The Reformation - John Calvin

John Calvin played a siginificant role in introducing new ideas and beliefs to the Protestant religion, Calvinism. In his earlier years he was a lawyer until he had the opportunity to build a new Reformed church, radically changing the face of Protestantism and spreading his on beliefs of Christianity. He organized the church governance, as well as the social organization of the church and the city. The core of Calvinism is based on the literal reading of the Bible and based on some views and/or beliefs that compared, yet also contrasted with the Catholic Church. Calvin strongly believed that not only should all religious belief be founded on the literal reading of Scriptures, but church organization, political organization, and society should be founded on the literal reading of the Bible. He then began to divide the church organization into pastors, teachers, elders, and deacons where each member obtained a particular role and responsibility in the church. Modern Protestant churches today still use such groups to organize their church, teach their church members, and help the church to grow- still following in the original ideas of John Calvin during the Reformation.