John Calvin’s 500th birthday July 8-11.
His lecture touched on Calvin’s view of God as a parent and a nursemaid, giving life to and caring for every creature.
“God is directly involved in everything that happens in the universe,” Zachman said …
For Reformed leader John Calvin, theological worship has three crucial elements — the trinity, the engagement of worshippers and the indispensible role of tangible signs — said John Witvliet in his July 10 lecture at the July 8-11 Calvin Jubilee conference here, the celebration of Calvin’s 500th birthday.
In his speech, “Lift Up Your Hearts: John Calvin, Theological Imagination, and the Practice of Corporate Worship,” Witvliet — director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and teacher of worship, theology and music at Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary — outlined the three elements of worship valued by Calvin …
In her first year as president of Union Theological Seminary, Serene Jones called on John Calvin as one of her most valuable mentors.
Calvin not only understood theology, he also understood the way institutions are run and managed, she said, drawing several similarities between Calvin’s setting and her own in New York City.
Her July 9 speech, “Calvin, Creation, and the Holy Spirit,” was part of the July 8-11 Calvin Jubilee conference here, celebrating Calvin’s 500th birthday.
In Geneva, Calvin lived in a global city of his time, Jones said. Geneva was marked by immigration and …
W. Stacy Johnson, associate professor of systematic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, admires the John Calvin who was a church leader, wrote the Institutes of the Christian Religion and once refused to be paid his stipend.
But he is bothered by the Calvin who taught the doctrine of double predestination and was intolerant, superstitious and self-righteous.
“I confess that I have a love-hate relationship with John Calvin,” said Johnson July 9 at the Calvin Jubilee, a July 8-11conference here honoring Calvin’s 500th birthday. “Coming to grips with Calvin means coming to grips with ourselves as Reformed …
John Calvin, credited as the father of Reformed tradition, said that the glory of God is unfathomable, but its evidence is everywhere, impossible to miss, a leading Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) theologian said here July 8.
This “dazzling theater” of the world was the focus of the opening lecture of the Calvin Jubilee here, celebrating Calvin’s 500th birthday.
Cynthia Rigby, W.C. Brown Professor of Theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, encouraged attendees to consider the setting of Montreat Conference Center when thinking about the wonder of God’s work.
“Look at the mountains surrounding Montreat and whisper a …