Description:
Thankfully, this book is not social history in the sense that it is concerned with lots of numbers and the lives of non-elites. Instead, Philip Benedict's Christ's Churches Purely Reformed is a magnificent survey of the Reformed movement in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In this work, Benedict discusses both how the movement shaped Europe and how Europe shaped the Reformed movement. The book focuses not only on the main actors and thinkers of this time, but also shows how Reformed thinking affected the everyday lives of those living in the lands in which it took hold.A reoccurring theme of Christ's Churches Purely Reformed is that Reformed thought is not monolithic. Benedict interestingly asserts that because Reformed thought allowed for a diversity of ecclesiologies, the central ideas disseminated more effectively. This unity among diversity allowed for the various churches in Switzerland, Britain, and France to all claim the same tradition, but have very different manifestations. Notably, the Presbyterian-synod system, which most Reformed churches would later adopt, was developed in France. Thus, from the beginning Reformed theology and ecclesiology was a work in progress. Benedict's discussion of this evolution of the Reformed traditional was helpful because it corrects the myth common among many Reformed denominations that their version of Reformed ecclesiology and manners sprung full-formed from the head of Calvin. However, Benedict notes that even though the differences were often strong, a sense of solidarity and commonality of tradition united the various national churches. "Although the very term Reformed church was infused with ambiguities around 1600, the sense of fellowship and solidarity among these churches was powerful" (291). Most notably, these churches were willing to take communion with one another, the true witness to perceived Christian unity.Benedict's thoughtful critiques of democracy and capitalism's origins in Calvinism were the high points of this book. Without being dogmatic, Benedict calls into question the supposed connections between these ideologies and the theology. Speaking specifically of Weber's thesis, Benedict writes, "His ideas exaggerate the extent to which they characterized the faith as a whole and attribute them too simply to a single cause" (541). Ultimately he concludes that while one can draw superficial and common-sensical parallels, the evidence for placing democracy and capitalism at the feet of Calvinism is very weak. In fact, Benedict notes that many of the characteristics of the Calvinist mind, which would lead to democracy or capitalism, were also present in the minds of Europeans not engaged in Reformed worship. However, Benedict honestly admits that many of his findings regarding the sociological impact of Calvinism "are more tentative and more likely to be revised by future research" than his historical chronology (432).In this work, Benedict attempts to strike a scholarly balance between not overemphasizing the importance of the Reformed tradition in Western thought and acknowledging its contribution. He writes, "If the fatal flaw of theories crediting Calvinism with distinctive consequences for economic behavior or political development is that they exaggerate the spillover effects of religious doctrine outside the religious domain, the great shortcoming of the recent emphasis on the parallel consequences of the Lutheran, Reformed, and Catholic Reformations is that it downplays each faith's distinctiveness within the domain of culture and religious life" (544). On the whole, Christ's Churches Purely Reformed is a scholarly contribution which may bring a sense of balance to the field.
ebook img

Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism PDF

699 Pages·2002·5.472 MB·English
by  Professor Philip Benedict
#
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download

Download Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism PDF Free - Full Version

by Professor Philip Benedict| 2002| 699 pages| 5.472| English

Download Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism by Professor Philip Benedict in PDF format completely FREE. No registration required, no payment needed. Get instant access to this valuable resource on PDFdrive.to!

Free Download PDF

About Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism

Thankfully, this book is not social history in the sense that it is concerned with lots of numbers and the lives of non-elites. Instead, Philip Benedict's Christ's Churches Purely Reformed is a magnificent survey of the Reformed movement in Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In this work, Benedict discusses both how the movement shaped Europe and how Europe shaped the Reformed movement. The book focuses not only on the main actors and thinkers of this time, but also shows how Reformed thinking affected the everyday lives of those living in the lands in which it took hold.A reoccurring theme of Christ's Churches Purely Reformed is that Reformed thought is not monolithic. Benedict interestingly asserts that because Reformed thought allowed for a diversity of ecclesiologies, the central ideas disseminated more effectively. This unity among diversity allowed for the various churches in Switzerland, Britain, and France to all claim the same tradition, but have very different manifestations. Notably, the Presbyterian-synod system, which most Reformed churches would later adopt, was developed in France. Thus, from the beginning Reformed theology and ecclesiology was a work in progress. Benedict's discussion of this evolution of the Reformed traditional was helpful because it corrects the myth common among many Reformed denominations that their version of Reformed ecclesiology and manners sprung full-formed from the head of Calvin. However, Benedict notes that even though the differences were often strong, a sense of solidarity and commonality of tradition united the various national churches. "Although the very term Reformed church was infused with ambiguities around 1600, the sense of fellowship and solidarity among these churches was powerful" (291). Most notably, these churches were willing to take communion with one another, the true witness to perceived Christian unity.Benedict's thoughtful critiques of democracy and capitalism's origins in Calvinism were the high points of this book. Without being dogmatic, Benedict calls into question the supposed connections between these ideologies and the theology. Speaking specifically of Weber's thesis, Benedict writes, "His ideas exaggerate the extent to which they characterized the faith as a whole and attribute them too simply to a single cause" (541). Ultimately he concludes that while one can draw superficial and common-sensical parallels, the evidence for placing democracy and capitalism at the feet of Calvinism is very weak. In fact, Benedict notes that many of the characteristics of the Calvinist mind, which would lead to democracy or capitalism, were also present in the minds of Europeans not engaged in Reformed worship. However, Benedict honestly admits that many of his findings regarding the sociological impact of Calvinism "are more tentative and more likely to be revised by future research" than his historical chronology (432).In this work, Benedict attempts to strike a scholarly balance between not overemphasizing the importance of the Reformed tradition in Western thought and acknowledging its contribution. He writes, "If the fatal flaw of theories crediting Calvinism with distinctive consequences for economic behavior or political development is that they exaggerate the spillover effects of religious doctrine outside the religious domain, the great shortcoming of the recent emphasis on the parallel consequences of the Lutheran, Reformed, and Catholic Reformations is that it downplays each faith's distinctiveness within the domain of culture and religious life" (544). On the whole, Christ's Churches Purely Reformed is a scholarly contribution which may bring a sense of balance to the field.

Detailed Information

Author:Professor Philip Benedict
Publication Year:2002
Pages:699
Language:English
File Size:5.472
Format:PDF
Price:FREE
Download Free PDF

Safe & Secure Download - No registration required

Why Choose PDFdrive for Your Free Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism Download?

  • 100% Free: No hidden fees or subscriptions required for one book every day.
  • No Registration: Immediate access is available without creating accounts for one book every day.
  • Safe and Secure: Clean downloads without malware or viruses
  • Multiple Formats: PDF, MOBI, Mpub,... optimized for all devices
  • Educational Resource: Supporting knowledge sharing and learning

Free Books Similar to Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really free to download Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism PDF?

Yes, on https://PDFdrive.to you can download Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism by Professor Philip Benedict completely free. We don't require any payment, subscription, or registration to access this PDF file. For 3 books every day.

How can I read Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism on my mobile device?

After downloading Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism PDF, you can open it with any PDF reader app on your phone or tablet. We recommend using Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple Books, or Google Play Books for the best reading experience.

Is this the full version of Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism?

Yes, this is the complete PDF version of Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism by Professor Philip Benedict. You will be able to read the entire content as in the printed version without missing any pages.

Is it legal to download Christ's Churches Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism PDF for free?

https://PDFdrive.to provides links to free educational resources available online. We do not store any files on our servers. Please be aware of copyright laws in your country before downloading.

The materials shared are intended for research, educational, and personal use in accordance with fair use principles.

We use cookies

We use cookies to ensure you get the best browsing experience on our website. By clicking "Accept Cookies", you agree that we can store cookies on your device in accordance with our Terms and Privacy.