Today’s Readings Podcast Description

What has become of the Church’s goods under the Papacy? In these final sections of Chapter 5, Calvin shows that the ancient care for the poor has been almost entirely extinguished. The revenues once dedicated to the needy have been seized by bishops, canons, and abbots, while the diaconate itself has been reduced to empty ceremony. He rejects the claim that outward magnificence fulfills the prophecies of Christ’s kingdom, insisting instead that true glory is found in the humility and poverty that Christ consecrated among his servants. The legitimate order of deacons, he concludes, has long been abolished.

Readings:

John Calvin — Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4, Chapter 5, Sections 16–19

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