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Public response to Calvin Jubilee exceeds expectations

Celebrations in 2009 of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Protestant reformer, John Calvin, were a resounding success according to an assessment by the international committee which coordinated Calvin09 Jubilee activities.

“The results exceeded our expectations,” says the head of the International Patronage Committee, Clifton Kirkpatrick.

Branded by an attention-grabbing logo and website, the Calvin09 Jubilee year attracted worldwide attention and drew a far higher level of interest from the general public than expected.

“This year has both re-connected Reformed Christians to their roots and to each other,” Kirkpatrick declares. “The focus on Calvin has led many Reformed Christians to a new appreciation of their heritage and their connections with one another. We no longer felt the need to apologize for Calvin but rather found much in his thoughts, his actions and his legacy that is truly life-giving for our time.”

Kirkpatrick, who serves as President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, says many American members of the Reformed church movement noted striking similarities between current political priorities in the United States and Calvin’s social agenda: immigration, health care, and economic justice.

The economic and financial crisis also helped spread the church reformer’s ideas about economic and social ethics notes Thomas Wipf of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches.

Roland Benz, responsible for Jubilee projects organized by the Protestant Church of Geneva, affirms: “Something happened during this year, in the media as well as among the public, which went beyond church circles. The caricature of Calvin was challenged.”

“The Calvin09 year succeeded in bringing Reformed parishes closer to their Reformer,” says Achim Detmers, responsible for Jubilee activities in Germany.

The Jubilee showed Calvin’s impact has travelled well beyond Europe. Special events and publications marked the diffusion of Calvin’s writing and ideas from China to South Africa to Argentina.

“Our deepest hope is that the Calvin09 Jubilee will be just the beginning of a new appreciation and rediscovery of the legacy of Calvin which has the potential to renew our churches and our world as we move into the future,” says Kirkpatrick. “We have laid a solid foundation during this Jubilee year and can look forward to making a fresh contribution to broader ecumenical discussions.”

Plans are now underway to redevelop the Jubilee internet site www.calvin09.org as a global web portal for news and research into the impact of John Calvin’s legacy.

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