The church reached a turning point in the sixteenth century. Worship had become a spectacle, the gospel was distorted, the sacraments were replaced by superstition, and ministers lived in immorality. To restore the church to the teachings of Christ, the Reformers cried out for a return to God’s authoritative Word.
In this classic treatise, John Calvin presents four areas of the church’s life and doctrine that must be carefully guarded and guided by Scripture. This timeless call for biblical faithfulness beckons us today. How will we respond?
This new translation by Dr. Casey Carmichael, with a foreword from Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, also includes A Reply to Cardinal Sadoleto, Calvin’s letter defending the work of reformation as it was applied in the city of Geneva.
John Calvin (1509–1564), one of the most important thinkers in church history, was a prominent French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism. His theological works, biblical commentaries, tracts, treatises, sermons, and letters helped establish the Reformation throughout Europe.
Dr. Casey Carmichael is an independent scholar in Belleville, Ill. He earned an M.A. in classics at the University of Kentucky and a doctorate in theology at the University of Geneva. Dr. Carmichael has published two translations with Reformation Heritage Books and has two forthcoming translations in Reformation and Renaissance Review.