Be careful to not only read the theological texts of the Reformation and not look into the biblical insights they had into law, civil society or politics. Otherwise, we will have a truncated view of the gospel and what #Reformation actually was.
A biblicist approach to the Reformation will fail to see how they ministerially used all kinds of disciplines and philosophies to support their theological and juridical arguments. Using sociology or CRT as a subordinate heuristic is not inherently contrary to the Reformers.
To be ignorant of these disciplines is to spurn the Holy Spirit who gifts pagans with common grace and knowledge for the betterment of our neighbors according to Calvin. If you actually read the Reformers, they heavily cite pagans who had a glimmer of truth (just like St. Paul).
When we think the Gospel is apolitical or doesn't have radical implications for sociality, we will succumb to the politics of the day. This is why the Reformers believed theology must be in conversation with metaphysics and ethics to prevent confusing our thoughts with God's.
For example, without the insights of Neo-Platonism, we wouldn't have developed some of the language and tradition concerning the Trinity. The church has continually used the insights and language of the pagan world for our better use.
This is what Calvin called "plundering the Egyptians."
The Reformers were all humanists who studied many of the ancients. They used their insights in their ethical, political texts. They benefited from them as they dealt with cases of conscience in their Reformed casuistry.
Why does this matter? Well, a lot of folks who want to "Just preach the Gospel" or just stick to the Confessions, really aren't Reformed in their thinking or practice. They aren't teaching the whole counsel of God or seeing the "craters " the Gospel's impact had on all of life..
These are the folks who just want to read theology but never actually apply it like the Reformation rigorously sought to do in reforming all of life's facets according to the best wisdom in God's Word and in the world, both of which are from God.
