Calvin for the World

“In the perpetual struggle against historical amnesia, Rubén Rosario Rodríguez’s helpful and timely book goes beyond simply demonstrating how Calvin’s ‘critics got it wrong’ with their facile, reductionistic interpretations of the reformer’s thought. Calvin for the World also offers a corrective to the facile and reductionistic tendencies of many of Calvin’s friends. By setting Calvin’s theology in its original contexts and following oft-neglected lineages of reception, Rosario Rodríguez illuminates the experiences of dislocation and migration that stand behind Calvin’s vision for reform and unveils that vision’s liberative potential for theologies during and since the Reformation era. This book invites Reformed believers to consider unexpected ways that their tradition might speak to pressing contemporary issues and center new voices that resonate more deeply with Calvinism’s past than is often imagined.”—Kenneth J. Woo, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

“Why would a twenty-first century constructive theologian, especially one from a minority heritage, write a book on John Calvin that invites readers to take a second look? Rosario Rodríguez’s Calvin for the World offers some thought-provoking answers. The creative fruit of twenty years of teaching, this lively text ranges over many topics that contemporary people would see as their own concerns—from apartheid, to immigration, to Christian engagement in public life, to liberation theology, and more. Professor Rosario Rodríguez shares the exciting surprises that his students have encountered when he has brought voices from many contexts into dialogue with Calvin, and he makes a good case that the so-called dictator of Geneva has something relevant to say today, that this long misread (or rather, unread) pastor is a viable and even worthwhile conversation partner on these ‘modern’ issues. Rosario Rodríguez never glosses over Calvin’s legendary negative reputation. However, by a combination of historical context and fascinating comparisons with figures like Bartolomé de Las Casas, Gustavo Gutiérrez, Thomas More, Allan Boesak, Cotton Mather, and Archbishop Romero, he draws out grounds for reconsidering whether Calvin just might be a more valuable resource for contemporary thought than the old stereotypes would suggest.”—Elsie McKee, Archibald Alexander Professor of Reformation Studies and the History of Worship, Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary

“Calvin for the World shows us what it looks like to thoughtfully engage with a theological giant who bears a complicated legacy and yet still says much that may be of value for us today: not pretending or ignoring but also not canceling or forgetting. In Rubén Rosario Rodríguez’s capable hands, Calvin is revealed to be a proto-liberationist by the lights of his own convictions as he is interpreted through the genius of his most radical followers.”—Jonathan Tran, author of Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism

“This book by Rubén Rosario Rodríguez is an excellent contribution to the analysis of the importance of John Calvin as a leader of the emerging Protestant Christian theology. Rosario Rodríguez carefully analyzes the various aspects of Calvinist thought and their implications for the convergences between Calvinism, Lutheranism, and Catholicism. It includes the importance of support for impoverished people and the possibility of coming together in ecumenical relationships that highlight convergences rather than contradictions. I recommend attentive and careful reading of this extraordinary book.”—Luis N. Rivera-Pagán, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Ecumenics, emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary

“Rosario Rodríguez has written a comprehensive analysis of Calvin’s theology, practical ministry, and recommendations for Christians in social, economic, and political relations. It addresses Calvin’s challenge to sixteenth-century Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anabaptist theologies while also considering how Calvin’s theology and practical ministry have influenced Christian involvement in matters of economic justice, government, immigration, and race policy in Latin America and South Africa from Calvin’s time to our own. This book is valuable for scholars, students, pastors, and church classes.”—Harlan Beckley, Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion, emeritus, and founding director of the Shepherd Program on Poverty and Human Capability, Washington and Lee University