The Psalms as a Spiritual Guide: Some Lessons from Luther and Calvin

Luther and Calvin often remarked that the psalms express the whole spectrum of human emotions, making the psalms a compelling tool of instruction for the church. Calvin famously called the psalms an “anatomy of all the parts of the soul” and saw them as a central key to unlocking the teachings of Scripture and illuminating the central spiritual practices of the Christian life (i.e., worship and prayer). This workshop explored several ways that Luther and Calvin employed the psalms to support Christian practices of worship, prayer, and discipleship (i.e., spiritual formation). We looked at key themes in their interpretation of the psalms with an eye to comparisons and contrasts between Luther and Calvin and a focus on a handful of psalms as case studies.