John Calvin Helped me Become Orthodox

Believe it or not, John Calvin was one of the stepping stones on my path to becoming Orthodox. Most people think of John Calvin in terms of predestination but really predestination was only a small part of his overall theology. It is important to distinguish John Calvin from modern reformed theology. Modern reformed theology tends to emphasize the doctrine of election or predestination above all else while John Calvin was more interested in how a person is united to Christ through the church and sacraments. John Calvin's view of predestination was worked out through the church and sacraments while much of contemporary reformed theology does not make this important connection. This is why many conservative Presbyterian churches are closer to the Baptist tradition than to John Calvin. So while I totally reject Calvin's view of predestination, I appreciate what I learned from him about the importance of the church and sacraments. I did not learn about John Calvin's theology from the Calvinists but from actually reading Calvin's famous Institutes of the Christian Religion. John Calvin's teaching on the church and sacraments became an important step up towards Orthodox Christianity.