Calvinism

Calvin tried to avoid what he considered two major errors. First, that the wine and bread were supernaturally turned into the essence of the body and blood of Jesus (Roman Catholic belief) and second that the Supper was a memorial to someone who died a long time ago. Therefore, he emphasized that the Lord's Supper was a remembrance of Christ, held in obedience to Christ's command, and that the risen Christ is fully present with the celebrants and that they do receive spiritual nourishment from Him through this sacrament.

From Wikipedia (see link)

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Calvin defined a sacrament as an earthly sign associated with a promise from God. He accepted only two sacraments as valid under the new covenant: baptism and the Lord's Supper (in opposition to the Catholic acceptance of seven sacraments). He completely rejected the Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation and the treatment of the Supper as a sacrifice. He also could not accept the Lutheran doctrine of sacramental union in which Christ was "in, with and under" the elements. His own view was close to Zwingli's symbolic view, but it was not identical. Rather than holding a purely symbolic view, Calvin noted that with the participation of the Holy Spirit, faith was nourished and strengthened by the sacrament. In his words, the eucharistic rite was "a secret too sublime for my mind to understand or words to express. I experience it rather than understand it."

Yes,It is called 'New Calvinism'. The 'New Calvinism' is a growing perspective within conservative Evangelicalism that embraces the fundamentals of 16th century Calvinism while also trying to be relevant in the present day world. TIME magazine ranked it as one of the "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now."

John Calvin was best known for making the theological book to ever be published!

He was also important because he challlenged the Catholic Church and their pracices.

The tenants of Calvinism fall into the Five Points of Calivinism. They are:

Total Depravity: This is the idea that after the first sin (in the Garden of Eden), mankind has been born inherently evil and self serving, and that it is not in our nature to want to serve God's will. Because of this, people are unable to CHOOSE to follow God because their very nature prevents it. Catholics believe that all men are born inherently good, but with the taint of Original Sin (which is cleansed at Baptism). The church teaches that it is in our nature to want to follow God and that Sin is a temptation that must be averted, not an absolute.

Unconditional Election: This is the idea that from time immemorial, God himself has predetermined who will be saved and who will not, regardless of faith, morals or any personal merit or value in the individual. This is the one that got Calvin excommunicated. Christ himself made it clear that Gods accepts all of us if only we seek him out.

Limited Atonement: Connected to the idea of unconditional election, limited atonement says that Christ's death and atonement for Original Sin was limited only to those people whom God selected, and not for all mankind. This also contradicts the Gospel, in which Christ says that he will be the sacrifice for all men and their salvation.

Irresistible Grace: Also connected to the above, this doctrine states that God's call cannot be ignored by those he's chosen, regardless of their will or intent. Even wicked and deplorable people will work God's will in the end, if they are chosen by him to do so. The Catholic church teaches that mankind is made in God's image in the concept of Free Will, which was sealed by the eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. While God knows the path, he doesn't select it for us, we choose ourselves.

Perseverance of the Saints: This is the idea that God's will cannot be upset by the will of men, and that people who are chosen will do the work of God, and if they fall away from the faith, they were either not truly chosen, or will return in time. This is the genesis of the idea of "once saved, always saved". The Catholic church believes that our works and deeds define our faith, not our words. So if a person falls from the faith, then they have lost faith. If they come back, then it is reclaimed. Nothing more, nothing less.

Calvinism is the basis of the Baptist Church, particularly the Southern Baptists. John Calvin himself was excommunicated from the Catholic Church as a heretic.

john Calvin wrote i think five books.

• Sermons on I Samuel
• Sermons on Galatians
• Sermons on Psalm 119
• Sermons on the deity of Christ
• Sermons on Election and Reprobation (Genesis)

== == {| ! | One major difference in theological opinion between Zwingli and Luther is on the nature of the Christian sacraments. Many consider Luther to have been the originator of the belief that God's covenants to man are unconditional; Zwingli, on the other hand, proposed that God's covenants were just that--spiritually binding contracts between God and man that were vulnerable to man's relapse into the sinful life that could eventually lead to an annulment of God's part in the contract.[citation needed] E. Brooks Holifield says, When Luther called the sacrament a covenantal seal, he meant that baptism visibly ratified and guaranteed God's promises, as a royal seal authenticated a government document on which it was inscribed. Only secondarily was baptism a pledge of obedience by men. For Zwingli, however, the sacrament was primarily 'a covenant sign which indicates that all those who receive it are willing to amend their lives to follow Christ.[3] For both Luther and Zwingli, the sacrament of baptism was a sign or symbol of God's new Gospel covenant. Their theological differences arise in the relationship between baptism and mankind. ********************************************

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