Calvin, one of the protestant reformers
 

John Calvin (1509–1564). After serving alongside Bucer, Peter Martyr taught in England, where reforming efforts were led by men such as Thomas Cranmer (1486–1541). After serving alongside Bucer for four years, Calvin left Strasbourg and returned to Geneva, where he was assisted in reform efforts by men such as Pierre Viret (1511–1571) and Theodore Beza (1519–1605). Among those who learned from Calvin and the Genevan reformers was John Knox (1513–1572), who led the efforts toward reform in Scotland.

Women were also involved in the work of the Reformation. Wives of the Reformers, such as Katherina Luther (1499–1552), Anna Bullinger (1504–1564), and Idelette Calvin (1500–1549), supported their husbands’ work and opened their homes to students and refugees. Some women in positions of royal authority were converted and helped the cause of the Reformation in their unique way. Jeanne d’Albret (1528–1572), for example, was the Queen of Navarre. She embraced the teachings of John Calvin, and under her leadership, the Reformed faith became the official religion of Navarre. Some women contributed to the Reformation with their writings. Marguerite de Navarre (1492–1549) wrote a famous and influential poem called “Mirror of the Sinful Soul.” Marie Dentière (1495–1561) was a nun who converted to the Reformation. She wrote a book entitled The War and Deliverance of the City of Geneva, encouraging Genevans to leave Rome and adopt the teachings of the Reformation.

I have mentioned only a handful of the many men and women who devoted their lives to reforming the church. They desired to bring the church back to its biblical roots—to have its theology and worship grounded on the Word of God. I would encourage all Christians to learn about these men. Find a good biography of Luther, Zwingli, Bucer, Cranmer, Calvin, or any of the Reformers. These men were not perfect, and they would have been the first to tell you so, but they were used to turn the eyes of Christians back to the Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel. For that, we owe them gratitude.



 

As told by a Calvinist.

“Little Johnny, God has predestined a small minority of people to be saved and go to heaven forever, and so it is obvious that He has predestined the majority of people to be eternally damned and burn in the fires of hell. Your mother and I have no idea if God has predestined you to be forever damned or forever saved. We love you, son, but God might not love you, and He may have plans to send you to hell for your future sins. If you do find yourself one day burning in hell because He hasn’t elected to save you, just remember that we will always love you, even if God abhors you.
 
"Also, you must always remember that we will be in heaven forever ONLY because we were unconditionally chosen for salvation before we were born. That would be the ONLY reason that we won’t be in hell with you if you find yourself there. It won’t be because of anything we did. Take comfort in knowing that. It may not seem fair, but who are we to judge God?
 
“We would, of course, pray for you that you will go to heaven, but that would be senseless since God has already decided before you were born if you will be saved or damned. So please understand why we don’t pray for you to be saved.
 
“So again, if you find yourself in hell, remember that we will always love you as we forever worship the God who loved us but who hated you, the God who sent His Son to die for us but not for you. Please, if you find yourself in hell, don’t let it bother you that we love the God who hated you and showed you no mercy. We accept the fact that God is sovereign, and He does what He pleases. If you spend eternity in hell, it will be because you deserve it—just as we also do. But salvation is all of grace, and God shows grace to whoever He wants to.
 
“OK, head upstairs now to get ready for bed!”

Who were the Protestant reformers