| This dissertation aims to reveal the relationship between individualismsprit in Calvin’s theology and the modern individualism. And this is a clueto analyses Calvin’s political thought and the link between it and classicalliberalism.Christianity was originally a unique doctrine of salvation of theindividual soul. It stripped people’s spiritual lives from the holism secularsociety, sowed the seed of theological individualism. However, with theorganization and expansion of the spirit authority of the church, itsuccessfully involved in the relationship between the believer and God.Church implemented the most rigorous and stringent control of spiritualworld of believers.The originally individualism was absorbed to the holismof the church. Luther’s doctrine of "Justification by faith†fundamentallydestroyed of the basis of church spiritual powers. His principle of“Priesthood of all believers†subverted the hierarchy in church. Lutherdeclared himself in order to restore the original freedom of Christianbelievers. They only responsible to God in spiritual matters, it is the revivalof theological individualism.Luther strictly limited theological individualism into invisible church,the visible church and secular government has not been impacted by thisindividualism. The organization of the church and secular governmenthanded over to the secular authorities. Luther created a secular governmentwithout any church to compete. He’s only exhorted the Christian monarch and officials to act according to the Christian way, but did not give anykind of systemic political doctrine. Anabaptist in practice canceled politicallife as well as the legitimacy of the visible church, replaced the wholecommunity with invisible church. They do not recognize the legitimacy ofthe secular government and secular power, does not allow Christians totake official, to participate in the proceedings or to join the army.Anabaptist ideal way toward two extremes: negative exit or radicaldestruction.In the early years, Calvin’s theology basically repeated Luther’s. Thushis political attitude was consistent with Luther. Later, however, Calvin’stheology pushed Luther’s doctrine of "Justification by faith†to the extreme.Calvinist faces his fate lonely which had been determined even before thecreation of the world, because no one could intervene between him andGod. Such strict predestination doctrine marks theological individualismdeveloped to its peak. It is the more important departure of Calvin fromLuther that he extended theological individualism outside invisible churchtoward visible church and secular government by his unique sanctificationdoctrine. This extended process can be summarized as this-worldlization oftheological individualism. The concept of this-worldlization means Calvinindividualism is still based on a unique theology, and particularly based onthe unique understanding of the relationship between a person and God.This individualism can penetrate to this-world lives. It is a dynamic andunstable process, rather than a stereotyped theoretical principle. Believer’ssanctification activities constituted its driving force.Compared with the Anabaptist, Calvin did not directly replace thevisible church and secular government with invisible church based onteleological individualism. He approved the need of visible church andsecular government and constituted both of them on this-worldlizationindividualism. God established visible church in order to maintain the orderamong the believers and inspire their sanctification. God establishedsecular government also in order to maintain the order between believersand between believers and non-believers, while taking advantage of thesecular discipline means to promote the sanctification of believers. Thesecular government was established for individual believer, and he must transform the government to restore its very goal. Individual believers candetermine whether the Government is in line with this goal. The rulers ofsecular government must be elected by all believers together. This is asystemic individualism political doctrine, it covers all aspects of the seculargovernment, which based on every individual believers.Calvinist developed his political ideology to different ways. TheFrance Calvinist, represented by Beza and Mornay, developed Calvin’sdoctrine on contract theory, the rule of law and subordinate officials’ rightof resistance tyrant. They took Calvin’s doctrine on church and seculargovernment based on this-worldlization individualism as a distant ideal. Incontrast, the English Calvinist, represented by Knox and Milton, took moreseriously of that dream and tried their best to make it true.The Protestant Reformation destroyed the dualism of the medievalchurch and secular government; let every person face the immense politicalpower directly. This is actually undermined the political balance in pattern,when the political power oppress individuals, he can only be negativeobedience or radical confrontation. But Calvin overtopped his Protestantpeers that he tried to restore the political balance. He tried to build thechurch and secular government on the individual, made internal constraintson both powers and checked each other. Hobbes took on and transformedthe individualism kernel, built it on the entirely secular basis ofself-preservation. Political power entirely derived from the natural rights ofthe individual, and the purpose is to protect the natural rights. Lockeextended the scope of individual natural rights, and then demonstratedpolitical power should take the principle of the rule of law and theseparation of powers, left the revolution of people as the last barrier ofpolitical rulers. The dualism of the medieval church and seculargovernment was completely converted to the confrontation betweenmodern individual rights and political power. |
