Why did Calvin think the Fathers were on his side? Matthew Barrett and Ronni Kurtz

In the final episode of this Credo mini-series, Ronni Kurtz asks Matthew Barrett about his investigation of John Calvin in his new book,  The Reformation as Renewal. They discuss Calvin’s juxtaposition of dead icons and living icons and his doctrine of participation. They also wrestle with misnomers over Calvin’s reformed understanding of the Lord’s Supper as well as his pursuit of catholicity by means of his fortification of a reformed church. Barrett argues that Calvin embodies the principle of renewal, made apparent by Calvin’s insistent retrieval of the church fathers and medieval theologians before him. In this way, Calvin saw himself as a faithful steward of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church preserved across history, a persistent advocate for the restoration of true worship in his own day.

Matthew Barrett is the editor-in-chief of Credo Magazine and host of the Credo podcast. He is professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Director of the Center for Classical Theology. He is the author of the award-winning Simply Trinity and his new book is called, The Reformation as Renewal (Zondervan Academic). He is currently writing a Systematic Theology (Baker Academic).

Ronni Kurtz serves as Assistant Professor of Theology at Cedarville University. Previously, he taught theology at Midwestern Seminary and Spurgeon College in Kansas City, Missouri, where he also pastored for eight years. He is the author of several books, including Fruitful Theology: How the Life of the Mind Leads to the Life of the Soul. You can follow him on Twitter at @RonniKurtz.