Instruction in Faith by John CalvinMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I love Calvin. I not only think the Institutes of the Christian Religion has stood the test of time, but is one of the most accessible systematic theologies available. Instruction in Faith, however, is not nearly as useful. Written as a short, summary of the faith (33 short chapters, 90 pages) I'm sure this was extremely useful in the 16th century when there hadn't been many Protestant faith summaries circulated. But since then, there have been many, and I'm not sure this is one worth reprinting.
The best parts are that Calvin is succinct and tends to do a good job of pressing the reader to think about Christian doctrine as it applies to both head and heart. It may be a bit weaker when it comes to Christian living (much better in the Institutes). For my money, the reformed catechisms are more useful (esp Heidelberg and Westminster, and even Luther's shorter catechism). More recently, Berkhof's Summary of Christian Doctrine or Packer's Concise Theology are more helpful.
Not a waste of time (because it's so short), but this book has generally outlived it's usefulness. Read it if you are interested in the development of Calvin's thought.
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