Abstract
This paper discusses the life of John Calvin, born Jean Cauvin in 1509. It discusses his upbringing and his conversion to Protestantism. The paper briefly examines some of the works that Calvin published and his role in Geneva after re-elections to the city council. Finally, the paper discusses the Calvinist theology and its appeal as a strong alternative to the Catholic Church.

From the Paper
"Calvin most likely did not foresee the ultimate implications of his concept of predesination and wealth, but Max Weber did. In his book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Weber posits that the ultimate force behind the development of capitalism was the Protestant ethic of the accumulation of wealth. The underlying assumption being that the more wealth that you accumulate, the better off you are than the next person. This phenomenon can be evidenced today on even the most basic level by teenagers sporting Abercrombie and Fitch T-shirts and ostracizing those who can't afford /choose not to wear them, and by adults who buy flashy cars and large houses to demonstrate to the world how successful they are. Who knew that buying a BMW was a way of proving that you're going to heaven?"

Tags:Protestant, Catholic, church

Abstract
This paper looks at Millard Erickson's discussion of the concepts of perseverance and apostasy in the Calvinist and Arminian theologies. The paper compares and contrasts his presentation of their views on salvation and briefly summarizes the suggestions Erickson provides for reconciling the views. The paper concludes with a personal interpretation of their reconciliation.

From the Paper
"The Calvinist and Arminian views on perseverance, that is, the ability of the believer in God and Jesus to retain his or her status of a Christian and one of the saved, vary widely. Perseverance is described by Erickson as the ability of the Christian to "successfully endure all the trials and temptations of this life and remain true to the Lord until death." The two groups' views depend on whether or not a person's salvation is permanent or not, which is to say whether or not a person can commit apostasy, which will be discussed below before presenting some possible solutions for reconciling these perspectives. The Calvinist viewpoint on perseverance is that once salvation is granted by God, which is foreordained and unalterable by human action, it is impossible to lose this salvation or status of being elect."

Tags:calvinism, arminianism, perseverance

Abstract
This paper expounds on the Calvinist ideology known as predestination, which holds that salvation comes from God and God alone and that our fate has been decided before we are born, and more importantly, before we have a choice. The paper also examines the ideology of religious thought that does not agree with predestination teaching and which acknowledges man's free will and its importance in determining our destiny. The religious philosophy of one of the most vocal challengers of Calvinism, Jacobus Arminius, is discussed and cited as an example of those who claim that man is responsible for his own salvation.

From the Paper
"There are many believers who support the Calvinist theory today. Many popular Christian pastors adopt this point of view. For example, John MacArthur, pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, writes, "Our Lord emphasized that God Himself is the determinative factor in salvation . . . it is God who either reveals the truth or keeps it hidden" (MacArthur 107-8). In addition, MacArthur also believes that faith itself is a gift from God rather than "something conjured up by the human will" (173). Mac Arthur is not alone is his support of this belief."

Tags:grace, sin, creation, mercy, humanity, morality, predestined, soul, saved, guilt, unconditional

Abstract
The paper uses Millard Erickson's book "Christian Theology" to compare and contrast the belief structures of the Calvinists, Arminians and Karl Barth. This includes a brief summary of Erickson's perspective on how the conflicts between these theologies can be resolved. The topics discussed in this paper include predestination, the elect, human depravity and free will as pertains to these concepts.

From the Paper
"The Calvinists and Arminians have some very basic conflicting views of the predestination of humans in relation to God, grace and free will. Theologian Karl Barth devised a series of arguments that attempted to walk a path between or perhaps around these conflicting arguments, while still not completely disagreeing with either position out of hand. In this paper, I will discuss the similarities and differences between these three perspectives and describe Millard Erickson's solution to the apparent discrepancies. The Calvinist beliefs on predestination are complex, and are best described, according to Erickson, as falling into one of five basic tenets. These are: "total depravity, unconditional predestination, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance." Each of these concepts is important to understanding their basic belief system, although there are variations in the theology."

Tags:calvinism, arminianism, barth

Abstract
This paper examines Franz Kafka's "The Trial" as a religious critique, bringing in ideas from Protestant, Judaist, Catholic, and Calvinist thought.

From the Paper
"Franz Kafka's "The Trial" can be viewed as a religious critique. Although it does not directly preach religion per se, it exemplifies various religious ideologies and also suggests a religious world view. Kafka's Jewish background predisposes him to accept the Judaist thought that God is law, and in fact in the Jewish Bible as well as the Christian Bible, the concept of God's law is magnified. Yet Kafka was not a practicing Jew for most of his life and..."

Tags:Kafka, The Trial, Protestant, Calvinist, Judaist, Catholic, Christianity

Abstract
This paper explains that, in modern popular culture, John Milton's retelling of the first few books of Genesis, "Paradise Lost," has supplanted the Biblical work itself as a representation of the fall of man and original sin. Next,the author describes Milton's writings about the sexual relationship between Adam and Eve by which Adam becomes unconsciously prey to Eve's attractiveness and about the desire she excites as Eve is seduced by Lucifer. Although Milton may believe in free will as an idea, the paper concludes that the images and metaphors used in "Paradise Lost" question whether he had abandoned entirely all of his Calvinist beliefs.

From the Paper
"The reference to pre-Christian antiquity and the looser morals of the gods, goddesses, and mortals of Greece and Rome further reinforces the idea that before their own fall from divine grace, Adam and Eve in Eden existed in a state of hidden sexual knowledge, hidden even to their own conscious minds. Contrary to the Christian tradition that sees sexualized knowledge beginning after eating the forbidden fruit, their later stage of knowledge is foreshadowed in the relationship they have before Eve has the chance to recount her dream."

Tags:lovers pagan ideology, free will, calvinist

Abstract
This paper explores the construction and meaning of Mary Rowlandson's famous Captivity Narrative, first published in 1682 which tells how she was held captive during King Philip's War of 1675 by Algonquin Indians. The author explains how her autobiographical narrative reveals her religious fervor and struggles, within the context of New England Puritan thought. Within this paper on the Captivity Narrative, there is an analysis of Calvinist thought, and insight into White New Englander prejudices against the Algonquin Indians, and how those prejudices were influenced by a loathing of the Catholic Church.

From the Paper
Mary Rowlandson was captured by the Indians from her home in Lancaster, Massachusetts, during King Philip's War of 1675. She wrote a narrative about her captivity and "restoration"; which was so widely read that its popularity lasted for another century and more, after its first publication in 1682. Rowlandson's captivity narrative was reissued in Boston in 1770, 1771, and 1773, and it was also released many more times in various colonies and states during the 19th century. (Slotkin: 1973, p. 96). Thus it became one of the most representative documents by which white New Englanders remembered King Philip's War. But just how representative was Rowlandson's narrative, when it came to the realities of the conflict, on both sides, Puritan and Indian? Having been trapped in the wilderness as a prisoner of war, and surviving, Mary Rowlandson saw herself as spiritually renewed and redeemed. While many of the events in her account are probably true, her narrative is still somewhat mythical and shaped, both consciously and unconsciously, to fit her religious and cultural ideals.

Tags:algonquin, calvinist, captivity, england, king, new, philip, puritan, rowlandson, war

Abstract
This paper examines the techniques employed by Emily Dickinson in the poems "I Dwell in Possibility" and "They Shut me up in Prose." The paper examines the author's background as an orthodox Calvinist and examines the effect that her childhood religious influences had on her poetry. The essay makes the point that Dickinson's poetry was often a vehicle for her criticisms about organized religion and the role of the church. Both poems are cited within the essay.

From the Paper
"The limitlessness of the imagination is symbolized in both poems by metaphors that represent the power of creativity and how it can be spiritually enlightening. By relating the ordinary to the extraordinary, Dickinson shows the power of the mind to see beyond the mundane and find deeper meaning within it. The house in "I dwell in Possibility-" is portrayed as ethereal and divine. The roof is "Everlasting" and it has "Gambrels of the Sky" (7 - 8). The roof is described as being impossibly tall, reaching up towards the sky, symbolic of the imagination's ability to find spirituality within everyday existence. In the poem, she also is figuratively able to hold Heaven in her hands: "The spreading wide my narrow Hands/ to gather Paradise - "(11 - 12)."

Tags:analysis, calvinist, church, creativity, dickinson, emily, image, poetry, puritan, recluse, religion, rhyme

Abstract
This paper discusses how the theology that God has pre-ordained events throughout the history of the world, and has pre-ordained those who will enter a state of salvation is common to both Calvinists and Lutherans. This is called pre-destination and both Luther and Calvin strongly believed it to be truth. The paper also looks at the similarities of both religions on God and salvation and their joint beliefs in total depravity, unconditional election, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of Saints.

Outline:
Calvinist Similarities and Differences with Lutheranism
Why did Calvinism Become the Major International Form of Protestantism?

From the Paper
"Calvinist and Lutheran views of the Lord's Supper differ also. This may be one of the biggest controversies between Luther and Calvin. Catholicism believes that the bread used in the Lord's Supper or Communion actually becomes the physical body of Christ when the priest holds it up at the altar and proclaims, "This is my body..." Lutherans mostly believe that the real body and blood of the Lord are physically present at the Lord's Table and are taken by believer and unbeliever. The Presbyterian or Reformed view of this is that the body and blood of Christ are indeed present at the Communion Table, but only by the power of the Holy Spirit (within us) uniting us with Christ, and only believers partake. It is not the physical body and blood of Christ that the believer is taking, but that spirit of unity brought on by the power of the Holy Spirit. "

Tags:Protestantism, salvation

Abstract
This paper explains that the Afrikaners developed a separate identity, identifying themselves as Africans rather than Europeans, adopting a separate language called Afrikaans, which is a dialect of the Dutch, and developing a distinct culture based on Calvinist beliefs honed by the harsh environs of the South African landscape. The author points out that, ever since a group of native Khoikhois first encountered the white men who had briefly disembarked to look for fresh water in about 1488, the relationship between the Europeans and the local inhabitants had been hostile. The paper relates that the politics of the Afrikaners, based on the assumed superiority of the white people, was an interpretation of the Calvinistic philosophy of a "chosen people", meaning the Boers were chosen by God to conquer the desolate land of South Africa and to rule over its "uncivilized" indigenous inhabitants.

Table of Contents
Background
The First Dutch Outpost
The Freeburghers and the Beginnings of a Race-based Society
Interaction with the Natives
The Afrikaner Identity
The Afrikaans Language
Afrikaner Culture and Society
Politics and Apartheid
Significant Events in Afrikaner History
The Great Trek
The Second Boer War: Oct 1999-May 1902

From the Paper
"There are different theories about how Afrikaans developed. One is that it arose as a bastard tongue out of a clash between Dutch (the language of the white settlers) and Malay Portuguese (the language of the imported slaves). However, Afrikaans does not show large scale influence of Malay-Portuguese and has incorporated only a few of its words into its fold. The more convincing theory about the origins of the language is that it gradually evolved from Dutch as a result of the interaction among people of various nationalities who settled at the Cape. It later gathered loanwords from other languages such as English, French, German and some African languages, and adopted a simplified grammatical structure to evolve into a separate language. As we have already observed, most of the early settlers at the Cape were Dutch."

Tags:freeburgher, khoikoi, calvinism, afrikaan, boer