Encounters with Benedict

When we were in Aix our seminary was small enough so that we could take everyone on trips together. One of the most memorable was to Rome in 1985 (I think). Being Protestants we went “Sur les traces de l’apôtre Paul”. Our guide was François Leithel, a former evangelical who had become a Carmelite. He lived in the Facultà Téresianum, an establishment dedicated to the three Saint Teresas, Avila, Lisieux and Benedicta.

Being, as it happened, close to the centers of power, François obtained an audience for us with John Paul II. Needless to say, we were somewhat star-struck. However, the night before our visit we received a most apologetic message saying that the Pontiff suddenly had to leave town. But could he send us his second in command, Cardinal Ratzinger? Of course, we agreed, so the next day we had an appointment with Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, who was at the time Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. Put simply, he was overseer of doctrine for the Roman Catholic Church.

A session that was scheduled for ½ hour lasted nearly two hours. The exchange was riveting. Ratzinger did his best to deconstruct some of the caricatures of his work. Contrary to the popular image of him, he did not hand down decisions like a demagogue, but always listened to the local bishops and priests first.

Pierre Berthoud, our doyen at the time, summarized the evangelical protestant position powerfully. The Cardinal was clearly astonished. He had no doubt assumed that all Protestants were left-wing liberals. At the end of the exchange, we were able to underscore what we had in common as well as accentuate our differences. We swapped gifts. He gave us some of his books and we gave him ours.

Among our gifts to the Cardinal was a newly minted copy of Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion which our in-house publishing endeavor, Editions Kérygma, had just printed. He told us he had never read Calvin, which was somewhat surprising given his stature as a scholar. But we had come to learn many Roman Catholics are unfamiliar with even the standard Protestant texts.

My colleague Peter Jones later heard Razinger quote Calvin favorably in a lecture. He had read the book we gave him! We do not know what was in his head as he became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005 and then, unusually, resigned in 2013 to become Pope Emeritus. He had a rich and full life (1927-1922). Could it be that Jean Calvin’s uniquely pastoral emphasis on sola gratia fanned into flame the gift of God?

Much is happening in the Roman Catholic Church these days. In view of all its scandals, and its doctrinal ambiguities, could it be that a rediscovery of the gospel, obscured since the Counter Reformation is on the agenda? Much of the Protestant Church could use the same reminders.

William Edgar
Professeur Associé
Faculté Jean Calvin

Lucas Cobb Interview

Huguenot Fellowship Trustee Ruth Ann Leduc interviews Luca Cobb. Lucas is a student in the master's program at Faculté Jean Calvin and is interning at a small church in the rural Cevennes region of France. Although having grown up in a Christian home, he experienced spiritual questions, which in part led him to study theology. Before enrolling at the Fac, he won a piano competition (concours) sponsored by a prestigious music school, but there was no room at that time for new students. God had other plans for Lucas!

Click here to view this 13 minute video.

Renée Filhol

Pierre and Renée Filhol

One of the great ladies of French Evangelical Protestantism left this world Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Without the extraordinary dedication of Pierre and Renée Filhol it is doubtful that the Faculté Jean Calvin would exist, let alone be thriving. The same could be said of the flourishing local church, l’Église Réformée Évangélique on the Rue de la Masse in Aix. The Filhols, to use the expression, were pillars of the community. We may never know the ways they supported the needy and the destitute.  

Renée was a beloved mother and grandmother. We first met the Filhols when we visited Aix in 1974. Together with Paul Wells and various French leaders, they had decided to reopen the seminary in Aix and put it on an independent confessional basis. Pierre was president of the trustees. Renée handled all the accounts. This team was uniquely dedicated to the well-functioning of our beloved Faculté Jean Calvin.

Renée excelled in the gift of hospitality, undergirded with a profound love of people. Perhaps unlike some of her compatriots she loved Americans and recognized our love for France and for things French. She also humbly knew that without the partnership of the Dutch, the Swiss and the Americans, the seminary could not operate. At the same time she resisted any attempt to “infantiliser” this properly indigenous work. She had, not pride, but dignity.

The Filhols more or less adopted us. We lived in the same apartment complex. We had meals with them frequently and talked with them honestly about the problems and opportunity of “La Fac”. We benefitted greatly from their wisdom and experience. We also dearly love their two children, Hélène and Daniel. Though she retired a number of years ago, her absence will be sorely felt. Let us resolve to accompany Pierre in his grief, until that day when they will be together with Jesus Christ in eternity.

William Edgar
Professor Emeritus of Apologetics
Westminster Theological Seminary
Philadelphia, USA

Olivier Giroud

If you’re following the World Cup Soccer (Football) tournament, you’ll know that forward Olivier Giroud is one of the star players of the French national team.  Just last week, he became the highest scoring player in the history of the French team.

What is more remarkable is his openness in sharing about his Christian faith.  In 2019, he was Editor-in-Chief of the Jesus magazine, using this platform to share his own testimony, the role that his faith plays in his career, and other stories relating to the dynamic of the Christian faith in the world of football.

Giroud explains that he has a tattoo on his arm with the Latin words of Psalm 23:1: “‘Dominus Regit me et Nihil Mihi Deerit.’   These words on my arm reassure me.  I know that if I need anything, any help, I can pray to him – Jesus.  And in full confession, there have been times that I pray in the middle of a match.   It may only last a few seconds, one word, two words, but it gives me a sense of freedom.  And who knows if, during the following play, when I choose to go towards the net, that choice was directly inspired by God Himself? I hope that this magazine will touch hearts as Jesus touches mine every day.”

Giroud recently did an interview in which the reporter commented on him being one of the few “stars” who is open about being “catholic/evangelist”.  Giroud gently corrects him, saying “A little nuance…. I’m an evangelical Christian.”  He goes on to say that his interior strength and character come from his faith.  

May the Lord prosper Olivier Giroud and cause his influence for the Gospel to be far-reaching, within the world of football and beyond.    

Listen to his testimony in this 90-second interview (in French).

Evangelism Seminar

Donald Cobb

Last weekend, 80 pastors and church council members of the Protestant Reformed Evangelical Church - https://unepref.com/ - gathered for a day of reflection & discussion on the theme of evangelization.

Donald Cobb, a graduate of Faculté Jean Calvin and Professor of New Testament at Faculté Jean Calvin, gave an excellent session on "Is Reformed Theology a Hindrance to Evangelism?" (Thankfully not!) Some of the points highlighted by Cobb were:

- The doctrine of election isn't a hindrance to evangelism; it's the condition whereby evangelism bears fruit.
- God's sovereign election works itself out through Gospel proclamation.
- God uses Gospel proclamation to open hearts to the Gospel.
- God gives us the privilege of participating in His work.
- God's sovereign election works itself out through evangelism.
- The doctrine of election drives us to prayer as it affirms the sovereignty of God.
- The doctrine of election gives us a confidence that Gospel proclamation is not dependent on us.

Updates were also given on four projects the denomination is focusing on this year:

  1. revisiting the strategy for church-planting;

  2. creating a position for pastoral care for pastors;

  3. the issue of sexual & spousal abuse, establishing tangible steps for vulnerable individuals, and how to better support the victims;

  4. the possibility of a new position relating to more efficient communication within the denomination.

Would you please take a moment to pray for God's leading in these important initiatives and for God's protection and equipping for these church leaders?

Jazz in France

In his latest book, A Love Supreme: The Music of Jazz and the Hope of the Gospel, theologian and jazz pianist William Edgar argues that the music of jazz cannot be properly understood apart from the Christian gospel, which like jazz moves from deep lament to inextinguishable joy. Jazz deeply resonates with the hope that is ultimately found in the good news of Jesus Christ. Below he reflects on the special affinity for jazz in France, which provides a unique opportunity and context in which to share the Good News.

Philip Barackman
Trustee of The Huguenot Fellowship

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Aimer le ‘Swingue’ 

For reasons not always easy to identify French people, most of them, love jazz music. When we lived there, jazz clubs and jazz festivals were the rage. Gospel choirs would guaranty large audiences. When “Sister Act” came out, featuring Oh Happy Day, hundreds of church choirs embraced the song. When Monty Alexander comes to France the concert halls are full and often wonderfully boisterous.

The history of jazz in France goes way back. During World War II an American military band headed by James Reese Europe, became wildly popular throughout France. Jim Europe would take local folk songs and turn them into “ragtime” the earliest name for jazz. The larger-than-life Hugues Panassié founded Le Hot Club de France which is still going today. Its purpose is to foster jazz music and welcome American musicians. He and the club were among the first to identify the great Louis Armstrong and invite him to France to give concerts.

The Hot Club became entrenched in its conservative views, opposing New Orleans style to modern jazz and bebop. Somewhat typically of Gallic certainty, a mini war ensued over the virtues or deficits of modern jazz. The pro side broke away and founded their own movement. Why such strong feelings? Personalities were involved. But so were convictions about how jazz works. The accusation formulated against modern jazz was that it doesn’t swing!

Despite this tempest in a teapot, jazz continued to flourish in France. Several prominent musicians, the most prominent of which was Sidney Bechet, the soprano saxophonist who composed the classic Petite Fleur. Musicians such as Duke Ellington, Lester Young and Miles Davis found a warm welcome in Paris. Rightly or wrongly, black artists sensed the absence of racism and degradation they experienced in America. France has always boasted of a more tolerant attitude toward racial minorities, though their attitude toward North Africans might belie that.

Somewhat less tangibly, jazz carried with it a certain exotic aura, which appealed to the French spirit. It also represented freedom, which they yearned for in the dark inter war years. To get a good idea of how jazz fits into French culture one should consult the photography of Jean-Pierre Leloir. His album, Jazz Images sensitively depicts the French love affair with this music. Leloir delicately illustrates the tragedies as well as the triumphs of jazz in France. For example, Leloir shot the heart-breaking singer Billie Holiday in November, 1958, when she was forbidden to sing in New York clubs because of drug charges. She died in July, 1959.

There are significant French jazz musicians and orchestras. Perhaps the best-known is Michel Legrand, who wrote the popular Summer of ’42. When we lived there, I had the joy of playing with some marvelous musicians. Many of them were trained academically, which meant they were quite competent if at times lacking in the earthiness typical of real jazz. No doubt it is impossible to develop as a jazz artist if you have not somehow worked in the trenches.

Our little trio, Renewal developed a program which presented the gospel using jazz music as an illustration. Our matchless vocalist, Ruth Naomi Floyd, never failed to move audiences with her magnificent voice. In a day when French people are not likely to respond to typical evangelistic outreach, they respond to jazz.

William Edgar
Professeur Associé FJC