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Congratulations to Timothy George for his excellent Christianity Today cover story on John Calvin, the "comeback kid" [September]. Calvin's greatest accomplishment was giving structure to Reformation theology and proving it to be within the mainstream of historic church doctrine. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the Bible, the church fathers, and the classical writers, and created a systematic theology that harmonized them into a consistent work. At that, he has never been bested.

As a man, Calvin's temperament left him ill-suited for a high public profile. Those of us who admire him take discomfort with some of those episodes. But in all things, Calvin trusted the consequences of his actions to the triune God. In that, we all can find someone to admire.

William Innes
Wilmington, Delaware

We applaud Christianity Today's fine issue devoted to John Calvin and his legacy and influences on Christianity. At the same time, we would like the magazine's readers to know that this year marks the 400th anniversary of Jacob Arminius's death in 1609. Very many evangelical Christians consider themselves Arminians rather than Calvinists, and look more to Arminius and his chief evangelical follower, John Wesley, than to Calvin for inspiration and theological guidance.

We the undersigned are members of the Society of Evangelical Arminians and are dedicated to preserving Arminius's legacy, which is belief in the unconditional goodness and love of our sovereign God. We wish that CT would publish a full article about Arminius and his theology, both of which are widely misunderstood and misrepresented, especially by our Reformed brothers and sisters.

Roger E. Olson
George W. Truett Theological Seminary,
Baylor University

Brian Abasciano
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

William W. Klein
Denver Seminary

Thanks for the latest issue of Calvinist Quarterly—umm—Christianity Today.

I'm looking forward to the next cover story, "Twenty Things That Jacob Arminius Got Wrong."

Seriously, could we change the subject?

Wayne Walden
Paducah, Kentucky

Born and raised an evangelical Presbyterian, I've journeyed through the Winebrenner Church of God, the Anderson Church of God, the charismatic movement, the United Methodist Church, and back to Latrobe Presbyterian Church. (What can I say? I'm a baby boomer.) As an adult I hadn't considered Calvin's impact on my life, but CT's cover story showed me how much his theology has shaped my spiritual development. Thank you, Calvin, for feeding my mind and spirit.

Nancy Edgar Auman
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

It seems ironic that in the September issue—with its cover story—D.H. Williams's essay ["Reveling in the Mystery"] would neglect some important Reformation themes. Martin Luther's paradox of God hidden/God revealed, for instance, prevents undue attention on things that God has chosen to keep hidden. Also, more might have been said about Paul's stress on the mystery that was hidden but has been "made known," which follows his rich explanation of Christ's atoning work on the cross.

Christian mysticism sometimes suffers from three weaknesses: a tendency to blur justification and sanctification; a desire to discover truths that God has chosen not to reveal; and persistence in the purification-illumination-union-with-God path, which reverses Paul and the Reformers. Colossians 2:6ff. suggests that the starting point is our union with Christ; purification and illumination are part of what follows our conversion to him.

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November 2009, Vol. 53, No. 11

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