John Calvin is the most notable figure from the Reformed tradition. Unfortunately, he is often characterized as a stern and cerebral individual who had little concern for practical matters. However, Calvin was actually influential in promoting a profound sense of piety among early Protestantism. In The Soul of Life, Joel R. Beeke presents the life and ministry of Calvin with a special emphasis on Calvin’s efforts for cultivating healthy spirituality among the churches. The selections from Calvin’s own work will give readers a firsthand look at Calvin’s emphasis on godliness, and by God’s grace, will be a means for spurring on greater godliness in our day.

Series Description  Seeking, then, both to honor the past and yet not idolize it, we are issuing these books in the series Profiles in Reformed Spirituality. The design is to introduce the spirituality and piety of the Reformed Profiles in Reformed Spirituality tradition by presenting descriptions of the lives of notable Christians with select passages from their works. This combination of biographical sketches and collected portions from primary sources gives a taste of the subjects’ contributions to our spiritual heritage and some direction as to how the reader can find further edification through their works. It is the hope of the publishers that this series will provide riches for those areas where we are poor and light of day where we are stumbling in the deepening twilight.

Author  Joel R. Beeke is President and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a prolific author.

Endorsement  "By any measurement John Calvin was one of the most remarkable and influential figures in all church history. His was truly a purpose-driven ministry. As a preacher he was committed to systematic biblical exposition, as a lecturer in Scripture to careful and wise teaching, as a pastor to deep personal care, and as an international leader, to the encouragement of other ministers. Few men today understand such a multi-dimensional life program as well as Dr. Joel Beeke, whose own ministry echoes Calvin's in many ways. He is the ideal guide to introduce us to Calvin. And The Soul of Life is an ideal guidebook. Read on, and you will want to read more." - Sinclair Ferguson