John Calvin & the Calvinist (Presbyterian/Reformed) Church The History & Beliefs of the Calvinist Church

Jean Cauvin /John Calvin 1509 - 1564 Calvin, born in France, but living in exile in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the major reformers of the Christian Church. His influence extends to the Calvinist, Presbyterian and Reformed Churches.

John Calvin’s Early Life Jean Cauvin was born in Noyon, in the Picardie region, in the north of France. His father was a lawyer and sent him to study law too. In 1532 he received a doctorate in law from the University of Orléans He spent time with people who tried to understand life from a logical viewpoint This lead him to see that the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings differed in some ways from the bible His name in English is John Calvin

Escape Because of Calvin’s views regarding the Roman Catholic Church he had to flee France He first moved to Basel, Switzerland After spending some time in Italy and again in Paris he had to leave for Geneva, Switzerland in order to escape persecution for his religious writings and disagreements with the Roman Catholic Church In Geneva he met William Farel, with whom he worked for two years. They agreed on many religious ideas

Strasbourg and then Geneva John Calvin left Geneva after a disagreement with the City Council and was invited to Strasbourg where he worked as a pastor After three years he was invited back to Geneva where he continued to write and to work towards reformation of the Church The main focus of his faith was the Doctrine of Predestination which states that God has already decided who will go to Heaven and that there is nothing one can do to change that

Life in Calvinist Geneva Spiritual Life Calvin preached 20 times a week He wrote the Catechism of the Genevan Church He also updated his Institutes of Christian Religion which outlined his beliefs He sent ministers to France to teach his beliefs in his native land Life in Geneva The city become a Theocracy, a place where all law was based on religion It is said there were no musical instruments in the city for two years People began to rebel against the hardship the theocracy caused

John Calvin’s Later Life Marriage He married a widow, Idette de Bure, who had two children from her first marriage Idette was Belgian They had no surviving children of their own Idette died nine years later after a long illness. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Idelette_de_Bure.jpg Influence on Britain Geneva became a place of refuge for reformers escaping Catholic Mary Queen of Scots Calvin was able to influence them, especially John Knox Knox took what he had learned back to Scotland This was the start of Presbyterianism

Calvinism/Reformed Church Although many people influenced Calvin’s thoughts and teachings, especially Zwingli (from Zurich), Bullinger and Bucer the church became known as Calvinist In North America it is known as Reformed The Reformed Church teaches Predestination The only way to know God is to read the bible It is only by faith that people are saved for Heaven Statues and images of God and others leads to idol worship

Summary of Calvinist Teaching (TULIP) Calvinism is often identified with the "five points of the doctrines of grace", remembered by the English acronym: TULIP. Total Depravity -All men are guilty in God's sight, and undeserving of life Unconditional Election/Choice -God's choice from eternity, of who he will bring to himself, is not based on foreseen virtue, merit or faith in the persons he chooses but rather, is unconditionally grounded in his own mercy Limited Atonement -meaning that, Christ's death actually takes away the penalty of sins committed by those upon whom God has chosen to have mercy. It is "limited" then, to taking away the sins of the elect Irresistible Grace -The saving grace of God is not resistible. Rather, willingness and ability to do God's will, are evidence of God's faithfulness to save men from the power and the penalty of sin Perseverance of the Saints -Those whom God has called into communion with Himself through Christ, will continue in faith and will increase in faith and other gifts, until the end (Adapted from http://encyclopedia.kids.net.au/page/ca/Calvinism)

Calvinism in Ireland In 1610, as a result of the Ulster Plantation, Calvinism, in the form of Scottish Presbyterianism, arrived in Ireland There are between 240,000 and 300,000 in Ireland of whom 22,000 live in the Republic (Census 2016 - a slight fall since 2011) The head-office of the Church is in Belfast There are 550 congregations across Ireland Ian Paisley was a famous Irish Presbyterian Learn more from http://www.presbyterianireland.org/