Happy Reformation Day

Happy Reformation day! On October 31st, 1517 a young German monk nailed his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenburg condemning many of the practices of the Roman Catholic church of his time. Those theses, and the debate they sparked, helped start the Protestant reformation.

In honor of Reformation day here's a video chronicling the events of the early Reformation period. (For those seeking a somewhat more scholarly approach be sure to read George Grant's excellent post here: http://grantian.blogspot.com/2009/10/luthers-ninety-five-theses.html

The Betrayal

Reading is a large part of a pastor’s life, but all too often it can be done more in bits and pieces in preparation for sermons and lessons then in sitting down and reading through entire books.  Don’t get me wrong, it is a privilege to have a calling that allows one to study and read, but to have a steady diet of reading portions of books rather than the whole can be much like trying to survive on finger sandwiches rather than feasting on well balanced meals.  Such a practice will keep one alive, but not as healthy as one should be. 

So one of my midyear commitments has been to always have at least one book that I am reading through that is not part of my studies.   It may be a theological book, a historical book, or even a novel.   But where does a person start with so many good books out there?

In light of this year being the 500^th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth I decided that my first book should probably be about Calvin.  So I chose a historical novel written by a PCA ruling elder by the name of Douglas Bond entitled The Betrayal. 

I chose to read this novel over the summer and after completing it I cannot recommend this book enough!  Besides, what better way to celebrate Reformation Day then to read about the life of one of the men that God used mightily during this time in church history. 

Not only is The Betrayal an exciting read, but it masterfully & accurately portrays Calvin in the context of the circumstances of his day.  If one is to understand Calvin and his work, one must understand what it was like to be alive during the Reformation and what was going on in the church at that time.  

Many in the church today have heard of Calvin and an even smaller number have read some of his works, but most are often ignorant of the circumstances surrounding his life.  As a result, they see John Calvin as nothing more than a stuffy theologian who lived in an ivory tower and wrote theology that reflected how out of touch he was with reality.  Douglas Bond does a wonderful job though of dispelling these preconceptions as he carefully portrays the historical circumstances of Calvin’s day.  To show the carefulness of which Bond takes in being historically accurate, let me quote from the Note to the Reader in the opening pages of the novel:

“This is a work of historical fiction, set in the times and places when and where John Calvin lived and worked.  Though it is fiction, the reader may accept Calvin’s words in dialogues, sermons, discussions, and debates with confidence.  In nearly all places where Calvin speaks I have drawn and shaped his words from his letters, commentaries, Institutes, and other writings.  For cohesion and grammatical accuracy, I have altered tenses and pronouns, and for brevity I have excerpted Calvin’s far lengthier theological investigations.  Though shaped for fiction, Calvin’s voice in this novel is a faithful attempt to reflect accurately his own verbiage, piety, and theology.  Frequently, I use Calvin’s written summations of his critics’ views as grist for their voice when debating or deliberating with him.  Wherever possible, I have attempted to faithfully represent other historical characters, often shaping their voices from their letters, journals, and other writings.”  (The Betrayal, p. 11)

As one reads the historical accuracy of Calvin’s life, it quickly becomes apparent that Calvin was not a man who formed his theology in an ivory tower, but from hours of studying God’s Word while in the midst of the difficulties of life.  As a matter of fact, if one were to compare the times of Calvin with those of our day, we would be the ones that should be accused of living “out of touch with reality”.  In fact, due to the nature of the circumstances that are covered in this book I would say that this novel is best suited for mature readers and not younger children. 

Not only does Douglas Bond paint a historically accurate portrait of Calvin’s life, but he also describes Calvin as a real man.  Some today think that Calvin and his theology are placed on a pedestal and exalted too highly in the church today.  That what Calvin said is held on the same level as Scripture and this ought not to be.  Such concern should be heeded and carefulness should be given in the church to never exalt the instrument to the level of the God who raises up and uses that instrument for His purposes. 

Having said that, Douglas Bond depicts Calvin as a very real man; one who was physically weak and frail; a man who worked hard to escape the lime light of his day but was constantly pulled back into it by God and used as a significant instrument of the Reformation for the glory of God.  Bond reminds us that while we need to be careful not to exalt Calvin too highly, we must also be careful to acknowledge how God used John Calvin to strengthen the church not only during the Reformation, but also today.

I think Burk Parsons, editor of Tabletalk magazine and Minister of Congregational Life at Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, summarized the book well when he said,

"With masterful insight, Douglas Bond offers us an illuminating portrait of the life, ministry, and theology of John Calvin. For readers of all ages, this well-researched, historical fiction takes us back to the sixteenth-century Reformation as if we were eye-witnesses of all that God accomplished in and through the life of His humble servant John Calvin. If you enjoy reading the fictional works of C. S. Lewis, you will love this book."  (http://www.bondbooks.net/THE%20BETRAYAL.htm)

I could not concur more with Mr. Parsons’ summation and therefore I highly encourage you to consider reading The Betrayal this Reformation season!  If you would like more information on The Betrayal please check out Douglas Bond’s web site at http://www.bondbooks.net/  (where you can even read chapter 4 of the book if you like).

And if you take me up on my challenge to read this novel, please do so not to exalt John Calvin, but to give thanks to God that He is faithful to give to the church the right men at the right time (Eph 4:10-12).  No matter who we are, may we be people used of God to strengthen and build up the church for His glory! (1 Pet. 4:10, 11)

Our Vision for Frankly Speaking

How are Christians to live in an ever changing world? Political unrest, financial uncertainty, religious plurality; we live in a world of conflicting ideas where there seems to be no shortage of opinions on how one is to think or to live! Much like the sirens in Homer's Odyssey, these voices vie for our attention; tempting us to do their bidding. With new forms of media emerging every day it's easy to feel overrun with others opinions.
Perhaps the most popular means of broadcasting viewpoints is the almost ubiquitous blog.

A 2007 study by Technorati showed that there are over 112 million blogs. With so many people already sharing their knowledge (or perhaps their lack thereof) one could easily wonder: why start another blog? It's a fair question, and hopefully as we share our vision in the next few paragraphs you'll begin to see why we feel this blog is worth reading.

Beyond Opinion:

The first (and arguably most important) reason we are starting this blog is to go beyond opinions. We aren't here to share our views on the issues of the day or add our voices to the already deafening choir of ignorance. If our only goal were to push our agenda then you might as well stop reading now. But that isn't our goal. Our goal is to bring the Word of God to bear on the situations, issues, and ideas that bombard us. Our hope is to faithfully, and humbly, share the Truth of Scripture with fallen people in a fallen world. Our vision is to push beyond opinions to the reality of God's revelation.

Developing Christian Thought:

Hebrew 4:12 tell us that “[T]he word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. ” As we come into contact with the Word of God we cannot help but have our thinking transformed.
It is our firm belief that our thought life cannot be separated from our daily life. In other words, the way we think determines the way we live. It is our hope that “Frankly Speaking” will help both us and our readers develop a mature, Scripture-saturated thought life. We want to model what a truly biblical worldview looks like as we interact with the world.

Great Expectations:

So, what can you expect from “Frankly Speaking”?
First, expect variety. As we said above our goal is to model what a truly biblical worldview looks like through interacting with the world. Our posts may talk about theology, politics, literature, music, history, or in a word life. Our topics will vary, but hopefully we will always write through the lens of Scripture. Second, expect balance. We aren't setting out to write a particularly “heady” blog. Although we may discuss deep issues we want these discussions to inform our life. We want to be at home in the realm of ideas while recognizing that the Christian does not have the luxury of separating thought from action.

We could (and hopefully will) say much more about what we hope to accomplish with this blog. But for now it is enough to say: welcome! We hope you will profit from the articles and essays featured on this site. It is our sincere prayer that this blog will help you “to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”