John Calvin was a French theologian who founded Calvinism, a brand of Protestantism that redefined the role of the church and the individual’s relationship with God. His strict beliefs shaped early Protestant church beliefs and influenced Puritan beliefs in the New World. He believed in theocratic governments and predestination, where only certain souls were saved. Calvin’s main ministry was in Geneva, where he set up an organized church to pursue his theological ideas. He participated in the prosecution and execution of Michael Severtus, who opposed his ideas. Calvin died in 1564, but his work lived on in Protestant churches based on Calvinism.
John Calvin was an early reformer of the church, born in France in 1509. He was a deeply spiritual man whose brand of Protestantism he later championed, called Calvinism, was an effort to redefine the role of the church in everyday life and the role of the relationship of the individual to God. Calvinism has some distinct characteristics that are dismissed by some Protestants today. However, in its time, and for many years thereafter, Calvinism shaped many early Protestant church beliefs, particularly among the Huguenots of France and the Protestant movements in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland. Some of the Puritan beliefs of New World immigrants can be directly related to the theories of John Calvin.
As a young man, John Calvin was encouraged by his father to study law, although his true passion lay in theological studies. When his father died, Calvin felt he should pursue his passion and began studying religion at the College de France in Paris. Around 1528, or possibly as late as 1533, Calvin experienced a sudden religious insight and change of heart regarding Protestantism. He referred to it in his writings as a “sudden conversion,” which helped him realize that he needed to follow a Protestant rather than a Catholic pattern in his ministry.
Like many people who protested the actions of the Catholic Church at the time, John Calvin viewed the French brand of Catholicism as a place where much abuse was taking place. In particular, he disapproved of hierarchy in the church and believed that all ministers should be on an equal footing instead of having priests, bishops, cardinals, and the pope as a broad power structure. He was also against church music, preferring instead simply sung music, but he wasn’t against all aspects of Catholicism. In particular, he has favored theocratic governments and a return to greater, rather than less, attention to the importance of religion in daily life.
Calvinism can be caused by a very strict and rigid religious code. John Calvin shunned excesses, advocated absolute religious attention on Sundays, and emphasized simplicity of dress and strict adherence to God’s will. Man was essentially corrupt and was placed on earth to do God’s will and understand His complete and tremendous power. However, no amount of behavior or regular church attendance guaranteed salvation.
Key to Calvin’s doctrine was the idea that through God’s grace, only certain souls were saved and called “elect.” The elect would go to heaven despite any action contrary to God, and all others would be damned. There was nothing a person could do to be damned, and there was no way to determine if you were “the chosen.” Critics saw this concept of predestination as one that didn’t bode well for Calvinism, since the elect clearly didn’t have to do anything to please God, and if you weren’t elected, why would you try to adhere to strict principles of predestination? Calvinism?
Calvin’s main ministry took place in Geneva, although he was for a time exiled from Geneva and accused of trying to create a new papal organization. He also traveled and wrote extensively, and during his years in exile, he practiced and preached his religion in Strasbourg. When politics changed in Geneva, he returned in 1541 and set about setting up an organized church that would help him pursue his theological ideas better than he did.
Perhaps the main controversy in his life was his participation in the prosecution and execution of the theologian Michael Severtus, who published and proclaimed ideas refuting the concept of the trinity. Like most Protestants, John Calvin was a devout believer in the trinity, and his control over Genevan life made him a powerful force to be reckoned with. Many historians argue that he used his power, in particular, his control over civilian life in Geneva to attack anyone who opposed his ideas, in much the same way the Catholic Church often did. he opposed. His ideas about religion were hard, demanding, and unquestionable. Such contests, such as those led by Severto, were met with extreme and severe punishments including excommunication up to and including execution for heresy.
John Calvin’s later life was marked by his continued participation in the Genevan church and by a series of illnesses. Towards the end of his life he suffered from a variety of health conditions including kidney stones, gout and pulmonary hemorrhages. In the last years of his life, he sometimes had to be taken to the pulpit to preach. Calvin died in 1564, but his work undeniably lived on beyond him. The leadership of the Genevan church was assumed by Theodore Beza and Calvinist doctrine remained strong; much of it remains today in Protestant churches based on Calvinism.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
