I do have a problem with adjectives like “revered.” And “ecclesiastical statesman” is a real problem. This has been the problem with the Church ever since Constantine. It’s the “bad marriage” (English for “Pergamos”) between church and state.

“All of these statements about Calvin are true. He wasn’t the most important man in the world, no one is saying that. But there is nothing similar to this description and a Catholic presentation of a saint.

In turn, those lofty ideas helped fashion the founding principles of Western civilization, giving rise to the republican form of government, the ideals of public education, and the philosophy of free-market capitalism. A world-class theologian, a revered exegete, a renowned teacher, an ecclesiastical statesman, an influential Reformer — he was all of these and more. His name was John Calvin.”

Intelligent commentary on any of these would have been informative, or possibly helpful. This post however is simply uninformed and annoying.

Believe me, there are plenty of things Calvinists can and should be given a hard time about. But this is just not one of them.

The story is that when John Calvin himself found out about this, however, he was appalled, and persuaded Sir William to name the boy John instead. So perhaps Calvin exhibited a bit more humility than some of his posthumous admirers would like

I admire Lawson as a powerful expository preacher, but you’re right, Michael– his rhetoric got loose from him this time and created something sublimely, if unintentionally, comedic! (I agree what much of the *substance* of what he wrote here, but man– it’s almost Faulkneresque!)

I’m a Christian who is a joyful “five-pointer” (as in Calvin, Piper, Storms, desiring and enjoying God, etc.), but this avalanche of rhetorical overkill is one of the funniest things that I have read in some time! That’s it, I’m posting it to my Facebook page– my friends will get a kick out of it, five-pointers or not!

A long time ago I decided that, even though I believe in the (actual) fundamentals of the faith, I’d never self-identify as a fundamentalist because of all the skubala that the hyper-fundies have attached to that word.

Even though I am theologically very similar to John Calvin, I’m this close (thumb and forefinger an angstrom apart) from adding “Calvinist” to that list.

But I do wish the reverend father had restrained the novelistic impulse and just put it all in English

I should write a quaint infancy narrative for M. Jean Chauvin… “Gosh golly, mamma, I dunno how preacha say Jesus die for AWWWL folks when da Bible say he done die jis’ fer dee elect”