Calvin Miller's Legacy - Christianity Today (2024)

A copy of Apples, Snakes and Bellyaches was given to me in 1991 while serving as a student missionary in Oregon. I stayed up half the night reading and laughing aloud at thought-provoking poems addressed to children, yet instructive to adults.

This was my first exposure to the writings of Calvin Miller. It would not be my last.

The next year at university, I came across the book The Table of Inwardness. I did not immediately connect the author of this book to the same man who wrote Apples, Snakes and Bellyaches. And why should I? Children’s poetry and Christian mysticism are completely different genres. To this day, Table remains my favorite book. I read it once a year.

Entering Southwestern Seminary, I made it a priority to meet Calvin Miller and take every class he offered, whether or not they were part of my course requirements. Along the way, a friendship was born. The greatest honor Calvin bestowed upon me, besides that of being my mentor, was the opportunity to serve as his research assistant. I learned as much sitting across the desk from Calvin as I did in many of my seminary courses.

It was also a privilege to be part of a small group that met at Calvin’s house on Tuesday nights to read through his final draft of Walking with Saints. There were five students in this group, and every one of us remains in ministry. Statistically, at least two of us should be washed out by now. I believe it was Calvin’s influence that prepared each of us for the trials of ministry.

During my last year of seminary, my research assistant responsibilities (in addition to being a full-time student, part-time pastor, and new husband) seemed overwhelming. One morning I stormed into Calvin’s office. I demanded he move his deadlines or I would be forced to resign. He looked at me with a steady gaze, and quoted Mother Goose: “One foot up, one foot down. That’s the way to London town.”

I stared back blankly. “I have no idea what you just said,” I said. But I did. Calvin’s words were a reminder that even the longest journey is conquered one step at a time. Years later, the two of us laughed at this event and I still draw strength from the truth of that saying.

Calvin authored Letters to a Young Pastor as his final literary contribution. I stand by every word of my endorsement: “We need more mentors who are weathered, not jaded, by the journey of ministry. Calvin Miller honors the centuries-old model of an experienced Paul speaking to a pastoral profession teeming with Timothys.”

A few weeks before his death, I called Calvin seeking his advice one last time. I repeated my appreciation for his leadership and echoed my opinion that The Table of Inwardness is still my favorite among his writings. On a whim, I asked which of his works he most favored. “My Symphony Trilogy,” he said. This trilogy of A Requiem for Love, A Symphony in Sand and An Overture of Light are his best works because (to quote Calvin) “This is my creative best and the gospel presented in its clearest form.”

How can one person possess the gifts necessary to communicate to children, convict adults, and creatively communicate mysticism? Calvin embodied the gifts of Seuss, Milton and Brother Lawrence. But Calvin was much more than the sum of these parts. Calvin was a Christ-follower first and foremost. Calvin was my mentor. Calvin is still my friend. To him, I simply say this: “Calvin, eternity was touched during our two-decade friendship.”

In honor of my friend, I am off to read Symphony Trilogy to see the gospel through Calvin’s creative vision.

Deron Spoo is the lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Calvin Miller served as a contributing editor for Leadership Journal. As we grieve his loss and reflect on his legacy, we want to highlight some of the wisdom he shared with our readers over years.

Please read…

Our interview with Miller, "Preaching in Vulgate."

Miller's article on finding the "Best Titles for Sermons."

Miller's article, "Screwtape Targets Leaders."

    • More fromDeron Spoo
  • Christian History
  • Church History
  • Death
  • Devotional Life
  • Grief
  • Mentoring
  • Pastor's Role
  • Pastors
  • Spiritual Formation
  • Suffering and Problem of Pain
Calvin Miller's Legacy - Christianity Today (2024)

FAQs

How did John Calvin impact Christianity? ›

John Calvin was a famous French theologian and a major leader of the Protestant Reformation. He helped popularize the belief in the sovereignty of God in all areas of life, as well as the doctrine of predestination. The theological approach advanced by Calvin has come to be known as 'Calvinism.

Who is the CEO of Christianity Today? ›

CEO. Timothy Dalrymple left a first career in academia, studying and teaching philosophy of religion, to help launch a multi-religious website called Patheos.com in 2008.

What happened to Christianity Today magazine? ›

Christianity Today purchased the magazine in 1992. The name was changed to Today's Christian in 2004. In 2008, Christianity Today sold the magazine to the ministry Significant Living.

Why is John Calvin important today? ›

John Calvin is known for his influential Institutes of the Christian Religion (1536), which was the first systematic theological treatise of the reform movement. He stressed the doctrine of predestination, and his interpretations of Christian teachings, known as Calvinism, are characteristic of Reformed churches.

How did Calvinism impact the world? ›

As a public theology, Calvinism has had a truly immense influence on religious, social and political developments, particularly in Europe and North America. Before WWI Calvinism was formative in the program of the Social Gospel movement for religiously based social, moral and political improvements to society.

Who edits Christianity Today? ›

Russell Moore has been intimately involved in shaping American evangelical life and brings that experience with him as the editor in chief of Christianity Today, one of the most widely read periodicals in the world on the Christian life.

Who is the current leader of Christianity? ›

The current pope, Pope Francis, is known for his particularly diverse group of cardinals- if you can call a group of old, male, Catholic diverse. There are currently 128 serving cardinals. Of those, Pope Francis created 88 from 56 countries.

What president edited the Bible? ›

Thomas Jefferson, apparently, didn't have any qualms about it. In his retirement, the nation's third president carried out a project he had contemplated for years: he literally cut and pasted passages from the four Gospels into one integrated narrative of Jesus' life — minus the miracles and supernatural events.

Who runs Christianity? ›

There is no one “leader of Christianity.” The pope is the head of the Catholic church, but in Protestant churches, the leader of an individual church is usually called preacher, pastor, minister, priest or something along those lines.

Who is the official founder of Christianity? ›

The founder of Christianity was Jesus Christ who lived about 2,000 years ago. The Bible, the holy book of the Christians, narrates the life and teachings of Jesus.

How popular is Christianity Today? ›

But the world's overall population also has risen rapidly, from an estimated 1.8 billion in 1910 to 6.9 billion in 2010. As a result, Christians make up about the same portion of the world's population today (32%) as they did a century ago (35%).

Is Christianity growing or shrinking? ›

Christianity, the largest religion in the United States, experienced a 20th-century high of 91% of the total population in 1976. This declined to 73.7% by 2016 and 64% in 2022.

What major contribution did John Calvin make to the church? ›

John Calvin is perhaps best known for his doctrine of predestination. He taught that God determined before all time who would be eternally saved and who would be condemned to hell.

What did John Calvin want to change about the church? ›

Calvin declares the wider scope of the Reformation: the need to restore biblical doctrine and practice regarding the proper means of worship, the correct administration of the sacraments, and the government of the church.

How does Calvinism differ from Christianity? ›

The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is a crucial tenet of Calvinism, which asserts that people who are genuinely elected by God and saved persevere in their faith until the end. It differs from other Christian beliefs that suggest believers fall away from their faith and lose their salvation.

Why was Calvinism important in the Reformation? ›

Calvinism was distinctive among 16th-century reform movements because of particular ideas about God's plan for the salvation of humanity, about the meaning and celebration of the sacraments, and about the danger posed by idolatry.

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