Robert W. Godfrey's John Calvin:Pilgrim and Pastor

Just finished reading Robert W. Godfrey's John Calvin:Pilgrim and Pastor.  This book was written for JC's 500th birthday.  It is unabashedly pro-Calvin, but so am I so I enjoyed it a lot.  It is an interesting amalgam of a biography and an introduction to his thought.  For example, it tells briefly about what is known of his early years and his journey that led him to Geneva, but that information is generally brief and fairly superficial.  If you are a big biography fan there will probably better choices with more details of his life.  Where this book really shines is when it combines those biographical details with his writings on various theological issues.  Unlike dry details of his life long quotes from his copious writings really made me feel like I got to know the man better.  Especially helpful to me were his thoughts on the sacraments of baptism and communion.  My denomination has struggled recently on communion for children, and his writing really clarified why pedocommunion is different from baptism.  I would recommend this book to anyone with any interest in John Calvin.  It is a short and profitable introduction to a great man who has influenced the modern world in so many ways.  Even if you disagree with his views on predestination, hearing his arguments first hand will make you appreciate a really amazing mind.