In honor of the recent 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth, the Christian Broadcasting Network (home of Pat Robertson and The 700 Club) produced a feature about John Calvin’s influence on American history and Protestant tradition. The story notes Calvin’s increasing popularity among younger Christians, including Pastor Mark and Mars Hill Church (3:12):

UPDATE: We’ve received some questions about an article (also related to the Calvin anniversary) published in a German newspaper. Pastor Mark has this to say:

The interviewer was nice enough and seemed altogether bewildered by all the young people studying Reformed theology and seeking to live by biblical principles.

For those reading the article–especially those reading it via Internet translation–please bear in mind that someone has taken my English interview, translated it into German, and then an automated program has translated it back into English. Subsequently, a few errors are in the English translation. Most notably, in some versions I am quoted as saying a word I emphatically deny having said. The sermon quoted is online so thankfully this error is easy to confirm. I also had a witness present with me for the media interview to confirm this was not a word I used in any context. My guess is that this is the sort of thing that happens when something is translated multiple times, including by automated technology.

Also curious was the phrase, “They hold hands, but they have never had sex.” Since our church has thousands of people, including many married couples, this obviously did not translate well either. There are many other examples of errors that happen from the multiple translations, so please read the article in light of what it is rather than as if it were inerrant like Scripture.

For more on “New Calvinism,” check out the Reformed Resurgence series at theresurgence.com.

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