Calvinist Church

Definition

The Calvinist Church, also known as Reformed Christianity, is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and other Reformation-era theologians.

Analogy

Think of the Calvinist Church like a strict teacher who believes in predestination. Just as this teacher might believe that some students are destined to succeed while others aren't, so too does the Calvinist Church believe in predestination - that God has already chosen who will be saved and who won't.

Related terms

Predestination: A doctrine in theology concerning the divine foreordaining of all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some and not others.

Protestantism: A form of Christian faith and practice which originated with the Protestant Reformation, a movement against what its followers perceived to be errors in the Roman Catholic Church.

Reformation: A 16th-century movement for religious reform, leading to the founding of new Christian churches separate from the Pope's authority.