John Calvin, Refugee Theologian: Introducing a Reformer in Exile with Dr. Kenneth J. Woo
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026
5:00-6:00 p.m. ET
In-Person at Barbour Library and Online Webinar via Zoom
John Calvin, Refugee Theologian (Baker, 2025) offers a robust introduction to John Calvin's writings through the lens of his experience as a religious refugee.
Calvin knew about persecution and political exile from personal experience. He lived as an exiled fugitive engaged in pastoral ministry to a church that included large numbers of immigrants and refugees. Calvin's teaching also addressed an international community experiencing religious violence and displacement in his day. In this engaging book, Dr. Kenneth Woo demonstrates how Calvin sought to make the comfort he found in God accessible to others through sermons, commentaries, letters, polemical treatises, and his magisterial Institutes. In his distinct-yet-inseparable roles as teacher, pastor, and polemicist, the reformer adapted his message of hope in exile to diverse audiences. Woo shows how Calvin's theology is an example of Reformed Christianity's refugee roots and history of pastoral care from the margins. And in a brief conclusion, he offers reflections on what a greater awareness of Calvin as refugee theologian could mean for those engaging his theology today.
