Oil painting of a young John Calvin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Once you glance at the subtitle and notice this is a book about Reformed Theology, don’t begin assuming it must be dry as dust and about as interesting. Please note that the title says this is a student’s guide…referring to young students rather than to theology students. Rebels Rescued is a brief summary of the beliefs and stands held by the scholars in the sixteenth century attempting to return the organized church back to the earlier and simpler Biblical practices based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ our Lord. After 1500 years of existence the reform leaders believed the church had wandered too far from the Biblical basics outlined in the gospels and put into practice during the letter writing era of the Apostle Paul and other disciples. Containing only a few short chapters, this book explains the basic 10 tenets of the “Christ-exalting, gospel-believing, and Word-centered expression of the Christian faith” (Kindle: loc 54) mentioned in the introduction of the book.
Because this guidebook is designed for young people today, it is filled with stories and illustrations of the concepts that will make them easier to understand and relevant for the current generation. I have two twenty-something young people in my family; should they come to me to ask about John Calvin (1509-1564) and his beliefs, this is the book I would give them to read. If I’d had this book when they were teens, I would have been completely comfortable using this as a reference tool. And I think many adults will find it interesting reading as well.
I highly recommend this booklet to youth leaders, teachers, pastors, counselors and parents of young people. Each chapter includes a reflection section for group or individual study. The ideas expressed here would be wonderful conversation starters in a family devotional time. I like to see children in this age group begin to reason out for themselves why they believe the way they do, why their parents/family believe the way they do, and what the church family believes and why. Without this soul searching exercise, their foundational beliefs are subject, like thistledown, to the winds of change and opinions as they blow in all different directions in this most vulnerable stage of their lives.
Related articles
- Why I am Reformed (calltoprayerministries.wordpress.com)
- Early Christians’ Confessions (withalliamgod.wordpress.com)
Bipolar for Christ 