Thanks Rosie,
very helpful resources.
Thanks. I got those ideas from here.
Yes and yes!
Too bad the Westminster Book store or Amazon didn't have them in a Kindle or PDF.
Did you notice the typo on the Gospel Coalition's page about Why and How to Read Calvin?
Three reasons why this book in particular should be a particular object of serious study:
1. The Institutes may be easier to read than you think.
J. I. Packer writes, “The readability of the Institutio, considering its size, is remarkable.”
Level of difficulty should not determine a book’s importance; some simple books are profound; some difficult books are simply muddled. What we want are books that make us think and worship, even if that requires some hard work. As Piper wrote in Future Grace, “When my sons complain that a good book is hard to read, I say, ‘Raking is easy, but all you get is leaves; digging is hard, but you might find diamonds.'”
3. The Institutes is one of the wonders of the world.
Karl Barth, the most influential theologian of the 20th century, once wrote: “I could gladly and profitably set myself down and spend all the rest of my life just with Calvin.”
Packer explains that Calvin’s magnum opus is one of the great wonders of the world:
Calvin’s Institutes (5th edition, 1559) is one of the wonders of the literary world—the world, that is, of writers and writing, of digesting and arranging heaps of diverse materials, of skillful proportioning and gripping presentation; the world . . . of the Idea, the Word, and the Power. . . .
The Institutio is also one of the wonders of the spiritual world—the world of doxology and devotion, of discipleship and discipline, of Word-through-Spirit illumination and transformation of individuals, of the Christ-centered mind and the Christ-honoring heart. . . .
Calvin’s Institutio is one of the wonders of the theological world, too—that is, the world of truth, faithfulness, and coherence in the mind regarding God; of combat, regrettable but inescapable, with intellectual insufficiency and error in believers and unbelievers alike; and of vision, valuation, and vindication of God as he presents himself through his Word to our fallen and disordered minds. . . .
3. The Institutes has relevance for your life and ministry.
It can be read as simply an exercise in historical theology, but it should also be read to further your understanding of God’s Word, God’s work, and God’s ways. Packer writes:
[Y][Y][Y]
Just saw this. Thanks Rosie.
Just picked up from the store these three:
A Study Guide...
Analysis of...
A Theological Guide...
Didn't opt for A Readers Guide.
Thanks for the suggestion.
mm.
Just got finished reading the foreward and preface to A Theological Guide To Calvin's Institutes and must say it has me hook line and sinker.
Definitely need this book in Logos. And I will buy it even though I have the hard back.
