A Defense of Calvinism as the Gospel
Engelsma defends Reformed theology against the misconception that Calvinism represents human invention rather than biblical truth, clarifying that the term 'Calvinism' refers to a system of doctrines grounded in Scripture, not devotion to the man John Calvin. The pamphlet establishes that Reformed believers are committed to Christ and His gospel as expressed through these biblical doctrines, while acknowledging the historical context and terminology of the Reformed tradition.
The term “Calvinism” is not the name by which we Calvinists prefer to have our faith called; nor do we prefer to call ourselves “Calvinists.” Calvin was the name of a man, a great servant of God, John Calvin. He was one of the Reformers by whom the Holy Spirit reformed the Church in the 16th century. To call ourselves “Calvinists” and our faith “Calvinism” leaves the impression that we follow a man and that these beliefs are the invention of a man. In fact, these terms originally were terms of...