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calvining
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Out-Calvining Calvin—the Puritan Doctrines It is always amazing to realize just how many people have a negative image of John Calvin. It seems that whenever his name is mentioned, people suddenly look slightly offended and ready to get into a fierce theological debate. Perhaps this apprehension of Calvin and his doctrines has something to do with Puritan dogma; however, it has come to this reader’s attention that many of the Puritan ideals are in direct contrast with Calvin’s teachings. Three major differences between Puritan and Calvin’s theological theories are the importance of the testaments, the lifestyles of the elect, and what should be included in a formal education. Before getting into Calvin’s many theories, it is necessary to impart some information on the Calvinistic background. John Calvin was born in northern France in 1509 (George 16). Shy and unsociable, he went to Paris where he received a humanist education, earning a masters degree in art and a doctorate in civil law. Instead of pursuing a career in law, he decided to devote his time and talents to repairing “Christ’s church”, which he deemed as being “neither One nor Holy nor Catholic nor fit to express the communion of Saints” (McNeill 15). Exiled from Great Britain, he spent three years in Geneva where he eventually started an academy teaching Reformation principles. He remained active in the Reformation until his death on May 27, 1564. Calvin’s principles and teachings eventually gave birth to Puritanism, Presbyterianism, Calvinism in Holland, and the French Huguenots, as well as influencing Episcopalian doctrines (Boettner 371-382). Certainly with so many different forms of faith springing from one man’s teachings, there are bound to be theological differences between the denominations and Calvin himself. One such contrasting view between Calvin and the Puritans is a matter of deciding which Biblical testament is the more important. Calvin’s writings rely mostly on the New Testament. This dependence is made obvious by the fact that he wrote his New Testament commentaries first, as well as including almost twice as many references to it in comparison to the Old Testament in his book entitled Institutes (McNeill 12). Even when writing about the Old Testament, Calvin uses it as a type of foreshadowing for the New Testament. He was quoted as saying that he considered the entire Bible as being a “testimony to Christ’ (McNeill 13).
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