The 40 Most Influential Christians Who Shaped What We Believe Today by Daryl Aaron

Author:Daryl Aaron
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL012040, REL015000, REL012000, Church history, Christians
ISBN: 9781441261564
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2013-07-02T04:00:00+00:00

Conclusion

It seems right to say that Calvin himself would disagree with some of what is categorized today as “Calvinism.” For example, a case can be made that Calvin himself did not hold to the “Calvinistic” doctrine of limited atonement, that is, that Christ died only for the benefit of the elect. On the other hand, Calvin (like Augustine, Luther, and many others) did believe in “double predestination,” that is, that before time, God predestined some for salvation and others for condemnation.[114] Many later Calvinists softened this by saying that God predestined some for salvation and simply passed over the rest.

Calvinism and Reformed theology have become somewhat synonymous, although this is not entirely accurate.[115] Nevertheless, Calvin’s impact on the Reformation in general and Reformed theology specifically is hard to overstate. His Institutes basically became the textbook for Reformed theology. His influence went far beyond theology to politics, economics, and ethics (e.g., the “Protestant work ethic”).

In the last three chapters we have seen that the Protestant movement split into two primary divisions. The Lutheran branch became predominant in Germany and Scandinavia—Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. The Reformed branch spread from Switzerland (under Zwingli and Calvin) to France, Holland, England, Scotland, and eventually America through the Puritans. Together, these branches are known as the “Magisterial Reformation,” in that they believed that the church and state (magistrates) should cooperate closely in the work of God on earth. As we have seen in this chapter, Calvin’s Geneva was an excellent illustration of this conviction.

There is yet a third branch of the Reformation that needs to be noted—the “Radical Reformation”—which is the subject of the next chapter.

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