Calvinism was started by John Calvin of France, who believed in what doctrine?

• A. Started by Martin Luther and emphasized indulgences.
• B. Started by John Calvin of France, who believed in predestination.
• C. Started by Ulrich Zwingli and rejected predestination.
• D. Started by Henry VIII and supported the pope.

Answer: (B)

Predestination—the belief that God has already chosen who will be saved—is the hallmark of Calvinism. John Calvin, a French reformer who worked in Geneva, argued that God’s sovereignty determines salvation, not human effort or merit. This emphasis on God’s fixed plan for who is saved became the defining doctrine of Calvinism and shaped how its followers understand faith, grace, and election.

The other statements mix in different reformers and concerns: Luther emphasized justification by faith and critiqued indulgences, rather than the predestinarian focus of Calvinism; Ulrich Zwingli led the Swiss Reformation with emphasis on Scripture and different views on certain practices, not a central stress on predestination; Henry VIII’s split with Rome created Anglicanism, which did not center on Calvinist predestination.