Reading Calvin's Institutes in 2015

One of my goals for the new year is to read Calvin's Institutes. The thought of reading it on my own overwhelms me (and I can't think of any friend who may actually be interested Sad ); does anyone know of any online group that may be reading it as well? Not necessarily Faithlife; could be Facebook, a blog etc.

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Sacrifice

I do not personally know if a forum group, but here is a reading plan: http://ztford.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/institutes-reading-plan1.pdf

Rosie Perera

I don't know of one, but you could start one (on Faithlife).

You might be interested in this Reading Plan for it: http://www.chapellibrary.org/files/8213/7643/3335/rcii.pdf

You could set that up as a Logos Reading Plan and share it with others on a Faithlife Group as an enticement to get others interested.

Also here's a post at The Gospel Coalition on Why and How to Read Calvin's Institutes.

I remember Eugene Peterson once telling us (one of his classes; I took several of them) that he used to read through the Institutes every year. That is great dedication! I've read it through once (for a class I took on it with J. I. Packer) but have not read it through again, even though I've wanted to one of these days.

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680920#Comment_680920

And this post contains a link to a schedule for reading it through in 90 days:

http://larryfarlow.com/2012/12/10/read-calvins-institutes-in-90-days-or-less/

And here's another one-year plan for the 1559 edition:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/2973671/A-Year-through-Calvin-s-Institutes-1559-b

If you do decide to start a group, you might want to advertise it more widely than just on the Logos forums or Faithlife groups. Here's a guy who started an online reading group to read through the whole thing in 2013. You could email him to find out how successful he was in getting a group together and whether they finished it.

Rosie Perera

I'm still looking around for you. There's a guy on the Reformed Theology group on Google+ who appears to be interested in reading it. I've pointed him in your direction by posting a link to this thread.

https://plus.google.com/115985851360234508395/posts/DyriVgfQJL8

Rosie Perera

Whoa! Jackpot! I found a Facebook group of people who intend to read it in 2015!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/472266442907164/

Sorry for the multiple posts instead of just editing my existing posts, but I find that sometimes the person I'm responding to is already composing their response to my previous post and they miss my edits.

Bruce Dunning

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680925#Comment_680925

Whoa! Jackpot! I found a Facebook group of people who intend to read it in 2015!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/472266442907164/

Wow Rosie. You are some detective. Looks like an interesting group.

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680934#Comment_680934

Whoa! Jackpot! I found a Facebook group of people who intend to read it in 2015!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/472266442907164/

Wow Rosie. You are some detective. Looks like an interesting group.

I tried Googling a bunch of combinations of things, including "Calvin's Institutes" with "reading group". Finally "reading Calvin's Institutes" "2015" led me to this post (2nd Google hit), which had a link to the Facebook group. Being a good detective is just a matter of perseverance and having some instinct as to what to search for.

Kenneth Neighoff

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680935#Comment_680935

I read it on a reading plan two years ago.

I plan to do it again when I get the Battles translation of the Institutes.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680925#Comment_680925

Whoa! Jackpot! I found a Facebook group of people who intend to read it in 2015!

Whoa indeed! You rock - thanks so very much!! I joined [:D]

Simon’s Brother

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680918#Comment_680918

I do not personally know if a forum group, but here is a reading plan: http://ztford.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/institutes-reading-plan1.pdf

http://ztford.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/institutes-reading-plan1.pdf

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680994#Comment_680994

Whoa! Jackpot! I found a Facebook group of people who intend to read it in 2015!

Whoa indeed! You rock - thanks so very much!! I joined

Me too, if only to find out what they're up to. I've already read it, and though I would love to read it again, the chances of me setting aside enough time for that in 2015 are slim.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/680994#Comment_680994

Before I left home for our end-of-year service I was lamenting I didn't get to take a nap and would probably nod off in the middle of the sermon. It's now past 1:00 am and I'm wide awake (go figure [:)]) So, nothing better to do but work on getting the reading plan into Logos; looks like it'll take me a while.

Beloved Amodeo

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681006#Comment_681006

I have so many goals this year. I'm reading through the bible using YouVersion the Life Journal Reading Plan. I'm journaling this year. I'm using Jesus Calling as my yearly devotional. My reading for development is a constant and studying the Greek.

Now you folks are whetting my appetite for the Institutes. Thanks alot. I'm going to find a way to work it in. [8-|]

Alexxy Olu

I read the Institutes from May-August using a Reading Plan (May-August) made on L5 last year (2014). It was the Ford Lewis Battles’s edition I read. I will definitely read it again (possibly that time it will be the Allen edition).

I am starting to read the Theocratic Kingdom of God from today using a Reading plan (Jan-April, 2015) along with Chafer, LS systematic theology on another reading plan (Jan-March, 2015) within L6. I understand from a discussion somewhere in the forum that Theocratic Kingdom is the “go-to” place on dispensations as George NH Peters seemed to have laid the foundation which others then built upon.

One of my goals for the new year is to read Calvin's Institutes. The thought of reading it on my own overwhelms me (and I can't think of any friend who may actually be interested ); does anyone know of any online group that may be reading it as well?

I have heard about groups reading together but never understood how this is done. Please don’t laugh or if you do then respond after you have finished laughing. How do you read together as a group?

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681068#Comment_681068

I have heard about groups reading together but never understood how this is done. Please don’t laugh or if you do then respond after you have finished laughing. How do you read together as a group?

Not laughing at all.

When a group reads a book together, they might meet in person on a regular basis (say, once a week) or they might have an online discussion about the book which could take place at regular intervals ("live" via a Google+ Hangout or some such) or just whenever someone feels like posting a comment. The individuals are responsible for doing the actual reading on their own, at an agreed-upon pace, say one chapter every week. Then when the group gets together, they discuss the portion they've all read thus far. Someone might be in charge of leadership for each meeting, perhaps preparing some questions in advance to guide the discussion. Or it might be a free-for-all. When discussing the reading online, the pacing of comments can be much like on this forum: whenever someone has something to contribute to the conversation they can post it. There might be a set of questions everyone is encouraged to consider and post their answers to.

Sometimes a reading group might read aloud some portions of the book they are reading. For example, I hosted a reading group to read through Dante's Divine Comedy at my house a couple of years ago. The Divine Comedy is made up of three books (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), each of which is divided into "cantos" (kind of like chapters; but it's poetry). There are 33 cantos in each of the first two books and 34 in the last, for a total of 100, so it divides pretty well into nine 11's and a 12. We met once every week, and would read aloud seven cantos together, taking turns reading a few stanzas each all the way around the room. Then we'd go off and read on our own the remaining four to complete 11 cantos each week. We took a one week break in between each of the books to catch our breath. After our read-aloud session, we would discuss what we'd just read and also whatever cantos we had read alone at home. It made for a very rich experience of the Divine Comedy (my first ever, and certainly not my last!).

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681006#Comment_681006

Before I left home for our end-of-year service I was lamenting I didn't get to take a nap and would probably nod off in the middle of the sermon. It's now past 1:00 am and I'm wide awake (go figure ) So, nothing better to do but work on getting the reading plan into Logos; looks like it'll take me a while.

Bah, the custom reading plan for a large resource is a bit of a pain, isn't it? Too much I think, plus I can't access it on my iPad. Not worth it; I'll just print out the PDF file.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681024#Comment_681024

I have so many goals this year. I'm reading through the bible using YouVersion the Life Journal Reading Plan. I'm journaling this year. I'm using Jesus Calling as my yearly devotional. My reading for development is a constant and studying the Greek.

Now you folks are whetting my appetite for the Institutes. Thanks alot. I'm going to find a way to work it in.

Ha, I know the feeling! I want to journal as well (and I got a beautiful diary from one of our business clients to motivate me [:)]). I'm something of a stickler and feel I should do it every single day; consequently when I (inevitably) miss a few days I get discouraged and lose interest. I'm trying to get away from this mindset and just write when I have to something to say.

It took me a while to decide on a devotional; I finally ended up with 8 ([:O]?). They're mostly one or two months long. I have a number of year-long devotionals but I just completed Spurgeon's Morning & Evening and didn't think anything could top that for a while so I decided to mix it up.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681068#Comment_681068

I have heard about groups reading together but never understood how this is done. Please don’t laugh or if you do then respond after you have finished laughing. How do you read together as a group?

Rosie's response is spot on. We had a small reading group at work (since disbanded) and reading and discussing books was wonderful and rewarding. I read Jane Eyre through an online group and it was an amazing experience, so much richer than if I had read it on my own. For the Institutes, I think the group thing will keep me motivated and accountable; it's a huge, meaty resource and I need all the help I can get to reach the end [:)]

Mark Prim

Does anyone know how to set up a reading plan to read this book in one year that does not have me reading the table of contents and introductory notes?

* forget it. Looks they did an update to the reading plans, because now it starts from the beginning of the book. I remember when it started at the table of contents by default.

Beloved Amodeo

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681081#Comment_681081

I want to journal as well (and I got a beautiful diary from one of our business clients to motivate me ). I'm something of a stickler and feel I should do it every single day; consequently when I (inevitably) miss a few days I get discouraged and lose interest. I'm trying to get away from this mindset and just write when I have to something to say.

It took me a while to decide on a devotional; I finally ended up with 8 (?). They're mostly one or two months long. I have a number of year-long devotionals but I just completed Spurgeon's Morning & Evening and didn't think anything could top that for a while so I decided to mix it up.

Journaling:Catalyzing Spiritual Growth Through Reflection by Adam Feldman is a nice little book for beginners. I wrote a review under the pseudonym FelaReader.

The first devotional I ever read was My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers it is spectacular. It was an anchor through a time of testing for me and I grew by bounds in the faithful reading of it and it was also the first time I read the bible straight through. I regret that I didn't know anything about journaling then for I certainly had grist for the mill during that season of my life.

Alexxy Olu

Thanks Rosie and Yasmin for your detailed explanation.

The reading group sounds very much like a modified form of my Tutorial Group back then at medical school.

But somehow, I never thought of the tutorial group in a modified form (that is what I think the group reading is) within the church and friends environment.

I can already see some people around me that group reading could be a means of motivating.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681104#Comment_681104

Journaling:Catalyzing Spiritual Growth Through Reflection by Adam Feldman is a nice little book for beginners. I wrote a review under the pseudonym FelaReader.

This looks like a very helpful book; thanks for bringing it to my attention.

The first devotional I ever read was My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers it is spectacular. It was an anchor through a time of testing for me and I grew by bounds in the faithful reading of it and it was also the first time I read the bible straight through. I regret that I didn't know anything about journaling then for I certainly had grist for the mill during that season of my life.

I had planned to use My Utmost for 2014's at work devotional but I was unwell for a good portion of the year and that never panned out. Maybe next year, God willing. I've only heard good things about it.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/681232#Comment_681232

Anyone else interested in reading Calvin's Institutes, Doc B created custom reading plans for the Battles edition, and created a Faithlife group to share them: https://faithlife.com/read-calvins-institutes-in-2015/activity (read more in this post: https://community.logos.com/forums/t/98648.aspx)

The Institutes is a humongous resource and creating these custom reading plans can't have been a piece of cake (I gave up after Day [:P]) so I really appreciate Doc B using his spare time to create them and share with us. Thank you!

Rosie Perera

Cross-posting from another thread in case there are people following this one that aren't following the other one:

Hey all you Calvin readers, The Sermons and Lectures of John Calvin in English (29 vols.) in pre-pub needs some attention. This is a very exciting project. For the first time ever, all of Calvin's sermons will be collected in one place, and ones that have never been translated from the French or Latin will be translated. The field of Calvin sermon publication is a mess right now. They are all in the public domain so there's a few here and a few there in little volumes from a whole bunch of random little obscure publishers or digital self-printing places. Banner of Truth has done a lot of them. But there's no way to get a good edition of all his sermons. Now there will be, finally. So let's help move this bar over a bit.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/682288#Comment_682288

The title states 29 volumes but the Product Details states 58 volumes ??

Rosie Perera

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/682296#Comment_682296

The title states 29 volumes but the Product Details states 58 volumes ??

That's a copy/paste bug from the description of the larger collection that includes this one and has the original language versions of all the volumes in it too (French & Latin) -- 29 + 29 = 58. I shall report it. Also the fact that this one doesn't link to the larger collection that it is fully contained in.

Yasmin Stephen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/682313#Comment_682313

The title states 29 volumes but the Product Details states 58 volumes ??

That's a copy/paste bug from the description of the larger collection that includes this one and has the original language versions of all the volumes in it too (French & Latin) -- 29 + 29 = 58. I shall report it. Also the fact that this one doesn't link to the larger collection that it is fully contained in.

Thanks for clearing that up.