<P> Calvinism (also called the Reformed tradition, Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, or the Reformed faith) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice of John Calvin and other Reformation - era theologians . </P> <P> Calvinists broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century . Calvinists differ from Lutherans on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, theories of worship, and the use of God's law for believers, among other things . As declared in the Westminster and Second Helvetic confessions, the core doctrines are predestination and election . The protestant part of this reformation was considering that the Bible be interpreted by itself, meaning the parts that are harder to understand are examined in the light of other passages where the Bible is more explicit on the matter . The term Calvinism can be misleading, because the religious tradition which it denotes has always been diverse, with a wide range of influences rather than a single founder . The movement was first called Calvinism by Lutherans who opposed it referring to French reformer John Calvin, and many within the tradition would prefer to use the word Reformed . </P> <P> Early influential Reformed theologians include Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, Martin Bucer, William Farel, Heinrich Bullinger, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Theodore Beza, and John Knox . In the twentieth century, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, B.B. Warfield, J. Gresham Machen, Karl Barth, Martyn Lloyd - Jones, Cornelius Van Til, and Gordon Clark were influential . Contemporary Reformed theologians include J.I. Packer, John MacArthur, R.C. Sproul, Timothy J. Keller, John Piper, David Wells, and Michael Horton . </P> <P> Reformed churches may exercise several forms of ecclesiastical polity; most are presbyterian or congregationalist, though some are episcopalian . Calvinism is largely represented by Continental Reformed, Presbyterian, and Congregationalist traditions . The biggest Reformed association is the World Communion of Reformed Churches with more than 80 million members in 211 member denominations around the world . There are more conservative Reformed federations such as the World Reformed Fellowship and the International Conference of Reformed Churches, as well as independent churches . </P>

What christian church was formed due to calvinism