Jeffrey Stivason, the pastor of Grace Reformed Presbyterian Church in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, has written an excellent article entitled Calvin’s Life: The Servetus Affair, in which he counters the common argument accusing Calvin of complicity in the death of Servetus. As he writes in his conclusion:
… how the death of Michael Servetus can be laid at the feet of Calvin is somewhat mystifying and yet it is. What is more, those who oppose Calvin behave much like the caricature they have drawn of him! I am obviously not saying that Calvin was perfect – he was not. However, to lay the death of Servetus at Calvin’s feet is simply to read the evidence of history through an anti-Calvinistic lens and that is not good history. Come to think of it – it’s not very gracious either.
I couldn’t agree more. I highly recommend taking a few minutes to read this article.