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The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant Denominations formally characterized by a similar Calvinist system of doctrine, historically related to the churches which first arose especially in the Swiss Reformation led by Huldrych Zwingli and soon afterward appeared in nations throughout Western and Central Europe. Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the John Calvin (or Jean Calvin) (10 July 1509 – 27 May 1564 was a French Protestant theologian during the Protestant Reformation and Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The Five sola s are five Latin phrases (or slogans that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers' basic theological beliefs The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held in Dordrecht in 1618[[ 619|/19]] by the Dutch Reformed Church, in order to settle a serious controversy Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Covenant theology (also known as Covenantalism or Federal theology or Federalism) is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for The regulative principle of worship is a 20th century term used for a teaching shared by Calvinists and Anabaptists on how the second commandment and Institutes of the Christian Religion is John Calvin 's seminal work on Protestant Systematic theology. Reformed Christian confessions of faith are documents of the faith of various Reformed churches. The Geneva Bible was a Protestant translation of the Bible into English. Theodore Beza ( Théodore de Bèze or de Besze) ( June 24, 1519 &ndash October 13, 1605) was a French John Knox (c 1510 – 24 November 1572 was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterian Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (1 January 1484 &ndash 11 October 1531 was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. This article is about the theologian (b 1703 for other uses of Jonathan Edwards see Jonathan Edwards. The Princeton theology is a tradition of conservative Christian Reformed and Presbyterian theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, in Princeton Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently Afrikaner Calvinism is according to theory a unique cultural development that combined the Calvinist religion with the political aspirations of the white Afrikaans speaking The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France (or French Calvinists) from the sixteenth to the eighteenth Pilgrims, or Pilgrim Fathers (or Pilgrim Mothers) is a name commonly applied to the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, Scotland is traditionally a Christian nation with around 65% claiming to be Christian at the 2001 census. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Denominationalism|List of Christian denominations|Church (disambiguation A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name structure and doctrine within Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Huldrych (or Ulrich) Zwingli (1 January 1484 &ndash 11 October 1531 was a leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. Each nation in which the Reformed movement was originally established had its own church government. Several of these national churches have expanded to worldwide denominations and most have experienced splits into multiple denominations. Commitment to teaching the original Calvinism usually continues to be reflected in their official definitions of doctrine, but in some cases is no longer necessarily typical of these churches. A 1999 survey found 746 Reformed denominations worldwide.
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History
The first Reformed Churches were established in Europe in the 1500s, in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time
Form of doctrine
Reformed doctrine is expressed in various confessions. Reformed Christian confessions of faith are documents of the faith of various Reformed churches. A few confessions are shared by many denominations. Different denominations use different confessions, usually based on historical reasons. Some of the confessions still commonly in use are (with year of writing):
- French Confession (1559),
- Scots Confession (1560),
- Three forms of Unity
- Heidelberg Catechism (1563),
- Belgic Confession (1566),
- Canons of Dordrecht (1619),
- Second Helvetic Confession (1566)
- Westminster Standards
- Westminster Confession of Faith (1646)
- Westminster Shorter Catechism (1649)
- Westminster Larger Catechism (1649)
- Baptist
- London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689)
The Three forms of unity are common among Reformed churches with origins in the European continent (especially those in the Netherlands). The Scots Confession (also called the Scots Confession of 1560) is a Confession of Faith written in 1560 by six leaders of the Protestant Reformation See also Catechism, Reformed Christian confessions of faith The Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series The Confession of Faith is popularly known as the Belgic Confession, following the seventeenth-century Latin designation Confessio Belgica. The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Helvetic Confessions, the name of two documents expressing the common belief of the Reformed churches of Switzerland. The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed Confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition The Westminster Shorter Catechism (also known simply as the Shorter Catechism hereinafter referred to as the WSC) was written in the 1640s The Westminster Larger Catechism along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism is a central Catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout The Westminster Standards have a similarly common use, among Reformed churches (known commonly as the Presbyterian churches) with origins in the British Isles. More recent confessions and creeds are shared by fewer denominations.
Form of governance
In contrast to the episcopal polity of the Anglican and many Lutheran and Methodist churches, Reformed churches have two main forms of governance:
- Presbyterian polity or Synodal government - rule by assemblies of ordained officers. Episcopal polity is a form of church governance which is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a Bishop (Greek Presbyterian polity is a method of Church governance typified by the rule of assemblies of Presbyters or elders A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church convened to decide an issue of doctrine administration or application
- Congregationalist polity, e. Congregationalist polity, often known as congregationalism is a system of Church governance in which every Local church congregation is independent g. Congregationalist churches
- The Reformed Church in Hungary, as well as its sister church in Romania and daughter church in the United States (Hungarian Reformed Church in America), and the Polish Reformed Church are the only Churches in the Reformed Tradition to have retained the office of Bishop. Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently The Hungarian Reformed Church (Magyarországi Református Egyház in Hungarian) is a key representative of the Magyar Christianity being numerically the second-largest denomination The Polish Reformed Church, officially called the Evangelical Reformed Church in the republic of Poland (Polish Kościół Ewangelicko-Reformowany w RP) is a
Protestantism |
Waldensians · Lollards · Hussites
Anglicanism · Anabaptism · Calvinism · Lutheranism · Zwinglianism
Baptists · Congregationalists · Pietism · Pentecostalism · Puritanism Revivalism · Methodism · Evangelicalism Adventism · Restoration Movement |
A sub-family of the Reformed churches, called Reformed Baptist churches, adheres to a modified Reformed confession and have Baptist views of the sacraments and of church government. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The History of Protestantism begins with the Reformation movement which began as an attempt to reform the Catholic Church and led to the fracturing of Christendom General description The earliest Waldensians believed in poverty and austerity promoting true poverty public preaching and the personal study of the scriptures Lollardy was the political and religious movement of the Lollards from the mid- 14th century to the English Reformation. The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus or John Huss (c Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Anabaptists ( Greek ανα (again twice + βαπτιζω (baptize thus "re-baptizers" are Christians of the Radical Reformation Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer Martin Luther The study of the theology of Huldrych Zwingli since the 1990s has been facilitated by a modern critical edition of his works Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently Pietism was a movement within Lutheranism, lasting from the late 17th century to the mid-18th century and later Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of Worship and Doctrine, The Great Awakenings refer to several periods of rapid and dramatic Religious revival in Anglo-American religious history generally recognized as beginning in the 1730s Revival in a Christian context generally refers to a specific period of spiritual renewal in the life of the Church Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ is a Mainline Protestant denomination in North America For other usages see Restoration (general disambiguation Apokatastasis (universal restoration Christian Zionism (restoration of Israel and The term Adventist generally refers to someone who believes in the Second Advent of Jesus (popularly known as the Second coming) in the tradition of the Millerites This article is about the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement and churches that have a historical and/or theological connection to it (e The name Reformed Baptist refers both to a distinct Christian denomination, and to a description of theological leaning Baptist is a term describing individuals belonging to a Baptist church or a Baptist denomination. A sacrament, as defined in Hexam's Concise Dictionary of Religion is "a Rite in which God is uniquely active
Reformed Churches worldwide
Around the world many churches of Reformed tradition emerged, both by migration and missionary work. Here is a List of Reformed churches. The Reformed churches are a group of Christian Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Calvinist system of doctrine
See also
- Category:Reformed church theological colleges and seminaries
- Community of Protestant Churches in Europe
- World Alliance of Reformed Churches
External links
- World Alliance of Reformed Churches
- Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
- Reformed.net - world list of reformed churches. The Commununity of Protestant Churches in Europe (CPCE is a fellowship of over 100 Protestant Churches which have signed the Leuenberg Agreement. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC is a fellowship of more than 200 churches with roots in the 16th-century Reformation, and particularly in the theology of
- Leben, a journal of Reformed Life
- Reformed Online - Comprehensive resource
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