How was Calvins church different than the Lutheran church?
Calvinism and Lutheranism are both sects of the Protestant faith.
Calvinism is associated with Reformer John Calvin and is associated with Reformed theology. It is synonymous with "Reformed Protestantism." The Five Points of Calvinism include total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. Calvinists follow the belief of predestination which means that your path in life is "predestined." This encouraged people to do well for themselves because they were "chosen by God" to do so. People "know" they are predestined if they trust in Christ alone for salvation.
Lutheranism is the largest Protestant denomination today with over 66 million Lutherans worldwide. It was founded by Martin Luther, a German monk and "Father of the Reformation." Lutheran beliefs are expressed through historical Lutheran confessions in The Book of Concord. Lutherans practice baptism of infants and of believing adults which is a sacrament commanded by God. Lutherans have assurance of salvation based on the finished a sinless life to be put right before a Holy God.
The main differences between Calvinism and Lutheranism is that Calvinists do not believe atonement is limited in value or power. Lutherans, on the other hand, do not believe in predestination.
Calvinism (sometimes called the Reformed tradition, the Reformed faith, or Reformed theology) is a theological system and an approach to the Christian life that emphasizes the rule of God over all things. It was developed by theologians such as Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger, Peter Martyr Vermigli, and Huldrych Zwingli and influenced English reformers such as Thomas Cranmer and John Jewel, but it bears the name of the French reformer John Calvin because of his prominent influence on it and because of his role in the confessional and ecclesiastical debates throughout the 16th century. Today, this term also refers to the doctrines and practices of the Reformed churches of which Calvin was an early leader. Less commonly, it can refer to the individual teaching of Calvin himself. The system is best known for its doctrines of predestination and total depravity. Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the teachings of the sixteenth-century German reformer
