Abstract
D.G. Hart’s new volume is a clearly written and sweeping overview of the impact Calvinism has had on the West’s culture, politics, and society. The volume is divided into thirteen chapters, which historically trace Calvinism from its beginnings in Switzerland to the world-wide status it enjoys today.
The work’s first four chapters are devoted to Calvinism in its European context. Hart then moves on to describe the spread of Calvinism in the New World through the work of the Huguenots, the English and the Dutch, in North and South America and South Africa. The following chapters, which make use of a remarkable span of data, cover communities in Pennsylvania, Germany, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Hart credits Calvinism’s spread to new countries to the missionary zeal associated with the ‘reformation reawakened’ in the 18th century. Two chapters are devoted to specific rifts in Reformed and Presbyterian communities: the Scottish Disruption of 1843 and the Dutch Secession of 1834. More splits continued to occur and Hart argues that by 1970, Calvinism was divided into two groups: the ‘ecumenically minded church that still aspired to establishment status’ and ‘conservative denominations that forsook cultural or political privilege for theological authenticity’ (p. 206). The final two chapters are devoted to 20th century American and German Calvinism.
Upon picking up Calvinism: A History, one might expect to find an analysis of the evolution of topics at the heart of Calvinism, such as predestination, soteriology, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. However, although Hart never defines Calvinism, it becomes clear that for him a history of Calvinism means an account of Calvinism’s impact on Western society, culture, and politics, rather than an exploration of its key doctrines. In fact, it is when Hart strays out of history to analyse complex theological issues that the volume’s weaknesses begin to show; those looking for a summary of Calvinism’s theology should look elsewhere. Also, a surprising omission was the lack of treatment of Calvinism’s growth in its non-Western context, especially as Hart briefly admits in his conclusion that the largest number of Reformed Protestants come from churches found in Asia and Africa rather than Europe.
Overall, taken as a non-theological work which introduces the story of an extremely influential understanding of faith in its Western context, the volume is valuable, accurate, and effectively covers an enormous amount of information.