Acknowledgements

Many of the essays in this book began their life as presentations at the 2017 Calvin Studies Society’s Colloquium held at Baylor University, where both of us teach. A conference like that and a volume such as this require the aid and support of many people. When David was elected vice-president of the Society in 2015, he raised the idea of holding the conference at Baylor with his department chair, William Bellinger. Dr. Bellinger was the most enthusiastic supporter of this endeavor at Baylor. The financial support he offered on behalf of the Religion Department was significant. He also enlisted the support of the College of Arts & Sciences and Truett Seminary at Baylor. Todd Still, Dean of Truett Seminary, Lee Nordt, Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Kimberly Kellison, Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences at Baylor all lent crucial logistical and financial support as well. We, and the Society, are deeply grateful for all their efforts. Along the way, many others at Baylor stepped in and stepped up to help ensure a successful conference. Joyce Swoveland, administrator of the Religion Department, helped David with many of the pre-conference logistics. He wishes to express the deepest of thanks to her because, frankly, he isn’t all that good with the tiny nitty-gritty things you need to think about in order to host a large group of people from around the globe successfully. The conference was held at Truett, and they were incredibly gracious hosts. The facility is gorgeous, but it was the people there who truly shined. Brian handled much of pre-conference work there, aided by Molly Wilmington, Dorothy Terry, and Jan Cason. Casey Ramirez and his staff made sure that all of the technology required to pull off a conference worked! The conference always hosts one public lecture. Kimlyn Bender, Professor of Christian Theology at Truett, Beverly Gaventa, University Professor of New Testament, and Paul Sands, a former Professor of Theology at Truett and now Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church, Woodway, TX, joined us for that event and made the discussion of the Apostle Paul and the New Calvinism exciting and engaging. The final group of Baylor folks to thank are the graduate students who stepped up at every call. They picked people up, ran errands, even grabbed doughnuts one morning when it looked like the coffee break would be just coffee. So, thank you to Joshua Smith, Lynneth Miller, Steven Tyra, and Timothy Orr. Two graduate students lent their considerable editorial skills to this project as it developed. They found and prevented many errors and typographical mistakes. Any that remain were likely reintroduced by one of us after their masterful work. This volume is stronger and clearer because of the work of Erik Lundeen and Scott Prather.

David served as vice-president of the Calvin Studies Society from 2015–2017, and thus served as the program chair for the conference. In those roles and on behalf of the Society, he would like to thank the people who aided him in the program’s development as well as the organizations that underwrote individual lectures at the conference. First and foremost among these people is Barbara Pitkin. At every step along the way, she provided counsel and support. Words cannot express how deeply I am in her debt. Even after the conference as she transitioned to immediate past-president, she helped me understand my new role. Ezra Plank ensured the website and publicity looked amazing and also made sure all our bills were paid. Thanks to them both for such a smooth conference. Others who came to my aid include Karen Spierling, Jill Fehleison, Yudha Thianto, Jeffrey Watt, Christine Kooi, Karin Maag, Paul Fields, Kathryn Edwards, and Ward Holder. Beyond Baylor University the following organizations supported the conference: Austin Theological Seminary, the Society for Reformation Research (which named our conference as one of its 500th Anniversary conferences), the Dunham Bible Museum, the H. Henry Meeter Center at Calvin College, and the Presbyterian Church, USA.

We both would like to express our thanks to the many people who read and offered comment on the chapters of this book. The two anonymous reviewers at Brill helped make this book stronger, as did the advice and expertise offered by scholars who also happen to be friends. To Ward Holder, Amos Adelheit, John Monfasani, and Gary Jenkins we offer a special thanks. To Andrew Gow, Ivo Romein, and Arjan van Dijk we would like to express our deep appreciation for the support provided by Brill in helping to bring this wonderful collection of essays to fruition.

Finally, a word of thanks to our wives Amy and Laurel, who each in their own way helped sustain this project. John Calvin was a deeply personal man. We know very little about his family life, but we do know he loved his wife deeply. He remarked to Viret that she was “the best companion of my life.” It is our sincere pleasure to dedicate this volume to our best companions.

BCB

DMW

10 July 2019