Christian Freedom

What Calvin Learned at the School of Women

Bibliographic Data

ID3205473
AuthorsJane Dempsey Douglas, Jane Dempsey Douglass, Jane Douglass (Claremont Colleges, corresponding author)
Year1984
Volume53
Issue2
Pages155-173
Publication date1984-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChurch History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0009-6407 • E-ISSN: 1755-2613
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2307/3165353
OpenAlexW1978282399
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited6

Christian freedom was a major concern for Calvin from the very beginning of his theological career. The very long sixth and final chapter of the first edition of theInstitutesis devoted to this question. He opens the chapter by calling this freedom "a matter of prime necessity; ... without a knowledge of it consciences dare undertake almost nothing without faltering, often hesitate and draw back, constantly waver and are afraid ... unless this freedom be grasped, neither Christ nor gospel truth is rightly known." From this first edition till the last Calvin continues to talk at length about three aspects of Christian freedom: freedom of the conscience and freedom from the law because of justification by grace alone; freedom of the liberated Christian to obey God's will voluntarily and not out of necessity; and freedom in outward things which are "indifferent," that is, in themselves neither necessary nor forbidden. For much of this understanding Calvin is deeply indebted to Luther and Melanchthon

Academic freedom · Conscience · Epistemology · Gospel · Nothing · Political science · Theology · Law · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity · Religious studies

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