The Christian heritage is rich and deep, vast and wide. We should be proud of it, and exult in the work the Lord has done in times past, even up to our day, and pray that he would continue to grow his church in faith and gratitude. But the church, in every age, must not sit on its laurels, so to speak, and be content with past achievements. This is not the way new generations are grown, or wars won, or faithfulness endures.

Whatever one's view of Calvin, there is no denying that this "complicated" man had a major influence on the development of the Protestant church and theology for years to come.