Artifice Quote by Oliver D. Crisp
![“[John Calvin] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/872/oliver-d-crisp-12863_artifice_john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-with_309224.jpg)
“[John Calvin] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter.”
About This Quote
Source Book: The Oxford Handbook of Reformation and Post-Reformation Studies, 2015
The quote praises Calvin’s plain, practical writing style that avoids ornamentation and focuses on real‑world relevance.
In simple terms: Calvin writes plainly and practically.
Key Takeaway
Embrace direct, useful communication.
Themes
clarity
practicality
theology
Mood
respectful
analytical
Type
theological
explanatory
When to use this quote
- sermon preparation
- academic writing
- pastoral counseling
Key Concepts
Reformation
rhetoric
exegesis
Questions to Reflect On
- How does simplicity affect theological depth?
- When is ornamentation beneficial?
A Different Perspective
May overlook poetic depth or artistic nuance.
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![“[John] Calvin treats experience as essentially visionary and revelatory from moment to moment, addressed to the individual perceiver, the individual soul. Where this is assumed preconceptions can only distract and obscure, though, of course, as human beings we can never wholly free ourselves of…” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85a/marilynne-robinson-602_courses_john-calvin-treats-experience-as-essenti_1490755.jpg)
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![“What I am trying to argue here [Save Calvinism] and in other works before this one is that the Reformed tradition as I have characterized it is much broader and richer than many of us today imagine. It is not just about "Five Points," and it was never just about [John ] Calvin's thought.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2cb/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_what-i-am-trying-to-argue-here-save-calv_134263.jpg)
![“In the chapter on the nature of the atonement [in the book saving Calvinism] I argue that it is a mistake to think that penal substitution is the only option on the doctrine of atonement.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5fe/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_in-the-chapter-on-the-nature-of-the-aton_377313.jpg)
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![“To my mind [ Jonathan Edwards] is an interesting figure because he is both a canonical Reformed thinker, and yet also someone that pushed the envelope in a number of key areas of theology.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/45c/oliver-d-crisp-12863_areas_to-my-mind-jonathan-edwards-is-an-intere_588690.jpg)
![“[Jonathan] Edwards definitely shows up in the book [Saving Calvinism]. He appears as one of the interlocutors in the chapter on free will, the other being the Southern Presbyterian theologian John Girardeau.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37e/oliver-d-crisp-12863_book_jonathan-edwards-definitely-shows-up-in_710749.jpg)
