Calvinism , also sometimes called the Reformed tradition , Reformed Protestantism , Reformed Christianity , [1] or simply Reformed , [2] is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the Christian theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calvin and other Reformation -era theologians . It emphasizes the sovereignty of God and the authority of the Bible .
Calvinists broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Calvinists differ from Lutherans , another major branch of the Reformation , on the spiritual real presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper , theories of worship , the purpose and meaning of baptism, and the use of God's law for believers , among other points. [3] [4]
The namesake and founder of the movement, French reformer John Calvin, embraced Protestant beliefs in the late 1520s or early 1530s, as the earliest notions of later Reformed tradition were already espoused by Huldrych Zwingli . The movement was first called "Calvinism" in the early 1550s by Lutherans who opposed it. Many in the tradition find it either a nondescript or inappropriate term and prefer the term Reformed . [5] [2]