More Protestant Churches
The Protestant Reformation had three other major movements besides the Lutheran: the Reformed, the Anabaptist, and the Anglican. The Reformed movement was launched by John Calvin in France. His doctrine was similar to Luther's, that is, based on salvation derived from faith alone rather than through the Church organization. But he challenged the notion that every person has the free will to become Christian and possibly be chosen by God for salvation. Rather, Calvin believed that God chooses only some people for salvation, not necessarily everyone, in a predetermined way, that is, before they are ever born.. The Reformed believe that the invitation by Jesus for any believer to seek and find salvation does not take away from the sovereignty of God to judge who will receive salvation. People may exercise their free will and lead Christian lives, but God has already selected those He will choose. Followers of this doctrine are present day Presbyterians and certain Baptists.
The Anabaptists did not want the intermixing of the church and state, as opposed to the Lutherans and Reformed who did accept one religion dominating a geographical area. Freedom of religion was revolutionary at that time. The separation of church and state carried over into their defiance to participate in government, such as taking up arms and paying taxes, thus causing their civil disobedience and often persecution by governments. They believed in the strict interpretation of the Scripture and not in Sacred Tradition. They believed in the free will of everyone to seek and find salvation as opposed to the Calvinist view of predetermined election. Present day Anabaptists include the Amish and Mennonites.
The struggle between the forces of the Protestant Churches and the Catholics carried over to the rulers of the time. Any political ruler had great influence on the religious choice of his subjects. So, while the Roman Catholic Church had had the monopoly in Europe for so many years, now there were other popular Protestant choices. Political rulers took religious sides. The Anglican Church was created for the convenience of English royalty, which blended elements of Protestant changes with the Catholic traditions. It retained a lot of the Catholic worship liturgy, but accepted only Baptism and the Eucharist as the Sacraments. It was often a convenient tool for English royalty, such as allowing King Henry VIII's divorce to become legal, which was not possible under the Catholic Church. Current day churches that were derived from the Anglican Church include Quakers, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Free Will Baptists.
