n.
In Protestantism , the theology developed and advanced by John Calvin .
It was further developed by his followers and became the foundation of the Reformed church and Presbyterianism . As shaped by Calvin's successor at Geneva, Theodore Beza (15191605), Calvinism emphasizes the doctrine of predestination , holding that God extends grace and grants salvation only to the chosen, or elect. It stresses the literal truth of the Bible, and it views the church as a Christian community in which Christ is head and all members are equal under him. It therefore rejects the episcopal form of church government in favor of an organization in which church officers are elected. Calvinism was the basis of theocracies in Geneva and Puritan New England (see Puritanism ), and it strongly influenced the Presbyterian church in Scotland.