John Calvin
John Calvin had a humanistic education in Paris and was a lawyer before being influenced by the reformers in France. He fled to Geneva in 1536, and because of its central location, Calvin could easily spread his ideas about salvation and Godly community rapidly. Calvin's appeal lay in his formal theological writings, describing the absolute power of God and the powerlessness of humanity. Calvin promoted the idea of predestination, and viewed salvation as a mysterious gift of God. Calvin's Reformed church hierarchy was made up of preachers, teachers, deacons, and elders. Preachers and teachers saw to the care and education of the faithful. Deacons were given the task of of attending to the material needs of the congregation. The elder, which were considered the true leaders, were selected from the patriciate that dominated the civil government of the city. Calvin along with Luther and the Catholic church all believed in the protection of true religion required harsh measures.
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It is true, that in contrast, Calvin's criticisms of the church were comparatively harsh to other reformers, but his theology helped form tremendous influence for churches of the future. The Puritans, for example, and the Congregationalists of the Northeastern United States during the early settlement of the colonies followed strict and simple devotion to God in communities that centered around stability, protection, education, and faith. Elders were respected in those communities as they were in the Presbyterian church and the Hugenot communities of the Charleston, S.C., lowcountries. In fact, the Hugenot church in Charleston is one of, if not the only Hugenot organizations in the United States. These believes based their works on Calvin and his streamlined approach to salvation and the religious mystery apparent in biblical readings.
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