From the reading chair: Housekeeping: A Novel, and The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought, both by Marilynne Robinson; John Calvin as Teacher, Pastor, and Theologian: The Shape of His Writings and Thought, by Randall C. Zachman; Calvin, by Bruce Gordon; Calvin’s Preaching, by T.H.L. Parker; The Theology of John Calvin by Charles Partee; Why Go to Church?: The Drama of the Eucharist, by Timothy Radcliffe; Christian Worship in Reformed Churches Past and Present, edited by Lukas Vischer; Calvin, Participation, and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union with Christ, by J. Todd Billings; Grace and Gratitude: The Eucharistic Theology of John Calvin, and The Old Protestantism and the New: Essays on the Reformation Heritage, both by Brain A. Gerrish; and A Theology of Proclamation by Dietrich Ritschl.
Through the iPod: Twist, by Dave Dobbyn; Bruckner’s Symphonies 1–9, by Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan; Troubadour, by George Strait; Lady Antebellum, by Lady Antebellum; My One and Only Thrill, by Melody Gardot; Worrisome Heart, by Melody Gardot.
On the screen: Dogville; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Pawnbroker; The War on Democracy; The Savages.
In the glass: Speight’s Old Dark.
How did you find the Billings book? I’ve been meaning to read that…
The Gerrish article on the Reformers’ view of the Bible is the best thing I’ve read on Calvin’s understanding of the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit as an essential in biblical hermeneutics. And isn’t Partee good fun – best thing I’ve read on Calvin since Cottret’s biography – at least as far as readability and good writing goes?
Jon. You must grab a copy and read it. I found it an impressive study of a central – but understudied – area of Calvin’s thought … and completely unencumbered by Goroncyesque verbiage. I’ll be keen to hear what you think.
Jim. Everything I’ve read by Gerrish I’ve found top rate. I particularly appreciated his Tradition and the Modern World: Reformed Theology in the Nineteenth Century, a book that I keep returning to. Yes, Partee is ‘good fun’ and very readable, even if frustratingly brief in parts. Still, I found it to be an excellent complement to Bruce Gordon’s stellar biography (which my eyes, like yours, will revisit).