Calvinism

Calvinism is a system of Christian theology advanced by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and further developed by his followers, associates and admirers. The term also refers to the doctrines and practices of the Reformed churches, of which Calvin was an early leader. Calvinism is perhaps best known for its doctrine of predestination, and its history is associated with some notable experiments in Christian theocracy.

General description

Given that its present form has multiple main tributaries, the name "Calvinism" is somewhat misleading if taken to imply that every major feature of the doctrine of the "Calvinist churches", or of all Calvinist movements, can be found in the writings of Calvin. Others are often credited with as much of a final formative influence on what is now called Calvinism as Calvin himself had: for example Calvin's successor Theodore Beza, the Dutch theologian Franciscus Gomarus, the founder of the Presbyterian church John Knox, and any number of later writers such as the English Baptist John Bunyan, the American Jonathan Edwards, or neo-orthodox theologians like Karl Barth.

Related Topics:
Theodore Beza - Franciscus Gomarus - Presbyterian church - John Knox - John Bunyan - Jonathan Edwards - Karl Barth

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But there is a simple central issue in Calvinism that often serves to represent the whole, and that is a particular soteriology (doctrine of Salvation), which emphasizes that man is incapable of adding anything from himself to obtain salvation, and that God alone is the initiator at every stage of salvation, including the formation of faith and every decision to follow Christ. This doctrine was definitively formulated and codified during the Synod of Dordrecht (1618-1619), which rejected the alternate system known as Arminianism.

Related Topics:
Soteriology - Salvation - Synod of Dordrecht - Arminianism

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Calvinism is sometimes called "Augustinianism" because the central issues of Calvinistic soteriology were articulated by St. Augustine in his dispute with the British monk Pelagius. In contrast to the free-will decisionism advocated by Charles Finney and other dissenters, Calvinism places strong emphasis not only on the abiding goodness of the original creation, but also on the total ruin of man's accomplishments and the frustration of the whole creation caused by sin, and therefore views salvation as a new creating work of God rather than an acheivement of those who are saved from sin and death.

Related Topics:
St. Augustine - British - Monk - Pelagius - Charles Finney

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More broadly, "Calvinism" is virtually synonymous with "Reformed Protestantism", encompassing the whole body of doctrine taught by Reformed churches. In addition to maintaining a Calvinist soteriology, one of the more important features of this system is "the regulative principle of worship" — which in principle rejects any form of worship not explicitly instituted for the early church in the Holy Bible.

Related Topics:
Reformed churches - Regulative principle - Holy Bible

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