Calvinism

Calvinism, system of theological thought found in the doctrinal expressions of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches, which derives its name from John Calvin (1509–64), the French Protestant reformer. In Calvin's own day, the element of his teaching that involved him in most conflict was his interpretation of Holy Communion, which differs from that of Luther, but his followers have been mainly distinguished by their emphasis upon predestination. The distinctive characteristics of Calvinism were formulated at the Synod of Dort (1618–19), in opposition to the Five Articles (1610) of the Arminians, and are known as the Five Points: (1) total depravity, man's natural inability to exercise free will, since through Adam's fall he has suffered hereditary corruption; (2) unconditional election, which manifests itself through God's wisdom to elect those to be saved, despite their inability to perform saving works; (3) prevenient and irresistible grace, that anticipatory grace made available only to the elect; (4) the perseverance of saints, those who are predetermined as elect inevitably persevering in the path of holiness; and (5) limited atonement, man's hereditary corruption being partially atoned for by Christ, and this atonement being provided the elect through the Holy Spirit, giving them the power to attempt to obey God's will as revealed through the Bible. These five dicta were embodied in the beliefs of those whose church polity was Presbyterian, Baptist, and Congregational, and in the beliefs of certain other groups. In New England both Puritans and Pilgrims agreed with Calvinism in their creation of a theocratic state, but the Covenant theology became as important as the original Calvinist doctrine. New Englanders tended to study Calvin less than such later formulators of Protestant opinion as William Perkins and William Ames. In addition to reading Augustine and other church fathers, they emphasized above all the Bible. Expressions of 17th‐century Calvinist thought in New England may be found in such works as The Wonder‐Working Providence of Sions Saviour in New England, The Simple Cobler of Aggawam, the Magnalia Christi Americana, and The Day of Doom. Later, Calvinism in the Congregational Church was considerably modified and softened by the Half‐Way Covenant,although under evangelical stress the earlier doctrines were temporarily revived in the Great Awakening. The doctrinal framework has been less successful in withstanding the changes in intellectual climate than have the ethical teachings, which have affected both orthodox Calvinists and such diverse thinkers as Franklin and the Transcendentalist writers.