Did John Calvin's Influence On Church History

When Calvin arrived in Geneva, William Farel saw in Calvin the leader that Geneva needed “and he urged the young scholar to go no farther but to stay in the city and help establish the work there” (Shelley, 2008, 256) . Calvin's patronage from Geneva helped with the growth and development of the French Protestant movement in the 1550s. Calvin trained French Protestant pastors at the Geneva Academy, and helped to smuggle them back into France to establish and develop local congregations. It was also during this time he wrote Institutes of the Christian Religion, in 1536, that put into words the

Martin Luther was one of the main people to cause the Protestant Reformation. Luther was a monk, lawyer, and professor who contributed and sparked interest in the reformation by putting his “95 Theses” on the church door. The “95 Theses” was a list of statements and judgements of the church and why Luther had concerns about it. Many people took interest in the theses for they showed valuable points on indulgences and other issues. Although Luther had many other contributions, other people helped along in the process of the reformation such as John Calvin who developed many reforms in the Protestant reformation. Those who followed many of the reforms made by Calvin were known as Calvinists and contributed a lot to the newly established Protestant religion. Therefore, an equally significant aspect of the cause of the Protestant Reformation were the crucial people that helped stand up for the

The Protestant Reformation began during the Renaissance time period, it was the attempt to reform the Roman Catholic church. It led to the creation of Protestant churches. This reformation began after multiple church leaders started demanding individuals to supply them with such large quantities of goods, food, and money that individuals did not have much left to provide to their own family. Several believed if they did not contribute and present the church with what they asked, they would be denied entrance to heaven once they passed away. People saw how the church thrived while those who contributed were ravenous and penniless. Martin Luther, a monk, noticed several inaccuracies between what the Roman Catholic Church practiced and the Bible as he studied the Bible. He decided to speak out by creating the 95 Theses, and nailing it on the entrance of a catholic church. Protestants who had similar view as Luther’s began Luther-ism. John Calvin, had very similar views as Luther and was even inspired by him to reform the Catholic Church as well. I most admire Martin Luther because of how he spoke up and protested against the Roman Catholic church when he knew it could put him in danger, but I am most similar to John Calvin because of how he believes in predestination and how faith is revealed by living a righteous life.

John Calvin, a Genevan, modified Martin Luther’s ideas of the Reformation to create the faith of Calvinism, and later wrote the Latin tome Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536.

John Calvin of Geneva: religious leader that elaborated Luther’s ideas and founded Calvinism (dominant ideo. of New England Puritans)

Institutes of the Christian Religion: A book by John Calvin that explained the Protestant systematic theology

After the Reformation started, many other Protestant groups came about. This was caused by John Wyclif and Jan Hus translating the Bible into common vernacular. Because the Bible was now open for everyone to read, it was interpreted in different ways. As people began to form their own beliefs and opinions, different Protestant groups began to form. Some spiritual ideas became more popular and widespread. For example, John Calvin believed in predestination, or the belief that God has already decided who is to be saved and that your actions do not matter. This idea spread throughout Europe, and Calvin became one of the more powerful Christian reformers. However, these ideas would change continuously as more people began to interpret the Bible

One of the main reasons John Calvin was a leader was that he was willing to make difficult decisions. “In 1528, when he was 19 years old, his father ordered him to take law”. This meant that he had to leave theology (which was a passion of his). This was a hard decision for him to make because he loved theology and was very

When the German friar Martin Luther nailed his protests against Catholic doctrines to the door of WIttenberg’s cathedral, he ignited a fire of religious reform, known as the Protestant Reformation, that divided peoples, brought down rulers, and ignited the spiritual passion of millions of men and women. A somber and severe religious leader, John Calvin of Geneva, elaborated Martin Luther’s ideas, and in turn created Calvinism. Calvinism became the dominant religious philosophy not only of the New England Puritans but of other American settlers as well. Calvin wrote out his basic doctrine in a Latin tome, named Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin

The reforms established by Calvin required religious authority over ethical behavior yet at the same time required religious authority to be independent of state control. Calvin’s theology has five main points, the total corruption of humans; predestination; limited punishment; irresistible grace; and perseverance of the saints. Calvin published "Institutes of the Christian Religion" and established his Reformed Protestantism in Geneva. Calvin insisted on the separation of church and state in Geneva, but he gave the definitive control to the church. He influenced the Reformation in two important ways.

John Calvin, the founder of Calvinism, believed in absolute dominance of God in salvation of the human soul from death and eternal sentence. He wrote many commentaries on most books in the Bible and created a lot of controversy. Calvin helped reform the church in Geneva. His spent his final years promoting reformation throughout

John Calvin was a lawyer, but he became dedicated to reforming the church. In the 1520s the people of Geneva revolted against their rulers and Calvin was invited to build a Reformed Church of Geneva. He rearranged the organization of the church governing system and the social organization of the church and the city. He organized based entirely on biblical principles. He imposed a strict moral code derived from the scriptures.

At an early age, John Calvin found his calling to God to the chagrin of his father, who wanted him to be a lawyer. This calling to God helped Calvin bring about changes to the church. Even though Calvin traveled to some isolated spots in Europe preaching his sermons, the changes occurred all throughout Europe and then into the Americas. All these changes began humbly in France in the early 1500's.

Martin Luther and John Calvin were both leaders in the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was a monk, or priest, in the Augustinian friars’ order and his ideals were that Catholicism were corrupting the New Testament beliefs and people were saved by faith alone not by buying their way into heaven. John Calvin studied law “but in 1533 he experienced a religious crisis, as a result of which he converted from Catholicism to Protestantism. Calvin believed that God had specifically selected him to reform the church” (McKay et al., 2015, pg. 448). “The cornerstone of Calvin’s theology was his belief in the absolute sovereignty and omnipotence of God and the total weakness of humanity” (McKay et al., 2015, pg. 448).

Although Martin Luther impacts history greatly, people must remember what role John Calvin has to offer as well. Born in France in 1509, John Calvin is raised as a Roman Catholic by his family. His family is so devoted to the Roman Catholic Church that his dad aspires for his son to become a priest (John Calvin- Calvin College 1). John Calvin later reads Luther’s works and converts to the ‘faith of the Reformation.’ He strongly believes that salvation is achieved through faith and predestination (Cowie 44). In 1537, John Calvin publishes, Institutes of the Christian Religion. In this book, John Calvin states his beliefs on Christianity. He proposes that God has been veiled by the devotion of the people to the Virgin Mary and the saints. He also insists in his book that predestination is how God determines who goes to hell and who goes to heaven. John Calvin writes, “We call predestination, God’s eternal degree, by which He determined that He willed to become of each man.