Our Sovereign Refuge

Our Sovereign Refuge is a study of the pastoral theology of Theodore Beza, the Protestant reformer who inherited the mantle of leadership in the Reformed church from John Calvin. Countering a common view of Beza as supremely a 'scholastic' theologian who deviated from Calvin's biblical focus, Wright uncovers a new portrait of Theodore Beza. Beza was not a cold and rigid academic theologian obsessed with probing the eternal decrees of God. Rather, by placing Beza in his pastoral context and by noting his concerns in his pastoral and biblical treatises, Wright shows that Beza was fundamentally a committed Christian who was troubled by the vicissitudes of life in the second half of the sixteenth century. Beza believed that the biblical truth of the supreme sovereignty of God alone could support Christians on their earthly pilgrimage to heaven. This pastoral and personal portrait of Beza forms the heart of Wright's argument. ""In this important study, Shawn Wright introduces us to Pastor Beza and shows us that his highly developed Reformed theology was shaped by serious pastoral engagement. Wright brings Beza down to earth and makes him live again as a pastoral theologian concerned with the life-and-death struggles of God's people."" --Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University ""Exploring the whole range of Beza's output, Dr. Wright now enables us to meet Beza as he really was, and it is an inspiring encounter. This is a landmark book."" --Professor James Packer, Regent College ""Wright cogently and masterfully unveils Beza as a great spiritual casuist who knows how to use God's sovereignty in comforting and assuring the fainthearted in spiritual warfare. This book is long overdue and fills an important lacuna in Reformed scholarship."" --Joel R. Beeke, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary ""Dr. Wright shows how historical scholarship ought to be done. Our Sovereign Refuge is the work of a gifted, well-trained historian who reads the primary sources carefully, paying close attention to matters of context and genre, always in close dialogue with recent Bezan scholarship."" --John L. Farthing, Hendrix College Shawn D. Wright (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Assistant Professor of Church History at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. He earned his BA at Duke University and his MDiv at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He lives in Louisville with his wife, Gretchen, has five sons, Benjamin, Jonathan, Aaron, Nathan, and Stephen, and is a pastor at Clifton Baptist Church.