One of my
favorite theologians, John Calvin, died on this date, 27 May 1564. He would
have been 504 years old if he was alive today. In loving memory of him, I will
post the Pro-Life Quote of the Fortnight from him.
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John Calvin
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John
Calvin, commenting on Exodus 21:22-25:
The fetus,
though enclosed in the womb of its mother, is already a human being (homo), and
it is almost a monstrous crime to rob it of life which it has not yet begun to
enjoy. If it seems horrible to kill a man in his own house than in a field,
because a man’s house is his place of most secure refuge, it ought surely to be
deemed more atrocious to destroy a fetus in the womb before it has come to
light.
AUTHOR: John Calvin (French: Jean Calvin, born Jehan Cauvin: 10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564) was
an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation.
He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian
theology later called Calvinism. Originally trained as a humanist lawyer, he
broke from the Roman Catholic Church around 1530. After religious tensions
provoked a violent uprising against Protestants in France, Calvin fled to
Basel, Switzerland, where he published the first edition of his seminal work The
Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536. In that year, Calvin was
recruited by William Farel to help reform the church in Geneva. The city
council resisted the implementation of Calvin and Farel's ideas, and both men
were expelled. At the invitation of Martin Bucer, Calvin proceeded to
Strasbourg, where he became the minister of a church of French refugees. He
continued to support the reform movement in Geneva, and was eventually invited
back to lead its church. Following his return, Calvin introduced new forms of
church government and liturgy, despite the opposition of several powerful
families in the city who tried to curb his authority. During this time, the
trial of Michael Servetus was extended by libertines in an attempt to harass
Calvin. However, since Servetus was also condemned and wanted by the
Inquisition, outside pressure from all over Europe forced the trial to
continue. Following an influx of supportive refugees and new elections to the
city council, Calvin's opponents were forced out. Calvin spent his final years
promoting the Reformation both in Geneva and throughout Europe. Calvin was a
tireless polemic and apologetic writer who generated much controversy. He also
exchanged cordial and supportive letters with many reformers, including Philipp
Melanchthon and Heinrich Bullinger. In addition to the Institutes, he
wrote commentaries on most books of the Bible, as well as theological treatises
and confessional documents. He regularly preached sermons throughout the week
in Geneva. Calvin was influenced by the Augustinian tradition, which led him to
expound the doctrine of predestination and the absolute sovereignty of God in
salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation. Calvin's writing
and preachings provided the seeds for the branch of theology that bears his
name. The Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which look to Calvin as a chief
expositor of their beliefs, have spread throughout the world.
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