Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

so that you may be able to prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12 2.

This is resistance and reformation on the Fight, laugh, Feast Network.

In 1564, Fyodor Beza accepted the unenviable challenge of succeeding his friend and mentor John Calvin

as the pastor of St. Pierre's Church and the leader of the Reformation in the city of Geneva

and throughout the French-speaking world. It is never an easy thing, even for a proven, capable

leader, to follow a great visionary, a beloved founder, a successful reformer, and a soaring

intellect. Calvin, was all those things and more, Baza, on the other hand, was anything but a proven capable

leader. Prior to coming to Geneva, just nine years earlier, Beza was an articulate and gifted

proponent of Reformation ideas and ideals, but he had not enjoyed much outward or visible success.

His efforts to establish academies of learning in Tübingen and Lozanne ultimately failed.

His ambassadorial efforts amongst Piedmont Waldensians at the Colloquy of Verms,

and with Peter Vire and William Farrell in Bern were stymied by incessant conflict, controversy, and dissent.

Even after Calvin brought Virey and Beza to Geneva, providing them with a measure of security and stability,

Baza's life and ministry remained mired in difficulty and frustration.

His efforts to re-establish an academy there were delayed for nearly four years. His literary ambitions were

likewise subject to constant interruptions and obstructions, and he was thrust into a host of

protracted personal and doctrinal hubbubs that very nearly exhausted his time and resources.

At Calvin's death, everyone had good warrant to expect that Beza would ultimately wilt

and wither under the white-hot spotlight of international scrutiny. Calvin's shoes were too big for nearly

anyone to fill, but against all odds, Beza succeeded remarkably. Over the course of the next

...