Letters to a Young Calvinist

An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition

Who would have guessed that something as austere as Calvinism would become a hot topic in today's postmodern culture? At the five hundredth anniversary of John Calvin's birth, new generations have discovered and embraced a "New Calvinism" with fervor and zeal, finding in the Reformed tradition a rich theological vision. In fact, Time cited New Calvinism as one of "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now."

Letters to a Young Calvinist provides pastoral and theological counsel, encouraging converts to and participants in this tradition to find in Calvin a vision that's even bigger than the New Calvinism might suggest. Noted Reformed philosopher James K. A. Smith contends that much of what traffics under the banner of New Calvinism reduces "Reformed" to a narrow concern with Calvinistic soteriology. Smith introduces New Calvinists to the "world-formative" Christianity that was unleashed with the Reformation, presenting the Reformed tradition as an Augustinian renewal movement within the church catholic. Offering wisdom at the intersection of theology and culture, he also provides pastoral caution about pride and maturity.

The creative and accessible letter format invites young Calvinists into a faithful conversation that reaches from Paul and Augustine through Calvin and Edwards to Kuyper and Wolterstorff. Together these letters sketch a comprehensive vision of Calvinism that is generous, winsome, and imaginative.

160 pages

"My friend Jamie Smith is never boring. Most of the time I cheered 'Amen!' as I read these letters, but even when I disagreed, I appreciated Jamie's model of charity and humility as well as conviction. In the midst of all the encouraging energy of the 'New Calvinism' movement, it is also important to say that being Reformed is more than TULIP. These are rewarding and creatively written letters for all of us."

--Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Theology, Westminster Seminary California

Contents

Introduction

Letter 1 - Welcome to the Family

Letter 2 - On Religious Pride

Letter 3 - Proud to Be a Calvinist?

Letter 4 - Grace All the Way Down

Letter 5 - God Owes Us Nothing

Letter 6 - God Doesn't Even Owe Us an Answer

Letter 7 - Semper Reformanda Postcard from Geneva

Letter 8 - A Historical Tour of Reformed Theology

Letter 9 - Augustine, Patron Saint of the Reformers Postcard from Princeton

Letter 10 - To be Reformed Is to Be Catholic

Letter 11 - On Being "Confessional"

Letter 12 - Beyond Westminster

Letter 13 - God's "Social"Gospel

Letter 14 - Our Promise-Keeping God Postcard from Amsterdam

Letter 15 - Elected to Love

Letter 16 - Church Matters

Letter 17 - Too Reformed for Church? Postcard from Seoul

Letter 18 - On Grumpy Speculations

Letter 19 - Wide-Angle Calvinism

Letter 20 - Far as the Curse Is Found

Letter 21 - What Are We Saved For?

Letter 22 - Bibliographical Providence

Letter 23 - Enjoying God by Enjoying Creation