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By far and away the most valuable effect of this book lies in its practical application. The author detects hatred and possibly jealousy as motives so sickening as to propel one to murder in the name of God and then justify it. He challenges us with the wider issue of how this has affected Christianity throughout history and to this day, pointing out that its legacy is with us still in our creeds, our thinking, our non-thinking(!), our acceptance of tradition, but perhaps most especially in our lack of protest! Why does this matter so much? Because of the scriptural principle as outlined in Proverbs 17:15: “He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.”
Again the application: “If Calvin murdered Servetus, then we know everything Calvin teaches is potentially tainted.” 1 John 3:10: “This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God.” Repentance is the operative factor here but tragically, Calvin boasted to the day he died of his role in the extermination of Michael Servetus. Calvin’s views on predestination allowed him to teach that anyone who had been regenerated can be an unrepentant murderer and still have eternal life. His theology essentially allows the elect to sin and remain saved. The Scriptures teach the opposite.
Rives exposes the mental paradigm of a Calvinist who cannot bring himself even to consider whether Calvin could have been lost because he would begin to doubt his own salvation. “Once in grace, always in grace” leads to the thinking that murder is no big deal. This teaching actually attributes not only evil, but immoral acts to God. The author wisely points out that God is not only great but that He is good. Calvin’s God is not good. “This is extremely relevant today…because the Westminster Confession perpetuates Calvin’s doctrine about God’s responsibility for evil through weekly Bible studies in hundreds of churches. It is a doctrine, if truly harbored and relied upon, which can corrupt the soul.”
“When we then cast our eyes at the killing of Servetus, we can legitimately ask this question: what would one expect from a theologian who saturates his mind with the belief that God directs all murderers’ thoughts and God makes murderers in fact murder?”
It is for no small reason that we are told to examine all things (1 Thess. 5:21). We ought always to apply the fruit test and if teaching or action violates scripture, act accordingly. I am moved by this book. I am marked by it. I cannot unlearn what I now know. I have met with the true horror of religion gone wrong — the ugliness, the hate and the consequential hate crimes.
Rives is a whistleblower par excellence. I am so grateful for the depth and diligence of his research. He uncovered efforts by historians and scholars to conceal rather than to reveal the truth. He demonstrates Calvin’s false swearing, premeditated murderous desires, justification of murder, refutation of prior writings and contrived allegations against Servetus who was denied legal counsel. He astonishes his readers by revealing that Calvin himself was tried in 1537 for heresy for being an anti-Trinitarian. Calvin refused throughout his life to subscribe to the Athanasian and Nicene creeds; he hid this very effectively when he was charging Servetus with the same thing.
I was amazed and re-amazed by this book and I am almost at the point of breaking my own rule and using CAPS (I always feel I am being shouted at!). The tragic thing is that in the Bible belt where I live Calvinism is spreading like wildfire, particularly among young people. How I wish they would read this book. How I wish they would ask what manner of love this is! Zealous Calvinists are at work just a few miles from our door and the spirit of hatred is alive and flourishing.
After Calvin murdered Servetus, Christians called upon him to repent. He did not. Isn’t it time for Christians to call upon Calvinists to repent?
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Buzzard
(All quotations from Did Calvin Murder Servetus? BookSurge Publishers, 2008)
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