What Calvinism Has Done for America

Calvinism in America catalogues the ideology responsible for the growth of liberty and democracy in Puritan America. The author does not set out to retell a history of the theology of John Calvin, but a history of Calvinism as a worldview and a driving force for national identity and progress. Monsma discusses the places where American ideology—especially political conceptions of liberty and democracy—overlaps with the Calvinist worldview. The author argues for reflection on the history of the Puritan movement, saying that many of the institutions established by early Puritans have retained their form but lost the original substance. Consequently, much of the success of their vision is lost to current generations.