Publisher's note.

There are some people who make a mark on history that simply can't be erased. John Calvin was one of them. Naturally scholarly and with a brilliant mind, Calvin's ambition was to devote himself to study. But God touched his life in what he called his 'sudden conversion'. Forced to leave his native France, he eventually settled in Geneva where, with one short break, he devoted himself to reforming the church and pastoring its people. But in his lifetime through friendships, letters, books and training his influence spread throughout Europe and in time throughout the world. What we know as Reformed Christianity or Calvinism was his theological and ecclesiastical legacy. But his ideas on the Christian life, civil government and the independence of the church have also influenced the development of western democratic society. Under God much that we value in Protestant Christianity and the world today is due to John Calvin.