Theology Hinges on Sovereignty Of God
Covers wide range of beliefs; critics say it minimizes role of free will.
Last Modified: Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 11:24 p.m.
John Calvin's theology is dominated by the doctrine that God is "sovereign," or rules over everything in creation, down to the most minute detail.
in varying degrees today in Presbyterian and Baptist churches, in the Reformed Church in America and Christian Reformed Church that have roots in the Netherlands and in the United Church of Christ, which absorbed the Congregationalist churches founded by the Puritans.Calvinism covers a wide range of beliefs, but the version best known in the Netherlands, Scotland and America is summarized by five principles, known by the acronym TULIP, that address the question of salvation. Critics of five-point Calvinism complain that it removes or diminishes the role of human free will.
Total depravity: Not a belief that persons are completely corrupt but rather that all parts of a person - reason, emotions and beliefs - are affected by sin. People are therefore incapable of belief in God without God's help.
Unconditional election: Sometimes known as predestination, it is the belief that God has chosen those who will be saved. It is a claim that humans cannot earn or accomplish their own salvation.
Limited atonement: The belief that Christ did not die for all humanity, only for those who are "elect," or chosen to be saved.
Irresistible grace: This holds that those chosen by God will inevitably come to believe in him.
Perseverance of the Saints: Calvinism teaches that those who have been saved by God cannot lose their salvation but will persevere until the final judgment.
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