Book Notice: Mark A. Garcia, Life in Christ (Updated)

The book, Life in Christ, by Mark Garcia is one of the more illuminating books about Calvin's sacramental theology, and well worth reading for this reason.  He is able to grapple more successfully, in a way that is meaningful and clear to me, with the essential issues in Calvin's sacramental controversy with the Lutherans.  For those who want to delve into this question the book is, in my opinion, an essential.

Garcia proposes that Osiander is really the quintessential Lutheran (in spite of Osiander's vehement Lutheran opposition), and that Calvin polemicizes against Osiander so strongly because Osiander's theology illustrates what Calvin sees as basically wrong with the Lutheran Christology and the supposedly ubiquitarian sacramental theology that goes along with it!

After reading this, one will likely understand Calvin much better, and the Christological significance of it all will come into sharper focus.  The subject, as represented by Garcia, does not at all come across as the same old tired repetition of the controversial points, but as a fresh view.

The bottom line:  It all boils down, Garcia says, to understanding Calvin's "take" on the creator/creature distinction.  Garcia comes down strongly on Calvin's side on this historic question.  One doesn't have to agree entirely with this position to be seriously illuminated by this work.  I'm grateful to see it.

Now, for a closer study of Chalcedon, where they first tried to solve this problem...

(This review is continued at:
http://christocentry.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-notice-mark-garcia-life-in-christ_10.html)