The Facts about Calvin and Servetus:
1. Michael Servetus taught many unorthodox heresies: astrology,pantheism, Neo-Platonism, Semi-Pelagianism, rejected the Trinity,rejected the Deity of Christ.
2. Servetus was convicted by the Inquisition in France for his heresies, but he escaped before sentencing.
3. Calvin warned him not to come to Geneva because he was would not be welcomed by the Church or the government.
4. Servetus ignored the warnings of Geneva and arrived basically as an attempted revolution of the State.
5. The Geneva City Council believed that blatant heresy was punishable by death.
6. Servetus was arrested and given a fair trial that lasted two months. Servetus claimed that Calvin was a heretic and should be banished from Geneva and his property given to Servetus.
7. Many on the City Council were Libertines who did not like Calvin, but he was called as a witness.
8. The City Council, including the Libertines, found Servetus guilty and sentenced him to be burned at the stake.
9. Calvin strongly encouraged the City Council to use a more painless execution by decapitation, but they refused Calvin’s pleas.
10. On October 27, 1553, Servetus was burnt at Champel with the approval of all Reformers and Catholics.
11. John Calvin did not convict Servetus or execute him.
12. Servetus would have been convicted even if Calvin had not been called as a witness.
13. Servetus was the only heretic executed for blasphemy in Geneva under Reformed auspices.
14. Compared to the Roman Catholic Inquisition, the City Council of Geneva practiced enormous restraint and fairness.
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In Geneva, Switzerland, John Calvin was a pastor, teacher, and statesman. He organized a school system for children, a hospital for the indigent, a charity system for the poor, built the University of Geneva, and designed a public sewage system when the City Council was unable. He taught the reformers of the English and Scottish Reformation. As a pastor his goal was to see the citizens of his city live godly lives. He viewed the Church and State equal but seperate (seperate in some areas and related in others). Calvin’s Geneva gave rise to Capitalism, Free Enterprise, a democratic republic governmental system, and a Protestant work ethic.
Go here and discover why it is important for us to never stop teaching people the truth about church history and Calvinism.
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Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.
Thanks for the excellent point by point article. I have noticed those who despise Calvin will go to almost any extremes to through out straw man arguments instead of dealing with what the man exactly wrote and said. I have had the same debate with some in the past who cannot get beyond their prejudice against Calvin or Calvinism.
Good Post. I would add…
1.) Treason (another crime of Servetus) is still punishable by death.
2.) Even if Calvin was responsible for the death of Servetus, that has no bearing on the objective truth of Reformed Theology.
3.) Those who throw out these charges against Calvin would do well to actually study the issue as opposed to bearing false witness.
Where in scripture does it justify putting to death a supposed “heretic?” Didn’t Jesus himself say to just leave them alone? I could never accept Calvins “doctrines.” He maintained much of his Catholic dogma such as babies must be baptized, Mary being a perpetual Virgin, keeping of the sacraments as a part of salvation. If John Calvin believed that one must be baptized to be saved along with the keeping of the sacraments, then the man is in hell today. Salvation is through Jesus only. Please don’t assume that because I disagree with Calvionism then by default I must be Arminian. I am neither. I am though a blood bought born again daughter of the living God. I also am a Baptist by convictions. Calvinism is rooted in Catholicism….that alone is a BIG RED FLAG for me and should be for any considering Calvinism.
Grammy,
Thank you for your comment. I hope that you continue to read through the articles of this blog and grow in your knowledge of church history and orthodox Christianity. In fact, your comment above reveals that you are very misinformed about some very important issues.
1. Concerning heretics, Jesus didn’t leave them alone and Calvin never put any heretics to death.
2. Calvin’s view of infant baptism was not at all the same as Catholicism. I don’t agree with Calvin’s view of baptism, but you need to understand what Calvin actually believed and not make false statements about his doctrine.
3. Calvin in no way whatsoever believed in sacramentalism, or that baptism caused a person’s salvation.
4. Calvinism is in NO WAY rooted in Catholicism.
Grammy, I don’t know why you have these misinformed views. I appreciate that you love Christ and want the Gospel be protected from error. But somewhere, somehow you have been grossly misinformed about Reformed Theology. As a Baptist you would be very much helped if you would study the history of Reformed Theology in Baptist history. Try this article for starters. This one may be helpful too.