The Thoughts of Ryan-C

With Calvin in the Theater of God : The Glory of Christ and Everyday Life

Essentially this book spawned out of a conference that existed to celebrate the 500th birthday of John Calvin. Several men were given topics regarding Calvin’s life and theology to teach on and eventually it was adapted and turned into this book. As I read the book, I didn’t really know what to expect. I knew I’d be getting some biography, some theology and a bunch of other scraps and here and there, and what the book ended up being was a great collection of essays/sermons that covered the basic worldview that Calvin lived and promoted. If we embrace the quote that “all the world is a stage,” Calvin would take that quote further and say that the stage is ultimately within the Theater Of God. This book is about our lives on that stage in this theater and what Calvin envisioned the Christian life  would be. If you are looking for a brief overview of Calvin’s theology, this is a nice introduction that is relatively easy to read. All of the authors that contributed to this work are quite talented and have a way with words, which makes it an enjoyable read as well. What I’d like to do is post a quote from each essay that I feel most adequately describes the overall theme of each chapter…

Chapter 1 : At Work and Worship in the Theater of God

“Calvin was a faith-possessed pilgrim who had a singular passion to know God and make him known. Calvin was a Christian pilgrim, journeying by faith through the ups and downs of life, with this firm conviction: that by faith in Chris alone he belonged to God, and nothing in this world could ever change that.” -Julius Kim

Chapter 2 : Bad Actors on a Broken Stage

“Sensing God’s love when we are in the midst of situations where human affairs seem to turn and whirl at the blind urge of fortune assures us ‘that God’s singular providence is still keeping watch to preserve [us], and will not suffer anything to happen but what may turn out to [our] good and salvation,’ and having the opportunity sometimes to recognize the final, providentially ordered outcomes in situations where it seemed that God was making sport of us goes a long way toward assuring us that he ‘always has the best reason for his plan.’ “  - Mark Talbot 

Chapter 3 : The Sacred Script in the Theater of God

“A man argued into the kingdom can be argued out of it. If, however, he is converted to God, nothing can separate him from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”  - Douglas Wilson

Chapter 4 : The Secular Script in the Theater of God

“No one ought to doubt that civil authority is a calling not only holy and lawful before God, but also the most sacred and by far the most honorable of all callings in the whole life of mortal men.” - John Calvin 

Chapter 5 : Living with One Foot Raised

“Calvin was deeply moved by Paul’s declaration that ‘our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body.’ Therefore, wrote Calvin, ‘as Christ is in heaven, in order that we may be conjoined with him, it is necessary that we should in spirit dwell apart from this world… Christ, who is our blessedness and glory is in heaven; let our souls, therefore, dwell with him on high.’ Again, it was not primarily his anticipation of his ‘lowly’ body being transformed that stirred his heart to look forward to the resurrection and the new heavens and new earth, but rather that ‘in heaven’ we find Christ! Christ, who is our blessedness and glory, is in heaven. Let our souls, therefore, dwell with him on high.” - Sam Storms

Chapter 6 : Jesus Christ as Denouement in the Theater of God

“Jesus is the way God gives, as well as what God gives. He’s the price, and he’s the pearl.” - John Piper 

I hope each of those quotes revealed some of who Calvin was and how his passion for the Glory of Christ fueled his life on earth. If you want to learn more about Calvin, this book is a great place to start. 

To buy this book, head over to WTSBooks…