Kelby Milgrim Ministries
Calvinism
CALVINISM
Calvinism, the Protestant religious perspective associated with the work of John
CALVIN, includes both the teachings of Calvin and the later developments of his
world view. Calvin's doctrine was catholic in its acceptance of the Trinity, human
sinfulness, and the saving work of Jesus Christ. It was Protestant in its commitment
to the final authority of the Bible, justification by GRACE through faith alone, and
the bondage of the will for SALVATION. It was distinctly reformed in its stress on the
omnipotent sovereignty of God, the need for discipline in the church, and the
ethical seriousness of life.
The so-called Five Points of Calvinism were formulated by Dutch Reformed
theologians at the Synod of Dort (1618-19) in response to the teachings of
ARMINIANISM. The five points teach that (1) humankind is spiritually incapacitated
by SIN; (2) God chooses (elects) unconditionally those who will be saved; (3) the
saving work of Christ is limited to those elected ones; (4) God's grace cannot be
turned aside; (5) those whom God elects in Christ are saved forever .
Early in the 20th century, the German sociologist Max WEBER and the English
economist R. H. TAWNEY put forth the much-debated thesis that Calvinism
promoted the rise of capitalism. Whether this is true or not, it cannot be denied that
Calvinists have been deeply involved in political, social, educational, and economic
developments. PURITANISM in England and America is a product, to one degree or
another, of the Calvinistic spirit.
Calvinism provides the basic doctrinal orientation of the REFORMED CHURCHES
and PRESBYTERIANISM; branches of some other Protestant denominations, such
as the Baptists, have also been influenced by Calvinism.
Mark A. Noll
Bibliography: Dakin, Arthur, Calvinism (1940, repr. 1971); Leith, John H.,
Introduction to the Reformed Tradition (1977); McNeill, John T., The History and
Character of Calvinism, rev. ed. (1967); Prestwich, Menna, ed., International
Calvinism (1985); Warfield, B. B., Calvin and Calvinism (1931); Weber, Max, The
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, trans. by Talcott Parsons (1950).
Calvinism, the Protestant religious perspective associated with the work of John
CALVIN, includes both the teachings of Calvin and the later developments of his
world view. Calvin's doctrine was catholic in its acceptance of the Trinity, human
sinfulness, and the saving work of Jesus Christ. It was Protestant in its commitment
to the final authority of the Bible, justification by GRACE through faith alone, and
the bondage of the will for SALVATION. It was distinctly reformed in its stress on the
omnipotent sovereignty of God, the need for discipline in the church, and the
ethical seriousness of life.
The so-called Five Points of Calvinism were formulated by Dutch Reformed
theologians at the Synod of Dort (1618-19) in response to the teachings of
ARMINIANISM. The five points teach that (1) humankind is spiritually incapacitated
by SIN; (2) God chooses (elects) unconditionally those who will be saved; (3) the
saving work of Christ is limited to those elected ones; (4) God's grace cannot be
turned aside; (5) those whom God elects in Christ are saved forever .
Early in the 20th century, the German sociologist Max WEBER and the English
economist R. H. TAWNEY put forth the much-debated thesis that Calvinism
promoted the rise of capitalism. Whether this is true or not, it cannot be denied that
Calvinists have been deeply involved in political, social, educational, and economic
developments. PURITANISM in England and America is a product, to one degree or
another, of the Calvinistic spirit.
Calvinism provides the basic doctrinal orientation of the REFORMED CHURCHES
and PRESBYTERIANISM; branches of some other Protestant denominations, such
as the Baptists, have also been influenced by Calvinism.
Mark A. Noll
Bibliography: Dakin, Arthur, Calvinism (1940, repr. 1971); Leith, John H.,
Introduction to the Reformed Tradition (1977); McNeill, John T., The History and
Character of Calvinism, rev. ed. (1967); Prestwich, Menna, ed., International
Calvinism (1985); Warfield, B. B., Calvin and Calvinism (1931); Weber, Max, The
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, trans. by Talcott Parsons (1950).
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| John Calvin |