Calvin@500 is an exercise in appreciative criticism and appropriation of the Reformer's work for church and society. The collection serves as an introduction to the life and thought of this sixteenth-century Reformer in his context. The book also traces Calvin's continuing legacy for political, economic, theological, spiritual, and inter-religious practices of our own time. The essays reflect the depth and breadth of Calvin scholarship from the sixteenth century to the present. They also reflect Calvin's own wide-ranging ministry: the authors are pastors, teachers, social justice workers, and theologians. Calvin@500 arose from two Canadian conferences on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth.

"A rare combination of scholarship and wit. Delightful for anyone seeking insight on the Dutch in modern America." - George Marsden In this scholarly yet entertaining book, James D. Bratt takes a look at the Dutch in America from the late 19th century to the present. A comprehensive study of an ethnic subculture, the book is in large part a study of the groups religious history as well, since, as Bratt points out, the contours of the Dutch presence in America have been overwhelmingly shaped by the church and its subsidiary organizations. Although the book is extensively and scrupulously documented, Bratt has infused his scholarship with a considerable amount of anecdote that is by turns poignant and tragic and hilarious. In Bratts analysis of the fitful progress of Americanization that this close-knit religious community has undergone, we are treated to the sharp insights of a bemused and sometimes disaffected insider. Included is a chapter on novelists Arnold Mulder, David Cornel DeJong, Frederick Manfred, and Peter DeVries - four sons of the Dutch who fled the subculture only to reflect upon it almost obsessively from the outside. Well written, scholarly, and highly readable Dutch Calvinism in Modern America will have wide appeal among both academic and general readers. James D. Bratt is Professor of history at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This volume grows out of a conference at The John Owen Centre for Theological Study in London to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformer's birth. Topics covered include Calvin’s life and reforming work, his Institutes of the Christian Religion, aspects of his theology, and his commitment to revolutionary living and powerful preaching. The contributors are Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, Ian Hamilton, Anthony Lane, Ray Pennings, and Paul Wells. Table of Contents: Introduction – Gary J. Williams PART 1—LIFE AND WORK 1. Calvin the Man: A Heart Aflame - Sinclair B. Ferguson 2. Calvin the Reformer - Ian Hamilton 3. Calvin’s Way of Doing Theology: Exploring the Institutes - Anthony N. S. Lane PART 2—DOCTRINE AND EXPERIENCE 4. Calvin and Union with Christ: The Heart of Christian Doctrine - Paul Wells 5. Calvin and Christian Experience: The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Christian - Sinclair B. Ferguson PART 3—CHRISTIAN LIVING AND MINISTRY 6. Calvin the Revolutionary: Christian Living in a Fallen World - Joel R. Beeke and Ray Pennings 7. Calvin and Preaching: The Power of the Word - Joel R. Beeke

Broadening the conversation begun in Making Publics in Early Modern Europe (2009), this book examines how the spatial dynamics of public making changed the shape of early modern society. The publics visited in this volume are voluntary groupings of diverse individuals that could coalesce through the performative uptake of shared cultural forms and practices. The contributors argue that such forms of association were social productions of space as well as collective identities. Chapters explore a range of cultural activities such as theatre performances; travel and migration; practices of persuasion; the embodied experiences of lived space; and the central importance of media and material things in the creation of publics and the production of spaces. They assess a multiplicity of publics that produced and occupied a multiplicity of social spaces where collective identity and voice could be created, discovered, asserted, and exercised. Cultural producers and consumers thus challenged dominant ideas about just who could enter the public arena, greatly expanding both the real and imaginary spaces of public life to include hitherto excluded groups of private people. The consequences of this historical reconfiguration of public space remain relevant, especially for contemporary efforts to meaningfully include the views of ordinary people in public life.

The early modern ‘public sphere’ emerges out of a popular ‘culture of persuasion’ fostered by the Protestant Reformation. By 1600, religious identity could no longer be assumed as ‘given’ within the hierarchical institutions and elaborate apparatus of late-medieval ‘sacramental culture’. Reformers insisted on a sharp demarcation between the inner, subjective space of the individual and the external, public space of institutional life. Gradual displacement of sacramental culture was achieved by means of argument, textual interpretation, exhortation, reasoned opinion, and moral advice exercised through both pulpit and press. This alternative culture of persuasion presupposes a radically distinct notion of mediation. The common focus of the essays collected here is the dynamic interaction of religion and politics which provided a crucible for the emerging modern ‘public sphere’.

Meyer ("Mike") Berger was one of the greatest journalists of this century. A reporter and columnist for The New York Times for thirty years, he won a Pulitzer Prize in 1950 for his account of the murder of thirteen people by a deranged war veteran in Camden, New Jersey. Berger is best known for his "About New York" column, which appeared regularly in the Times from 1939 to 1940 and from 1953 until his death in 1959. Through lovingly detailed snapshots of ordinary New Yorkers and far corners of the city, Berger's writing deeply influenced the next generation of writers, including Gay Talese and Tom Wolfe. Originally published in 1960 and long out of print, Meyer Berger's New York is a rich collection of extraordinary journalism, selected by Berger himself, which captures the buzz, bravado, and heartbreak of New York in the fifties in the words of the best-loved reporter of his time. "Mike Berger was one of the great reporters of our day . . . he was a master of the color story, the descriptive narrative of sights and sounds-of a parade, an eclipse, a homicidal maniac running amok . . . or just a thunderstorm that broke a summer heat wave . . . ."-The New York Times, obituary, February 6, 1959 "Dip into Meyer Berger's New York, at any point, and you will find things you never knew or dreamed of knowing. . . . It has a heart, a soul, and a beauty all its own." -Phillip Hamburger, The New York Times Book Review

Ten American scholars sketch the contemporary relevance of evangelical Christianity in this sweeping survey of the present century of theological debate. Reaching into major spheres of life and thought—theology, philosophy, ethics, science, history, education, biblical studies, apologetics, evangelism and preaching—they discuss familiar fields with an eye on the theological turmoil of our times. They confirm an uneasy feeling that the loss of inherited ideas and ideals by the West is due in part at least to the indifference and hostility to biblical Christianity spawned by Protestant Liberalism. But the neglect of evangelical theology during the past half century, and the tragic consequences of this for the West, is not their only emphasis, for the volume pinpoints evangelical emphases of permanent validity. It evaluates current contributions from the side of conservative Christianity to the present theological scene. It is a treasury of information about contemporary evangelical writers and writings. It sketches guidelines for effective evangelical impact. It provides a selective working bibliography in its ten fields of evangelical interaction. The volume is an indispensable tool for every minister and theological student seeking to keep abreast of the currents of relevant Christian thought. And it provides the alert church member eager to honor Christ as the center and end of all knowledge whit a wider appreciation of the relevance of the Christian message to the larger problems of culture and life.

This is the definitive English-language edition of one of the monumental works of the Christian church. All previous editions--in Latin, French, German, and English--have been collated; references and notes have been verified, corrected, and expanded; and new bibliographies have been added.The translation preserves the rugged strength and vividness of Calvin's writing, but also conforms to modern English and renders heavy theological terms in simple language. The result is a translation that achieves a high degree of accuracy and at the same time is eminently readable. Long recognized for the quality of its translations, introductions, explanatory notes, and indexes, the Library of Christian Classics provides scholars and students with modern English translations of some of the most significant Christian theological texts in history. Through these works--each written prior to the end of the sixteenth century--contemporary readers are able to engage the ideas that have shaped Christian theology and the church through the centuries.

This is the definitive English-language edition of one of the monumental works of the Christian church. All previous editions--in Latin, French, German, and English--have been collated; references and notes have been verified, corrected, and expanded; and new bibliographies have been added.The translation preserves the rugged strength and vividness of Calvin's writing, but also conforms to modern English and renders heavy theological terms in simple language. The result is a translation that achieves a high degree of accuracy and at the same time is eminently readable. Long recognized for the quality of its translations, introductions, explanatory notes, and indexes, the Library of Christian Classics provides scholars and students with modern English translations of some of the most significant Christian theological texts in history. Through these works--each written prior to the end of the sixteenth century--contemporary readers are able to engage the ideas that have shaped Christian theology and the church through the centuries.