Calvinism

John Calvin

Background Christianity St. Augustine The Reformation Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought, articulated by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and subsequently by successors, associates, followers and admirers of Calvin and his interpretation of Scripture. ... From [1], in the public domain This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... John Calvin (July 10, 1509 – May 27, 1564) was an important French Christian theologian during the Protestant Reformation and is the namesake of the system of Christian theology called Calvinism. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament. ... Aurelius Augustinus, Augustine of Hippo, or Saint Augustine (November 13, 354–August 28, 430) was one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. ... The Protestant Reformation was a movement in the 16th century to reform the Catholic Church in Western Europe. ...

Distinctives Calvin's Institutes Five Solas Five Points (TULIP) Regulative principle Confessions of faith Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvins seminal work on Protestant theology. ... The Five Solas are five Latin phrases (or slogans) that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers basic beliefs and emphasis in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church of the day. ... Calvinist theology is in the English-speaking world often identified in the popular mind as the so-called five points of Calvinism, which are a summation of the judgments (or canons) rendered by the Synod of Dordt and which were published in the Quinquarticular Controversy as a point-by-point... The regulative principle of worship is a Christian theological doctrine teaching that the public worship of God should include those and only those elements that are instituted, commanded, or appointed by command or example in the Bible; that God institutes in Scripture everything he requires for worship in the Church... The Reformed churches express their consensus of faith in various creeds. ...

Influences Theodore Beza Synod of Dort Puritan theology Jonathan Edwards Princeton theologians Karl Barth To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... xxx cciiiox The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618/19, by the Dutch Reformed Church, in order to settle a serious controversy in the Dutch churches initiated by the rise of Arminianism. ... The Puritans were members of a group of radical Protestants which developed in England after the Reformation. ... Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703- March 22, 1758) was a colonial American Congregational preacher and theologian. ... The Princeton theology is a tradition of conservative, Christian, Reformed and Presbyterian theology at Princeton Seminary, in Princeton, New Jersey. ... Karl Barth (May 10, 1886–December 10, 1968) (pronounced Bart) was an influential Swiss Reformed Christian theologian. ...

Churches Reformed Presbyterian Congregationalist Reformed Baptist Primitive Baptist The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organisationally independent. ... Presbyterianism is a form of Protestant Christianity, primarily in the Reformed branch of Christendom, as well as a particular form of church government. ... The name Reformed Baptist does not refer to a distinct denomination but instead is a description of the churchs theological leaning. ... Primitive Baptists are a group of Baptists that have an historical connection to the missionary / anti-missionary controversy that divided Baptists of America in the early part of the 19th century. ...

Peoples Afrikaner Calvinists Huguenots Pilgrims Puritans Afrikaner Calvinism is a unique cultural development that combined the Calvinist religion with the political aspirations of the white Afrikaans speaking people of South Africa. ... In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name of Huguenots came to apply to members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France, or historically as the French Calvinists. ... Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1867) The Pilgrims were a group of English religious separatists who sailed from Europe to North America in the early 17th century, in search of a home where they could freely practice their style of religion. ... The Puritans were originally members of a group of English Protestants seeking purity — further reforms or even separation from the established church — during the Protestant Reformation. ... This box: view • talk • edit

Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs. Protestantism is a movement within Christianity, representing the splitting away from the Roman Catholic Church during the mid-to-late Renaissance in Europe—a period known as the Protestant Reformation. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as recounted in the New Testament. ... Congregationalist church governance, often known as congregationalism, is a system of church governance in which every local congregation is independent. ... A congregation is the group of members who make up a local Christian church or Jewish synagogue (or those who are present at a service thereat), as opposed to the building itself. ...

Origins

Many Congregational churches trace their descent from the original Congregational Church, a family of Protestant denominations formed on a theory of union published by the theologian Robert Browne in 1592 and arising from the Nonconformist religious movement in England during the Puritan reformation. In Great Britain, the early congregationalists were called separatists or independents to distinguish themselves from the similarly Calvinistic Presbyterians, and some congregationalists there still call themselves "Independents". A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a large, long-established subgroup within a religion that has existed for many years. ... The Brownists were followers of Robert Browne who was born at Tolethorpe Hall in Rutland, England in about 1550. ... A nonconformist is an English or Welsh Protestant of any non-Anglican denomination, chiefly advocating religious liberty. ... The Puritans were originally members of a group of English Protestants seeking purity — further reforms or even separation from the established church — during the Protestant Reformation. ... Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought, articulated by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and subsequently by successors, associates, followers and admirers of Calvin and his interpretation of Scripture. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ...

There are difficulties in identifying a specific beginning because Congregationalism is more easily identified as a movement than a single denomination, given its distinguishing commitment to the complete autonomy of the local congregation. The idea that each distinct congregation fully constitutes the visible Church can, however, be traced to John Wyclif and the Lollard movement which followed after Wyclif was removed from teaching authority in the Roman Catholic Church. The early Congregationalists shared with Anabaptist theology the ideal of a pure church, which made adult conversion experience important for full membership in the church, unlike other Reformed churches. As such, the Congregationalists were a reciprocal influence on the Baptists, differing from them in that they counted the children of believers in some sense members of the church unlike the Baptists, because of baptism. Wycliffe may also refer to Wycliffe Bible Translators John Wyclif (also Wycliffe or Wycliff) (c. ... Lollardy or Lollardry was the political and religious movement of the Lollards in late 14th century and early 15th century England. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Catholicism. ... Anabaptists (Greek ana+baptizo re-baptizers, German: Wiedertäufer) were Christians of the Radical Reformation. ... The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organisationally independent. ... A Baptist is a member of a Baptist church. ... Baptism in early Christian art. ...

United States

Congregationalists include the Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which were organized in union by the Cambridge Platform in 1648. These settlers had John Cotton as their most influential leader, beginning in 1633. Cotton's writings persuaded the Calvinist theologian John Owen to separate from the Presbyterian church, after which he became very influential in the development of Congregationalist theology and ideas of church government. Jonathan Edwards, considered by some to be the most important theologian ever produced in America, was also a Congregationalist. Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1867) The Pilgrims were a group of English religious separatists who sailed from Europe to North America in the early 17th century, in search of a home where they could freely practice their style of religion. ... The Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 until 1691. ... The Puritans were originally members of a group of English Protestants seeking purity — further reforms or even separation from the established church — during the Protestant Reformation. ... The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called the Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it) was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, centered around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. ... Cambridge City Hall Settled: 1630 â€“ Incorporated: 1636 Zip Code(s): 02139 â€“ Area Code(s): 617 / 857 Official website: http://www. ... // Events January 17 - Englands Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Address, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. ... John Cotton (1585?-1652) was a founder of Boston, Massachusetts and a highly regarded principal among the New England Puritan ministers, who also included John Winthrop, Thomas Hooker, Increase Mather (who became his son in law), and Thomas Shepard. ... Events February 13 - Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition. ... Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought, articulated by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and subsequently by successors, associates, followers and admirers of Calvin and his interpretation of Scripture. ... John Owen John Owen (1616 - August 24, 1683) was an English Nonconformist church leader and theologian. ... Presbyterianism is a form of Protestant Christianity, primarily in the Reformed branch of Christendom, as well as a particular form of church government. ... Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703- March 22, 1758) was a colonial American Congregational preacher and theologian. ...

The history of Congregational churches in the United States is closely intertwined with that of the Presbyterian church, especially in New England where Congregationalist influence spilled over into the Presbyterian church. The first colleges and universities in America, including Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Amherst, all were founded by the Congregationalists, as were later Carleton, Grinnell, Oberlin, and Pomona. Harvard University campus (old map) Harvard University (incorporated as The President and Fellows of Harvard College) is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ... Yale redirects here. ... Dartmouth College is a private academic institution in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. ... Williams College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. ... Bowdoin College is a private liberal arts college, founded in 1794, located in the coastal New England town of Brunswick, Maine. ... Mead Chapel - Middlebury College Middlebury College is a small, selective liberal arts college located in the rural New England town of Middlebury, Vermont. ... Amherst College is an independent liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA. It is the third oldest college in Massachusetts. ... Skinner Memorial Chapel, Carleton College Carleton College is an independent, non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The school was founded on November 14, 1866, by the Minnesota Conference of Congregational Churches as Northfield College. ... Grinnell College is a liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S.. It was founded on June 10, 1846, when a group of transplanted New England Congregationalists with strong social-reformer backgrounds organized themselves as the Trustees of Iowa College. ... Oberlin College is a small, highly selective liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, in the United States. ... The Smith Campus Center Fountain at Pomona College during the inauguration of David Oxtoby Pomona College is a small private residential liberal arts college in Claremont, California, located 47 miles (76 km) east of Los Angeles. ...

Without higher courts to ensure doctrinal uniformity among the congregations, Congregationalists have been more diverse than other Reformed churches. Despite the efforts of Calvinists to maintain the dominance of their system, the Congregationalist churches, especially in New England, gradually gave way to the influences of Arminianism, Unitarianism, and transcendentalism. Thus, the Congregationalist churches were at the same time the first example of the American theocratic ideal and also the seed-bed from which American liberal religion and society arose. Even still, many Congregationalist (and now UCC) Christians consider themselves to be Reformed first. The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organizationally independent. ... // For the Armenian nationality, see Armenia or the Armenian language. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Unitarian Christianity Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... Transcendentalism was a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture, and philosophy that emerged in New England in the early-to mid-nineteenth century. ... The term theocracy is commonly used to describe a form of government in which a religion or faith plays the dominant role. ... Emblem of the UCC The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed tradition, and formed in 1957 by the merger of two denominations, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. ... The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organizationally independent. ...

Later mergers with other groups

Australia

In 1977, most congregations of the Congregational Union of Australia merged with most of the Methodist Church of Australasia and the Presbyterian Church of Australia to form the Uniting Church in Australia. Those congregations that did not join the Uniting Church formed the Fellowship of Congregational Churches. Some more ecumenically minded congregations left the Federation of Congregational Churches in 1995 and formed the Congregational Federation of Australia. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Congregational Union of Australia was a congregational denomination in Australia. ... The Methodist Church of Australiasia was a Methodist denomination based in Australia. ... The Presbyterian Church of Australia is the largest Presbyterian denomination in Australia. ... Logo of the UCA The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) was formed on June 22, 1977 when the Methodist Church of Australasia, Presbyterian Church of Australia and Congregational Union of Australia came together under the Basis of Union document. ... The Fellowship of Congregational Churches is a conservative congregational denomination in Australia. ... Christian ecumenism is the promotion of unity or cooperation between distinct religious groups or denominations of the Christian religion, more or less broadly defined. ... The Congregational Federation of Australia is congregational demonination comprising of fourteen congregations in New South Wales and Queensland. ...

Canada

In 1925, the United Church of Canada was founded by the merger of the Canadian Congregationalist and Methodist churches, and two-thirds of the congregations of the Presbyterian Church of Canada (or in French, Église Presbyterienne du Canada). In 1988, a number of UCC congregations separated from the national church, which had approved the ordination of gay and lesbian ministers who were not celebate. Many of the former UCC congregations banded together as the new Congregational Christian Churches in Canada. 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The United Church of Canada (French: lÉglise Unie du Canada) is Canadas second largest church (after the Roman Catholic Church), and its largest Protestant denomination. ... The Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... The current Presbyterian Church in Canada was formed in 1925. ...

United Kingdom

In 1972, many English Congregationalists merged with the Presbyterian Church of England to form the United Reformed Church, (URC). However many hundreds of Congregational churches have continued in their historic tradition. Under the relevant Act of Parliament that authorised the merger between what had become by then the Congregational Church of England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England, certain assets were divided between the various parties. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... Logo of The United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Christian denomination (church) in the United Kingdom. ...

In England there are three main groups of continuing Congregationalists. These are the Congregational Federation, which has offices in Nottingham, the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches, and about 100 Congregational churches that are unaffiliated. The Congregational Federation is a Federation (or Association or Union) of independent Congregational churches in England, Scotland and Wales. ... The Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (EFCC) is an association of around 125 independent local churches in the UK, each practicing congregationalist church governance. ...

In 1981, the URC merged with the Re-formed Churches of Christ and, in 2000, just over half of the churches in the Congregational Union of Scotland also joined the URC. The remainder of Congregational churches in Scotland joined the Congregational Federation. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Logo of The United Reformed Church The United Reformed Church (URC) is a Christian denomination (church) in the United Kingdom. ...

Wales traditionally is the part of Europe which has the largest share of Congregationalists among the population, most Congregationalists being members of the Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg (Union of Welsh Independents), which is particularly important in Carmarthenshire and Brecknockshire. Among its leaders up to the end of the 20th century was R Tudur Jones. For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom, England and Wales and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... Carmarthenshire (Welsh: Sir Gaerfyrddin) is a county in Wales. ... Brecknockshire, also known as Breconshire or, in Welsh, as Sir Frycheiniog is an inland traditional county of Wales, bounded N. by Radnorshire, E. by Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, S. by Monmouthshire and Glamorgan, and W. by Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. ... R. Tudur Jones R. Tudur Jones (1921-1998) was a Welsh Nationalist and a Protestant Christian. ...

The Congregational Federation, the Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg, and the URC enjoy good relations and share certain aspects of church life together including their joint involvement in the Council for World Mission. The Council for World Mission (CWM) is a worldwide community of Christian churches. ...

United States

In 1957, the main body of Congregationalists in the U.S. (viz., the Congregational Christian Churches) merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ. 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Evangelical and Reformed Church was an American Protestant denomination formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (aka the German Reformed Church) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (itself formed by a union of Lutheran and German Reformed churches in 1840). ... Emblem of the UCC The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed tradition, and formed in 1957 by the merger of two denominations, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. ...

Some local churches did not follow the 1957 UCC merger and continue today as the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches or as members of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference. National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (NACCC) is an association of about 400 churches that is organized according to Congregational church governance. ...

Mission

The London Missionary Society was effectively the world mission arm of British Congregationalists - it sponsored missionaries including Eric Liddell and David Livingstone. The London Missionary Society was an Anglican and Nonconformist missionary society formed in England in 1795 with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa. ... Eric Henry Liddell, circa 1923. ... David Livingstone David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish medical missionary and explorer of the Victorian era, now best remembered because of his meeting with Henry Morton Stanley which gave rise to the popular quotation, // Victoria Falls David Livingstone memorial at Victoria Falls In the period...

As thinking developed, particularly in the context of decolonisation, and churches wanted to recognise the gifts of people of the South, the London Missionary Society transformed into the Council for World Mission - an organisation in which the United Reformed Church is no more important than the Church of South India (for example). The Council for World Mission (CWM) is a worldwide community of Christian churches. ... The Church of South India is an autonomous Protestant church of South India. ...

Notable Independents and Congregationalists

• Margaret Bondfield First woman Cabinet Minister in the UK
• George Caird Theologian
• Oliver Cromwell Victorious leader of the Protestant cause in the British Wars of the 17th Century
• Philip Doddridge Hymn-writer
• Eric Liddell Olympic runner, missionary, focus of film 'Chariots of Fire'
• David Livingstone Missionary and Explorer
• John Marsh (theologian) Theologian
• John Milton Poet
• Nathaniel Micklem Theologian
• Erik Routley Organist and hymn-writer
• Isaac Watts Hymn-writer

Margaret Grace Bondfield (17th March, 1873-16th June, 1953), an English politician and feminist was born in Chard, Somerset, the eleventh child of Anne Taylor and William Bondfield, a textiles worker with left-wing views. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... There is more than one Philip Doddridge important to history: Philip Doddridge (Nonconformist) Philip Doddridge (Virginia) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Eric Henry Liddell, circa 1923. ... David Livingstone David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish medical missionary and explorer of the Victorian era, now best remembered because of his meeting with Henry Morton Stanley which gave rise to the popular quotation, // Victoria Falls David Livingstone memorial at Victoria Falls In the period... John Milton, English poet John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, best-known for his epic poem Paradise Lost. ... Erik Routley ( October 31, 1917– October 8, 1982) was an English Congregational minister, composer and musicologist. ... Isaac Watts. ...

References

• McConnell, Michael W. "Establishment and Disestablishment at the Founding, Part I: Establishment of Religion" William and Mary Law Review, Vol. 44, 2003 pp 2105+

External links

Congregational/Independent:

• Congregational Christian Churches in Canada
• Congregational Federation (UK)
• Congregational Federation of Australia
• Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (USA)
• Evangelical Congregational Church (USA)
• Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches (UK)
• Fellowship of Congregational Churches (Australia)
• International Congregational Fellowship
• National Association of Congregational Christian Churches (USA)
• Union of Welsh Independents/Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg
• United Congregational Church of Southern Africa
• World Evangelical Congregational Fellowship

United Churches:

• United Church of Canada
• United Church of Christ (USA)
• United Reformed Church (UK)
• Uniting Church in Australia