Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/Calvinism

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[edit] Calvinism

Thorough, clear article about a religious topic. My own reference books were not clear at all on the topic--using relgious terminology they didn't explain. This is exactly the sort of article Wikipedia needs. Bravo to its editors. PedanticallySpeaking 13:54, July 23, 2005 (UTC)

1. Support PedanticallySpeaking 13:54, July 23, 2005 (UTC)

• Object the article looks good, but it needs some improvements. The lead does not meet guidelines. I would like to see Calvinism placed in the context of other movements such as Lutheranism, Catholicism, Anabaptism. What areas does Calvinism agree with other Protestant movements and what areas does it disagree. What reasons do these other groups have for rejecting Calvinism. It would be good to see a list of some major churches that consider themselves Calvinist. The educational institutions section is also very short and only lists those found in the United States. - SimonP 15:53, July 23, 2005 (UTC)

   Comment - you helpfully point out the weakness in the US-centeredness of the educational institutions. It would be a challenge to describe Calvinism in relation to all those things with which it differs - which would necessitate describing those other views in sufficient detail that a fair contrast can be made - without losing focus. We've attempted to stay on topic, to allow contrasts to arise incidentally in order to avoid making a bewilderingly controversial article out of a simply descriptive one.

   However, if it reads too much like an advertisement (if this is, more bluntly, what you are saying), we could try to give a sharper view of the controversies that surround this theology - many of these are described in very detached, neutral tones, and perhaps that is why they do not stand out for you.

   A similar choice is made in not listing denominations, in the article. Reformed churches, as the lead says, traditionally hold to Calvinistic doctrines. The sidebar provides another brief help in that regard. The breadth of the Reformed movement is challenging to encompass. We tried to keep the focus narrowly on what the Calvinism is, rather than who the Calvinists are. Is that really a weakness? Mkmcconn (Talk) 23:46, 23 July 2005 (UTC)

• Neutral. A good start, but I think the section on "Historical background" should be renamed "History" and give a more encompassing overview of the historical development. While maybe a differentiation from Catholicism is not necessary (that should be in some article on the Reformation), Calvinisim should be situated in relation to the two other strains of Protestantism that arose more or less concurrently: Zwinglianism and Lutheranism. The unified doctrine (Zwinglians and Calvinists) developed through the Consensus Tigurinus in 1549 and the Confessio Helvetica posterior (1566) should be mentioned and put into context, also other milestones like the Heidelberg Catechism and the Canon of Dordt. The geographical spreading of Calvinism should be covered, too. The French wars of religion and the Edict of Nantes... maybe all this is so much that you'll have to spin it off into an article History of Calvinism, but if so, make that history section a summary of the spin-off article and provide a "Main article..." link. Lupo 17:09, July 25, 2005 (UTC)