September 19, 2008

In a recently discovered letter the Swiss Reformer Jean Calvin greets his German colleague Martin Luther on Luther's decade which begins on 21 September.

"On the 500th anniversary of our common cause, the Reformation, I already offer you my greetings today," writes the Swiss Reformer Jean Calvin to his German colleague Martin Luther. In a recently discovered letter from 1536, Calvin turns to the Luther Decade which begins in Wittenberg, Germany on 21 September 2008.

"Even if we are not always of the same opinion, we both fight for the same cause," Calvin emphasizes. So "today as in 500 years" it is important for the churches of the Reformation to come together. In 2008 the Reformed and the Lutheran Churches would set out on a common course: just as on 21 September the Luther Decade begins in Wittenberg, so in the same year the Calvin Year is opening in Geneva. "With it the celebrations for my 500th birthday in 2009 will begin," he goes on to say. In his letter Calvin encourages the Lutheran and Reformed Churches to take part in each other's festivities.

In the letter, the authenticity of which it has not yet been possible to confirm, Calvin emphasizes the "common striving for a renewed church." What Luther began when he nailed the 95 Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Calvin had been able to continue in Geneva: according to Calvin, the struggle for human liberation and social justice are central contents of the Reformation "on either side of the Rhine."

500 years later, Clifton Kirkpatrick, President of the International Patronage Committee of the Calvin Year and President of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, invites the Lutheran churches to take part in the Calvin Year 2009: "Calvin and Luther never met personally, but we have the opportunity to celebrate their heritage together." At the same time Kirkpatrick wishes the Lutheran churches "God's blessing and never-ending zeal for the reformation and unity of the church" for the Luther Decade.

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches are opening the international Calvin Year "calvin 09" in Geneva on 2 November 2008. Among other things, the internet platform http://www.calvin09.org/ is now already on line with a calendar of events worldwide. Many of the authentic works of Calvin can also be found there.

De facto: Calvin and Luther spoke about each other. Thus in 1544 Calvin described Luther as a "great man" who "stands out for his extraordinary spiritual gifts; bold and unshakable, skilful and learned." And Luther also appreciated Calvin: "Truly this man's judgment is not bad. For my part I at least accept what he says of me."

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) brings together 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries – united in their commitment to making a difference in a troubled world. The WARC general secretary is Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. WARC's secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

World Alliance of Reformed Churches