Kim,
I think you've given an excellent summary. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/applause.gif" alt="" />
Augustinianism A term used in two major senses. First, it refers to the views of Augustine of Hippo concerning the doctrine of salvation, in which the need for divine grace is stressed. In this sense, the term is the antithesis of Pelagianism. Second, it is used to refer to the body of opinion within the Augustinian order during the Middle Ages, irrespective of whether these views derive from Augustine or not.
CalvinismCalvinism, the Protestant religious perspective associated with the work of John Calvin, includes both the teachings of Calvin and the later developments of his world view. Calvin's doctrine was catholic in its acceptance of the Trinity, human sinfulness, and the saving work of Jesus Christ. It was Protestant in its commitment to the final authority of the Bible, justification by Grace through faith alone, and the bondage of the will for Salvation. It was distinctly reformed in its stress on the omnipotent sovereignty of God, the need for discipline in the church, and the ethical seriousness of life.
The so - called Five Points of Calvinism were formulated by Dutch Reformed theologians at the Synod of Dort (1618 - 19) in response to the teachings of Arminianism. The five points teach that
1. humankind is spiritually incapacitated by Sin
2. God chooses (elects) unconditionally those who will be saved
3. the saving work of Christ is limited to those elected ones
4. God's grace cannot be turned aside
5. those whom God elects in Christ are saved forever Predestination
MonergistA person who understands that the Holy Spirit is the only efficient agent in regeneration - that the human will possesses no inclination to holiness until regenerated, and therefore cannot cooperate in regeneration. Apart from the supernatural power of God whereby we are granted the spiritual ability and desire to comply with the conditions of the covenant of grace; that is, to apprehend the Redeemer by a living faith, to come up to the terms of salvation, to repent of idols and to love God and the Mediator supremely. The Holy Spirit, in quickening the soul, mercifully capacitates and inclines God's elect to the spiritual exercise of faith in Jesus Christ (John 6:44, 1 John 5:1). This instantaneous and intensely personal work of God is the means by which the Spirit brings us into living union with Him.
Reformed Reformed:
ri-farmed', a, to be corrected; restored to a good or proper state; having turned from unlawful ways to obey the law; as a reformed criminal; to restore from a bad state, to a previous good state; a rearrangement which brings about a better order of things; restoring biblical precepts, as pertaining to Protestant Churches, esp. those retaining the principles of belief in the total sovereignty of God, Predestination, supreme authority of scripture over men, and the doctrines of Grace alone, through faith.
Reformed is a term used to refer to a tradition of theology which draws inspiration from the writings of John Calvin (1510-64) and his successors. The term is generally used in preference to "Calvinist." There would be no such thing as a Reformed church today if God had not sent the great Reformation. But the Reformation was not only a mighty work that came from God; it was also effected through men. That it was God's work did not make their work easy. It was the Reformers, therefore, who taught us to understand that the work of reforming the church is not finished. They said,
"Ecclesia reformata semper reformanda est": the church that is Reformed is always reforming.
A faithful Reformed church is therefore a church that is constantly striving to think and act, to believe and live, according to the written word of God. "The purest churches under heaven are subject both to mixture and error" (WCF, XXV:5). Also, some have degenerated horribly. It follows, then, that there is but one antidote to degeneration, namely, continued diligence. It is for this reason that the vows taken by ministers in the OPC include the promise "to be zealous and faithful in maintaining the truths of the gospel, and the purity, the peace, and the unity of the church, whatever persecution or opposition may arise unto you on that account" (Form of Government, XXIII).
Wes
