Westminster Confession

Questions for Further Study

• 1. Calvinism bears the reputation of being a harsh, dark form of Christianity. How do you think it acquired this reputation?
• 2. During the seventeenth century, the boundary between politics and religion was often blurred—and, in fact, was often nonexistent. What effects did this merging of politics and religion have, particularly on the British Isles?
• 3. In what ways did the doctrines of the Reformed churches differ from those of Catholicism? Why were the writers of the Westminster Confession opposed to Catholicism?
• 4. What similarities, if any, can you find between the doctrines expressed in the Westminster Confession and those expressed in either Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses or John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress?
• 5. Why do you think the Church of England distanced itself from the positions of Calvinism?