Calvin

Michael Mullett's concise study examines why John Calvin matters to the modern world. It begins by placing Calvin in France at the start of the sixteenth century, the setting from which he later emerged. The book then follows his rise as a theologian and a leader of church and city, arriving after Martin Luther among the Reformation's later figures. Mullett outlines the core ideas of Calvin's theology as presented in the Institutes. The middle chapters focus on Geneva, and on the uneven struggle to establish Calvin's authority there, whether through force or consent. The final section weighs Calvin's lasting influence, including the argument that Calvinism helped drive Europe's economic growth.