--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of…" description: "\"Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.\" — Oliver D. Crisp" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg" --- # Reading \[John\] Calvin is a breath of fresh air. ![“Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg) > “Reading \[John\] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reading Calvin offers refreshing perspective, suggesting renewal through study. **In simple terms:** Calvin's ideas feel revitalizing. Key Takeaway Seek fresh insights in classic texts. Themes reading renewal perspective Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type intellectual inspirational When to use this quote - personal study - spiritual growth - academic research Key Concepts theology intellectual rejuvenation Questions to Reflect On - What makes Calvin's work feel fresh? - How can old ideas inspire today? A Different Perspective Classical texts may be challenging for modern readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Fresh air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-air/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [ \[John\] Calvin is often identified with his account of predestination. Yet that appears in the third book of his Institutes, not the first. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-is-often-identified-with-his-account-of-predestination/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ For those who have only ever read about \[John\] Calvin, reading the man himself is an invigorating experience. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/for-those-who-have-only-ever-read-about-john-calvin-reading-the-man/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ \[John\] Calvin's Institutes is often called a summary of Christian piety. You can't say that about many modern works of theology. You can say… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-institutes-is-often-called-a-summary-of-christian-piety/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [“John Calvin said he constantly “studied to be simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-chapell/john-calvin-said-he-constantly-studied-to-be-simple/) [Bryan Chapell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-chapell/) > [“In his commentary on 1 John, however, Calvin saw more clearly than Packer did exactly where the issue must be joined. The issue is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-talbott/in-his-commentary-on-1-john-however-calvin-saw-more-clearly-than/) [Thomas Talbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-talbott/) > [I am not superstitious, but the first time I saw this medal, bearing the venerated likeness of John Calvin, I kissed it, imagining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/i-am-not-superstitious-but-the-first-time-i-saw-this-medal-bearing/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“How, as John Calvin put it, “without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God.” “For”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-morgan-cron/how-as-john-calvin-put-it-without-knowledge-of-self-there-is-no/) [Ian Morgan Cron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-morgan-cron/) > [“No man that ever lived, not John Calvin himself, ever asserted either original sin, or justification by faith, in more strong, more clear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/no-man-that-ever-lived-not-john-calvin-himself-ever-asserted-either/) [John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/) > [ \[John Calvin's\] Humanist training makes him an excellent writer. What is more, he is as relevant today as he was 500 years ago. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-humanist-training-makes-him-an-excellent-writer-what-is/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ \[John Calvin\] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-without-artifice-and-gets/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [I think everyone who has an interest in Reformed theology, or just in Christian theology more generally, should read John Calvin Institutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/i-think-everyone-who-has-an-interest-in-reformed-theology-or-just-in/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ \[John\] Calvin is revered as a thinker of immense importance in Reformed thought, Jonathan Edwards could say in his preface to his treatise on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-is-revered-as-a-thinker-of-immense-importance-in-reformed/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ \[John Calvin's\] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-and-work-of-christ-of-the-holy/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [There are many troubles which you cannot cure by the Bible and the hymn-book, but which you can cure by a good perspiration and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/there-are-many-troubles-which-you-cannot-cure-by-the-bible-and-the/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [Dave Wann's recipes from his own experience in Simple Prosperity are a breath of fresh air, and just what we need for a saner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-henderson/dave-wann-s-recipes-from-his-own-experience-in-simple-prosperity-are/) [Hazel Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-henderson/) ## More by Oliver D. Crisp > [ \[John Calvin's\] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-and-work-of-christ-of-the-holy/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [The alternative of hypothetical universalism, according to which Christ's work is sufficient for all but efficient only for the elect, was alive and well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/the-alternative-of-hypothetical-universalism-according-to-which/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ What I am trying to argue here \[Save Calvinism\] and in other works before this one is that the Reformed tradition as I have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/what-i-am-trying-to-argue-here-save-calvinism-and-in-other-works/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [I think everyone who has an interest in Reformed theology, or just in Christian theology more generally, should read John Calvin Institutes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/i-think-everyone-who-has-an-interest-in-reformed-theology-or-just-in/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [Christ's work is a kind of deterrent to us, and a way of upholding the justice of God's divine government of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/christ-s-work-is-a-kind-of-deterrent-to-us-and-a-way-of-upholding-the/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [These days I'm often called a Deviant Calvinist, but I don't really think my views do deviate from the Reformed tradition, though in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/these-days-i-m-often-called-a-deviant-calvinist-but-i-don-t-really/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ \[John Calvin\] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-without-artifice-and-gets/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [I do think that I have been fortunate to make friendships with other scholars, and form reading groups where ideas are exchanged and papers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/i-do-think-that-i-have-been-fortunate-to-make-friendships-with-other/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ In the chapter on the nature of the atonement \[in the book saving Calvinism\] I argue that it is a mistake to think that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/in-the-chapter-on-the-nature-of-the-atonement-in-the-book-saving/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [There are constraints on what counts as "Reformed." It's more than a name or a label. It's about belonging to a particular theological stream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/there-are-constraints-on-what-counts-as-reformed-it-s-more-than-a/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ To my mind \[ Jonathan Edwards\] is an interesting figure because he is both a canonical Reformed thinker, and yet also someone that pushed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/to-my-mind-jonathan-edwards-is-an-interesting-figure-because-he-is/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ \[Jonathan\] Edwards definitely shows up in the book \[Saving Calvinism\]. He appears as one of the interlocutors in the chapter on free will, the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/jonathan-edwards-definitely-shows-up-in-the-book-saving-calvinism-he/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [The best Reformed theology isn't just about careful arguments for theologically sophisticated conclusions. It is about how to live the Christian life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/the-best-reformed-theology-isn-t-just-about-careful-arguments-for/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [ Here is the interesting twist:\[McLeod\] Campbell came to his views through reading Jonathan Edwards who suggested at one point in his ruminations on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/here-is-the-interesting-twist-mcleod-campbell-came-to-his-views/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) > [For those interested in Reformed thought more broadly, I'd recommend Peter Leithart's recent book on Reformed Catholicism entitled, The End of Protestantism: Pursuing Unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/for-those-interested-in-reformed-thought-more-broadly-i-d-recommend/) [Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) [Explore all 53 Oliver D. Crisp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oliver D. Crisp" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” — Oliver D. Crisp", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Oliver D. Crisp", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-d-crisp/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reading [John] Calvin is a breath...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-d-crisp/reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```