Calvinist Schools

John Calvin

John Calvin (1509–1564) was a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation of the early 16th century. Born in France, he converted to Protestantism while at the University of Paris. Calvin's greatest contribution to the Protestant Reformation was his voluminous writing, including his most significant work, Institutes of the Christian Religion.

Calvin was arguably the greatest scholar among the Reformation leaders. Unlike Martin Luther and the Anabaptist reformers who taught innovative doctrines, Calvin was a logical thinker who systematically organized, explained, and formalized the Christian beliefs that he held from his youth. He held a high commitment to the absolute holiness and sovereignty of God and believed that the government is under the church's authority and therefore the government should establish and support the church in local communities.

In the Roman Catholic tradition in which Calvin grew up, education was reserved for the professional clergy. There was no need for the common people to be educated because the educated professionals made all the decisions. For Calvin, this idea was completely reversed. It was the laity, the common folks, who needed to be able to read the Bible, to be able to understand their faith, and to make that faith their own. Therefore, education was important for both the clergy and the laity in the Calvinist tradition and the denominations that grew out of that tradition.

Calvin firmly believed that people needed to love God not only with their whole heart and soul but also with their whole mind as Jesus taught (Matthew 22:37). He claimed that piety without learning is just as dangerous as learning without piety. Instead of building huge cathedrals to honor God, Calvinists built schools, colleges, and seminaries. In all of these educational institutions, students were encouraged to think. Both biblical and nonbiblical knowledge and learning were highly prized.

Calvinist Schools in American History

When the various groups of Europeans who espoused Calvin's reformed theology came to North America, they brought with them not only the Bible, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Confession of Faith but also the [Page 128]Calvinist belief in a strong education for everyone. Because of the many Calvinists in this country, the original public schools had strong Protestant overtones, including daily Bible reading and prayer. As public schools moved further and further away from Christian beliefs, local congregations and even entire denominations opted to begin their own schools so they could continue teaching biblical truths as well as traditional academic subjects. From 1846 to 1870, the Old School Presbyterians attempted to open a group of schools nationwide. This effort was ultimately not successful but it represented a major period of dissent from the established educational system. Later in the 1800s, the Christian (Dutch) Reformed congregations in Michigan began opening parochial schools; many are still open and active.

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