Overview

History has long viewed French Protestants as Calvinists. Refusing to Kiss the Slipper re-examines the Reformation in francophone Europe, presenting for the first time the perspective of John Calvin's evangelical enemies and revealing that the French Reformation was more complex and colorful than previously recognized. Michael Bruening brings together a cast of Calvin's opponents from various French-speaking territories to show that opposition to Calvinism was stronger and better organized than has been recognized. He examines individual opponents, such as Pierre Caroli, Jerome Bolsec, Sebastian Castellio, Charles Du Moulin, and Jean Morély, but more importantly, he explores the anti-Calvinist networks that developed around such individuals. Each group had its own origins and agenda, but all agreed that Calvin's claim to absolute religious authority too closely echoed the religious sovereignty of the pope. These oft-neglected opponents refused to offer such obeisance-to kiss the papal slipper-arguing instead for open discussion of controversial doctrines. They believed Calvin's self-appointed leadership undermined the bedrock principle of the Reformation that the faithful be allowed to challenge religious authorities. This book shows that the challenge posed by these groups shaped the way the Calvinists themselves developed their reform strategies. Bruening's work demonstrates that the breadth and strength of the anti-Calvinist networks requires us to abandon the traditional assumption that Huguenots and other francophone Protestants were universally Calvinist.

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9780197566954

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Reviews

Michael W. Bruening's Refusing to Kiss the Slipper: Opposition to Calvinism in the Francophone Reformation is a superb piece of research and will be of interest to anyone studying the Reformation, French and French-speaking religious history, and a myriad of other areas of theology, polemic, and ecclesiology. It shines a marvelous light on a heretofore virtually untouched portion of the Reformation in francophone Europe. * Jon Balserak, Journal of the American Academy of Religion * As a major piece of revisionist history, Refusing to Kiss the Slipper should shape Reformation studies for a long time to come. The sustained attention that the monograph pays to the work of these sixteenth-century ne'er-do-wells unearths extremely important material, filling out the picture of what happened in towns and cities from Lausanne, Metz, Neuchatel, and the Suisse Romande. Those interested in the reforming work conducted throughout this region will have a new impetus to explore the work of figures who, up to this point, have been excluded from scholarly attention. But it is also the case that those who work on Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, Pierre Viret, Francois Hotman, Geneva, and the French Reformation will need to pay heed to a wider geographical and theological range of considerations as they pursue their research agendas. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion * great scholarship ... Bruening's work is essential reading for anyone seeking to better understand Calvin and Calvinism, the development of Reformed Protestantism, and its many forms in francophone Europe and beyond. * Kyle J. Dieleman, Church History * In summary, this is a welcome and necessary addition to French Reformation and Calvin studies ... We are in Bruening's debt for producing an offering that gives long - overdue attention to the broad opposition to Calvinist reform in the Francophone and corrects earlier historical works that present an oversimplified picture - highly recommended. * Thomas Haviland-Pabst, Themelios *

In summary, this is a welcome and necessary addition to French Reformation and Calvin studies ... We are in Bruening's debt for producing an offering that gives long - overdue attention to the broad opposition to Calvinist reform in the Francophone and corrects earlier historical works that present an oversimplified picture - highly recommended. * Thomas Haviland-Pabst, Themelios *

"Michael W. Bruening's Refusing to Kiss the Slipper: Opposition to Calvinism in the Francophone Reformation is a superb piece of research and will be of interest to anyone studying the Reformation, French and French-speaking religious history, and a myriad of other areas of theology, polemic, and ecclesiology. It shines a marvelous light on a heretofore virtually untouched portion of the Reformation in francophone Europe. * Jon Balserak, Journal of the American Academy of Religion * As a major piece of revisionist history, Refusing to Kiss the Slipper should shape Reformation studies for a long time to come. The sustained attention that the monograph pays to the work of these sixteenth-century ""ne'er-do-wells"" unearths extremely important material, filling out the picture of what happened in towns and cities from Lausanne, Metz, Neuchâtel, and the Suisse Romande. Those interested in the reforming work conducted throughout this region will have a new impetus to explore the work of figures who, up to this point, have been excluded from scholarly attention. But it is also the case that those who work on Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, Pierre Viret, François Hotman, Geneva, and the French Reformation will need to pay heed to a wider geographical and theological range of considerations as they pursue their research agendas. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion * great scholarship ... Bruening's work is essential reading for anyone seeking to better understand Calvin and Calvinism, the development of Reformed Protestantism, and its many forms in francophone Europe and beyond. * Kyle J. Dieleman, Church History * In summary, this is a welcome and necessary addition to French Reformation and Calvin studies ... We are in Bruening's debt for producing an offering that gives long - overdue attention to the broad opposition to Calvinist reform in the Francophone and corrects earlier historical works that present an oversimplified picture — highly recommended. * Thomas Haviland-Pabst, Themelios *"

In summary, this is a welcome and necessary addition to French Reformation and Calvin studies ... We are in Bruening's debt for producing an offering that gives long - overdue attention to the broad opposition to Calvinist reform in the Francophone and corrects earlier historical works that present an oversimplified picture -- highly recommended. -- Thomas Haviland-Pabst, Themelios

"Michael W. Bruening's Refusing to Kiss the Slipper: Opposition to Calvinism in the Francophone Reformation is a superb piece of research and will be of interest to anyone studying the Reformation, French and French-speaking religious history, and a myriad of other areas of theology, polemic, and ecclesiology. It shines a marvelous light on a heretofore virtually untouched portion of the Reformation in francophone Europe. * Jon Balserak, Journal of the American Academy of Religion * As a major piece of revisionist history, Refusing to Kiss the Slipper should shape Reformation studies for a long time to come. The sustained attention that the monograph pays to the work of these sixteenth-century ""ne'er-do-wells"" unearths extremely important material, filling out the picture of what happened in towns and cities from Lausanne, Metz, Neuchâtel, and the Suisse Romande. Those interested in the reforming work conducted throughout this region will have a new impetus to explore the work of figures who, up to this point, have been excluded from scholarly attention. But it is also the case that those who work on Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, Pierre Viret, François Hotman, Geneva, and the French Reformation will need to pay heed to a wider geographical and theological range of considerations as they pursue their research agendas. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion * great scholarship ... Bruening's work is essential reading for anyone seeking to better understand Calvin and Calvinism, the development of Reformed Protestantism, and its many forms in francophone Europe and beyond. * Kyle J. Dieleman, Church History * In summary, this is a welcome and necessary addition to French Reformation and Calvin studies ... We are in Bruening's debt for producing an offering that gives long - overdue attention to the broad opposition to Calvinist reform in the Francophone and corrects earlier historical works that present an oversimplified picture -- highly recommended. * Thomas Haviland-Pabst, Themelios * Bruening's book is an accessible and important contribution to its field. * David J. Papendorf, Journal Of Ecclesiastical History * Breuning includes a helpful glossary of individuals mentioned in the book to assist the reader in navigating such a diverse group...The author is commended for bringing to light this critical chapter in the francophone Reformation. * Martin I. Klauber, Fides et Historia *"

Author Information

"Michael W. Bruening is a professor of history at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He specializes in the history of the Reformation in francophone Europe and is the author of A Reformation Sourcebook, Calvinism's First Battleground, and Epistolae Petri Vireti. During the 2020 worldwide shift to online instruction, his YouTube parody of ""I Will Survive"" went viral among educators."

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