JOHN CALVIN: REVOLUTIONARY, THEOLOGIAN, PASTOR
By Williston Walker
Christian Focus. 342 pages. £7.99
ISBN 1 84550 104 7
I’m of the Magnus Magnusson school of book reading: ‘I’ve started ... so I’ll finish’! At first bite, this 100-year-old biography of Calvin by Williston Walker seems a bit formal, but it’s worth persevering.
The general reader will find a fascinating taster of Calvin’s life in France, Strasburg and Geneva, relating controversies and characters involved, and revealing Calvin as revolutionary, theologian, author, pastor and emerging leader. He comes across as a real human being, passionate for God’s honour, wise, clear-sighted, courageous, quick-tempered, but aware of his failings, a shy man called to a public role.
