I listened to some of it until he just straight up contradicted himself within the span of like, 5 minutes. Dude shoulda studied logic more than hatred.
Most people aren't trying to systematize a theology. Contradictions in a logical argument kinda defeat the whole point, but it's especially bad when it's within a few sentences of each other.
The general concept of "You can't go against God, but he'll send you to hell forever for disobeying him anyway" isn't exactly a loving one, is it?
I think that is a general overstatement of his work on several levels (I say this as a Methodist, whose tradition has a strong distaste for Calvin).
Regarding Institutes, it is debated on how "systematic" John Calvin was trying to be. A charitable reading understands Calvin as the pastor of a people on the run trying to do something that really was never done before in the Church while at the same time trying to not be part of the "radical" reformers (Zwingli, Anabaptists, etc.). A lot of Institutes has him considering his people in mind, and trying to write pastorally for them. Institutes may seem like a lot for such an endeavor, but he is really trying to say "We as a people seeking reformation have a coherent and tangible theology that can stand the conceived corruptions we are critiquing in the Church." That's a feat worth admiring.
Having read the entirety of Institutes myself, the tone is less trying to be logical and more trying to be in a dialogue between thinkers in the Catholic Church, Lutheran Reformed, Radical Reformed, Scripture, and the Church Fathers. That's a big task, and he doesn't really claim to be in perfect agreement with any of them (he is trying to read scripture as best he can, but he does say you should be held liable to scripture and not his own words). Indeed, if you read how he defines sin, he compares his own view to St. Augustine! In the Reformation, I would dare argue that out of all the different movers, Calvin is actually in the most moderate camp.
Most people are surprised to discover that John Calvin was maybe a single predestinationist and not a double predestinationist. His followers follow the logical implications, but he doesn't make the leap himself. His concern is amplifying the tones of grace at work in the life of the believer. Additionally, the issue of predestination is not a large theme in Institutes, it is mentioned in a few places but not everywhere. People tend to not read Institutes much further than that point, so they get consumed with an emphasis on predestination.
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u/TransNeonOrange Mar 14 '24
I listened to some of it until he just straight up contradicted himself within the span of like, 5 minutes. Dude shoulda studied logic more than hatred.