Theology
John Calvin, Refugee Theologian Introducing a Reformer in Exile Kenneth J. Woo
This book offers a robust introduction to John Calvin’s writings through the lens of his experience as a religious refugee. Calvin knew about persecution and political exile from personal experience. He lived as an exiled fugitive engaged in pastoral ministry to a church that included large numbers of immigrants and refugees. Calvin’s teaching also addressed an international commu- nity experiencing religious violence and displacement in his day. In this engaging book, Kenneth Woo demonstrates how Calvin sought to make the comfort he found in God accessible to others through sermons, commentaries, letters, polemical treatises, and his mag- isterial Institutes . In his distinct-yet-inseparable roles as teacher, pastor, and polemicist, the reformer adapted his message of hope in exile to diverse audiences. Woo shows how Calvin’s theology is an example of Reformed Christianity’s refugee roots and history of pastoral care from the margins. And in a brief conclusion, he offers reflections on what a greater awareness of Calvin as refugee theo - logian could mean for those engaging his theology today. CONTENTS Introduction: Recovering the Refugee Theologian PART 1: THE EXILIC CONTEXTS OF CALVIN’S THEOLOGY 1. From France to Faithfulness: Calvin’s Personal History and His Theology of Exile 2. Comfort and Confrontation: The Diverse Audiences of Calvin’s Works PART 2: CALVIN AS TEACHER 3. Calvin’s Institutes as Road Map: Theological Coordinates for an Exilic Imagination 4. Calvin’s Commentaries: The Bible for Exiles PART 3: CALVIN AS PASTOR 5. Schooling God’s Children in Exile: Calvin’s Writings on Church Organization and Worship 6. Stirring the Exilic Imagination: Calvin’s Sermons and the Challenge of Faithful Exile PART 4: CALVIN AS POLEMICIST 7. Herding God’s Flock in Exile: Calvin’s Polemical Works 8. Conformity and Commitment: Calvin’s Anti-Nicodemite Writings Conclusion: Reading a Reformer in Exile Appendix: Questions for Continuing the Conversation Index
DECEMBER 2025 • 232 pages • $24.99 • paper • 9781540963055
Kenneth J. Woo (ThD, Duke University) is the P. C. Rossin Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is the author of Nicodemism and the English Calvin, 1544–1584 .
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