Calvinist Church, USA

Calvinist Church, USA

Calvinism (also called the Reformed tradition or the Reformed faith) is a major branch of Western Christianity following the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice of several Reformation era theologians who broke with the Roman Catholic church but differed with Lutherans on the real presence of Christ in the Lord's supper, theories of worship, and the use of God's law for believers, among other things. Calvinism is an ambiguous term with several closely related senses and meanings. Rarely, it may refer to some or all of the teachings of John Calvin. Often it refers to the doctrine of the churches known as the "Reformed churches" or "Calvinist churches," which are characterized by their adoption of the tenets of Zwingli and Calvin as distinguished from those of Lutherans, especially with respect to the Lord's supper and the use of symbols and ceremonies retained by Lutherans. Sometimes it refers to the entire body of theological, ethical, philosophical, social, political conceptions influenced by John Calvin. Since the Arminian controversy, the Reformed (as a branch of Protestantism distinguished from Lutheranism) are divided into Arminians and Calvinists, however it is now rare to call Arminians Reformed, as many see these two schools of thought as opposed, making the terms Calvinist and Reformed synonymous.

Early influential Reformed theologians include John Calvin, Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger, and Peter Martyr Vermigli. Calvinism bears the name of the French reformer John Calvin because of his noticeable influence and because of his role in the confessional and ecclesiastical debates of the 16th century. The system is sometimes identified with the five points of Calvinism and is best known today for its doctrines of predestination and total depravity, stressing the total contingency of man's salvation upon the absolute sovereignty of God.