What did it mean for John Calvin to be a refugee — and how did that shape everything he believed?
In this episode of the Faith Informing Podcast, host Travis Jamieson sits down with Dr. Kenneth Woo, Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and author of "John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile."
Dr. Woo unpacks how Calvin's experience as a political exile from France shaped his theology, his preaching, his pastoral care, and his reading of scripture.
🔑 TOPICS COVERED:
• Why Calvin is best understood as a refugee theologian
• The millions displaced during the Reformation era — and before it
• How Calvin built a mixed church in Geneva among refugees and native citizens
• Calvin's deeply personal identification with David as an exilic figure
• How predestination functioned as a doctrine of comfort for displaced people
• What Calvin's theology of spiritual exile says to Christians feeling politically homeless today
• Reimagining Reformed theology as a theology from the margins
📖 BOOK MENTIONED:
"John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile" by Dr. Kenneth Woo
👤 GUEST:
Dr. Kenneth Woo — P.C. Ross Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
🎙️ HOST: Travis Jamieson — Faith (In)forming Podcast
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