All Calvin formulated of Christian theology in his Institutes was the same tenets the other Reformers also spelled out in their doctrinal work, most clearly Luther. Calvin's style may be the main difference, so that he seems to describe some doctrines more emphatically than the others did. But the doctrine of Election is in the Bible and all of them recognized that, the doctrine of Predestination, all of it.
There has been a resurgence of Reformed teaching in the churches over the last couple of decades by the way, most of it from the Calvinist perspective, an increase in good clear sharp doctrinal preaching that replaces the earler mushier kinds of preaching in the churches. Many Reformed Seminaries have grown up during this time. John MacArthur has even described this as Revival and considers it the best thing to have happened to the Church in a long time.
Also I might mention that R C Sproul is being aired by my local Christian radio on the weekends with a series he did on all the various covenants in the Bible, if you're interested. Today's aired this morning and will be repeated again tonight at 9 PM Pacific time, on the internet too, at Pilgrim Radio.com
ABE: Found the Sproul covenant series at You Tube which is more accessible:
Any religion that markets using proof texts or short pieces taken out of context is creating the God they want.
If you're talking about the pieces that are TULIP, that was in fact the work of Calvin's Arminian opponents, and Calvinists object to reducing Calvin to a few tenets like that.
Your idea that anyone has some desire to "market" a religion, let alone the upstanding leaders of Christianity, is perniciously ridiculous. All the Reformers base their doctrines on the Bible and with small exceptions they agree with each other.
And of course the Bible is all about one universal God, who inspired it.
I guess we can endlessly trade perspectives, your recently invented attempt to kill the Bible and my traditional knowledge that the Bible is God's word. Kind of a waste of space though.
Yes, I understand that you actually believe such craziness while you slash and burn the entire history of traditional Christianity and call its true followers by the names you deserve.
Jesus praised Peter for saying He was the Messiah, that he could only have known that by the Holy Spirit.
They were all disappointment when He died because they were still laboring under the false idea that He was to liberate them politically, and that hope was dashed completely by His death. It wasn't until the Holy Spirit came upon them at Pentecost that they understood that it had nothing to do with earthly liberation, but liberation from sin, a spiritual kingdom that is "not of this world."
Your having no idea if anyone else agrees with you means to me that nobody does. Your opinion is as usual outside the mainstream so far that even finding anyone else (within that mainstream) who shares it is unlikely. You are at least original in your heresies.