48 - The Reception of John Calvin in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Summary

Through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first John Calvin has remained the subject of considerable theological and cultural debate as scholars and church leaders have struggled to distil the essence of his thought and to recognize its possible applications for the modern world. From liberal Protestants to Karl Barth, Baptists to the new Calvinists, a broad spectrum of interpreters, adherents, and critics have been attracted to the writings of the French reformer. Further, with the massive expansion of churches in the Global South and majority world Calvin’s works have found new audiences in varied ecclesiastical contexts, from Korea and China to Africa. Translations proliferate while virtually all the reformer’s works are now readily available online.