Important Calvinists fromEurope include: Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger, Peter Martyr Vermigli, andHuldrych Zwingli, and fromEngland, reformersThomas Cranmer and John Jewel. BecauseJohn Calvin had great influence and played an important role in theconfessional and ecclesiastical debates throughout the17th century, the tradition generally became known asCalvinism.
Today, this term also means the doctrines and practices of theReformed churches, of which Calvin was an early leader, and the system is perhaps best known for its doctrines ofpredestination andtotal depravity.
John Calvin's international influence on the development of the doctrines of theProtestant Reformation began at the age of 25, when he started work on his first edition of theInstitutes of the Christian Religion in 1534 (published1536). He also contributed to confessional documents for use in churches, and his beliefs and practices left a direct influence onProtestantism. He was only one of many people to influence the doctrines of the Reformed churches, but he eventually became one of the most prominenttheologians.
True Calvinism, or historical Calvinism, does not teach that God chooses the people who will be saved. Instead, it teaches that for God's own glory recreates men with a newnature, a nature that loves God and hates sin, instead of men keeping their old nature since if they kept their old nature, they would not want to follow God (Romans 3:10-12). Historical Calvinism also teaches that if God does not choose to save someone, he can do nothing to be saved.
Although much of Calvin's practice was in Geneva, his publications spread his ideas of a reformed church to many parts of Europe. Calvinism became thetheology of most Christians inScotland (seeJohn Knox), theNetherlands, and parts ofGermany, and it was influential also inFrance,Hungary,Transylvania, andPoland. Calvinism was popular as well for some time inScandinavia, especiallySweden, but it was rejected in favor ofLutheranism after the Synod ofUppsala in 1593.
