Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church
Christ's Two Kingdoms

John Calvin's two kingdoms political thought offers a fresh paradigm for constructive Christian engagement in pluralistic liberal societies.

Matthew J. Tuininga (Author)

9781107171435, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 6 April 2017

250 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.6 cm, 0.72 kg

'… this study is an incredibly insightful work that pushes Calvin studies in new directions … This is a truly useful book that represents what Calvin studies are supposed to be and should have been for the last ten years.' Harrison Perkins, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology

In Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church, Matthew J. Tuininga explores a little appreciated dimension of John Calvin's political thought, his two kingdoms theology, as a model for constructive Christian participation in liberal society. Widely misunderstood as a proto-political culture warrior, due in part to his often misinterpreted role in controversies over predestination and the heretic Servetus, Calvin articulated a thoughtful approach to public life rooted in his understanding of the gospel and its teaching concerning the kingdom of God. He staked his ministry in Geneva on his commitment to keeping the church distinct from the state, abandoning simplistic approaches that placed one above the other, while rejecting the temptations of sectarianism or separatism. This revealing analysis of Calvin's vision offers timely guidance for Christians seeking a mode of faithful, respectful public engagement in democratic, pluralistic communities today.

Introduction
1. Two swords, two powers, or two kingdoms: spiritual and political authority in Early Modern Europe
2. Calvin, Geneva, and the French Reformed Churches
3. The Kingdom of Christ
4. Two kingdoms
5. Christ's spiritual government
6. Christ's political government: early formulations
7. Covenant and law
8. The magistrate's care of religion
9. Law, democracy and resistance to tyranny
Conclusion. Calvin's two kingdoms and liberal democracy.

Subject Areas: Jurisprudence & philosophy of law [LAB], Political science & theory [JPA], Christian theology [HRCM], Calvinist, Reformed & Presbyterian Churches [HRCC93]