Book Review: John Calvin’s American Legacy by Thomas J. Davis

Book Review Series of John Calvin’s American Legacy by Thomas J. Davis.

Conclusion review here
Chapter 11 review here
Chapter 10 review here
Chapter 9 review here
Chapter 8 review here
Chapter 7 review here
Chapter 6 review here
Chapter 5 review here
Chapter 4 review here
Chapter 3 review here
Chapter 2 review here
Chapter 1 review here
Introduction review here
Initial thoughts here.

Book Review I wrote for Amazon.com:

This bio is from the editor’s personal website: “Thomas J. Davis is Professor of Religious Studies and Professor of Philanthropic Studies at the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI (Indianapolis).” 

This is a great read: With eleven chapters each contributed by different authors across a wide spectrum of disciplines and an editor’s Introduction and Conclusion, this important work crosses the finish line just under 300 pages, but do not be fooled, it accomplishes a great deal in a little space. Following the historical bread crumbs from the seventeenth-century to the present, and feasting upon a three-course meal, that is, considering Calvin’s legacy on American society/culture, theology, and literature, each article is thoughtful, compelling, and historically exacting–every contributer, in his or her own way, is an irenic guide, fair and charitable to 1) Calvin, 2) his American detractors (who have oftentimes mishandled his thought and written off his influence because of prejudice or stereotype), and 3) his American followers/sympathizers–overall this work achieves its aim to make Calvin, once again, “at home” in the great “American consciousness.”