Calvin

Most books on John Calvin have concentrated on specific aspects of his life or teaching or have approached him from a certain bias. Through the Puritans and their descendants, he influenced much of American history, chiefly by way of his doctrine of predestination. In this 500th year of Calvin's birth, Gordon (Reformation history, Yale Divinity Sch.; The Swiss Reformation) has produced a scholarly yet accessible study that is not hagiography but an honest assessment of a man who had great talent and great faith and also great flaws. While writing from a Reformed perspective, Gordon offers a balanced view. Given Calvin's significance in American church history, this would be an important purchase for all but the smallest libraries and an essential purchase for academic libraries and all larger libraries with theological collections. With a good chapter-by-chapter bibliography.Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.