2014 Asian Leadership Study Program
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Dr. Elsie Anne McKee
Introducing John Calvin
the Teacher-Pastor and His Ministries
May 14-16, 2014
Princeton Theological Seminary, 64 Mercer Street, Princeton, NJ
The five lectures are entitled:
1. Calvin’s Formation and Call: Becoming a Reformer
2. How Do We Know Calvin? His Writings and Other Sources
3. Key Teachings in Calvin’s Theology:
The Center of Gravity & Distinctive Contributions
4. Calvin the Preacher and Pastor
5. Prayer, Piety, and Daily Life in Calvin’s Geneva
Dr. Elsie Anne McKee, Ph.D.
Archibald Alexander Professor of Reformation Studies and the History of Worship, Princeton Theological Seminary
The history and theology of the Reformation are the locus of her research, along with a strong interest in cross-cultural issues developed by experience in central Africa. Themes include the history
of Biblical exegesis and spirituality. Rare book rooms and archives (Geneva, Strasbourg, Zürich) have been keys for "the delight of digging in 16th c. dust," producing studies of theological issues,
biographical explorations, and editions of texts. One focus is Calvin's doctrine of the church: John Calvin on the Diaconate & Liturgical Almsgiving and Elders & the Plural Ministry (Droz,
1984, 1988); work on the pastoral ministry is in process and this book is expected in 2014. Another storyline reveals a remarkable woman reformer: Katharina Schütz Zell. The Life & Thought of a
Sixteenth-Century Reformer and The Writings. A Critical Edition (Brill, 1999). Other goals include providing more access to the reformers, translations and editions John Calvin: Writings on Practical
Piety (Classics of Western Spirituality 2001); Katharina Schütz Zell, Church Mother: The Writings of a Protestant Reformer in Sixteenth Century Germany (Chicago, 2006); John Calvin: The Institutes of
the Christian Religion. The 1541 French Edition (2009); and on-going Calvin's manuscript sermons on I Corinthians for Supplementa Calviniana. Soon forthcoming will be Pastoral Ministry and Worship in
Calvin’s Geneva (Droz, 2014?). Research leads to teaching: the realm for inviting others to the game of historical "come dig with me; finding out is such fun!" The more players the merrier; learning
is for sharing.
The daughter and granddaughter of missionaries, she was born and reared in the Dem. Rep. of Congo - which has shaped her sense of the Church and given her a particular understanding of Calvin as
well. Her education includes a year in England (Diploma in Theology from Cambridge University) and a number of years studying in Switzerland, doing her doctoral dissertation for Princeton Seminary
and research for other books. She is also an ordained elder of the PC(USA) and member of Witherspoon St. Presbyterian Church in Princeton. For many years she has worked with the theological seminary
in Congo where her parents taught (and she taught one term while on sabbatical). While continuing that, in the last ten years she has become more involved in other Congo projects, and serves on the
board of several North American non-profits which support education projects and medical and women’s work, including Wom
See below for Schedule and Registration Form
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