How Did John Calvin Influence The Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a religious movement in Europe during the sixteenth century. There were several people who were greatly involved in the Protestant Reformation. “The discovery that changed Luther’s life ultimately changed the course of church history and the history of Europe.” Martin Luther was largely responsible for initiating the Reformation on October 31, 1517 when he nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church at Wattenberg. This publication at-tacked the Roman Catholic Church's sale of indulgences. “Calvin made a powerful impact on the fundamental doctrines of Protestantism, and is widely credited as the most important figure in the second generation of the Protestant Reformation.” Huldrych Zwingli

While Calvin was preparing for a career as a priest, he became influenced by humanistic learning. Leaving the clergy career, Calvin trained to become a humanist lawyer. John Calvin then experienced a sudden conversion causing him to break away from the Roman Catholic Church, and flee to Switzerland. “In 1536, he published the landmark text Institutes of the Christian Religion, an early attempt to standardize the theories of Protestantism.” John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is said to have become “the single most important statement of Protestant belief.” Much like Martin Luther, Calvin believed that salvation was not received by indulgences or good works but through faith in Jesus Christ. John Calvin also emphasized the sovereignty of the scriptures and taught about predestination. Predestination is “the doctrine that God has ordained all that will happen, especially with regard to the salvation of some and not others.” Calvin continually spread his beliefs which is referred to as Calvinism. He spent much time ministering in Geneva and became an important religious and political leader. John Calvin stayed in Geneva, where he sent out missionaries and lived until his