January is a month that usually lends itself to staying indoors and perhaps doing some in-depth reading. Let me suggest five of our spiritual Presbyterian ancestors to study. Here are five that I commend to your reading list.
Martin Bucer (1491-1551)
A native of Strassburg,Martin Bucer championed protestant unity and fostered ecumenical goodwill. Bucer impacted many lives and profoundly influenced John Calvin. Martin Bucer stressed the importance of love and church discipline in his writings.
Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575)
Heinrich Bullinger was a famous theologian who emphasized the essential place of Christ in the doctrines of election and predestination. According to Bullinger, preaching should focus on Christ. Finally, while seriously ill with the plague he penned the Second Helvitic Confession, still considered a classic theological statement.
John Calvin (1509-1564)
Calvin was and still is the most renown of the Reformed leaders. His Institutes of the Christian Religion contained the most comprehensive of Christian beliefs.
It s required reading for most seminarians, and a wonderful addition to any library. Calvin never ceased extolling God s greatness and God s electing love in Jesus Christ. We would do well to follow his example and witness.
John Knox (ca.1514-1572)
Born in Scotland, John Knox encountered John Calvin in Geneva, and was deeply influenced by this great man. After returning to Scotland with his new teachings, Knox bravely confronted authority including Mary, Queen of Scots and the English government. Knox and his peers wrote The Scots Confession; and its central premise which stated that God alone saved people through Jesus Christ and brought them into the church.
Huldyrch Zwingli (1484-1531)
Zwingli launched the Protestant Reformation in Zurich with his sermons, treatises and lectures. Zwingli s Sixty-seven Theses was his statement of faith grounded in his belief in Jesus Christ. Zwingli died at the battlefield of Kappel as a chaplain to the army.
The stories of these leaders and their writings will warm the hearts and minds of all!
Blessings in Jesus Christ at Epiphany and Always,
Rev. Judy A. Stanley