- French:
- Église Reformée de France
- Date:
- 1938 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- Christianity
- Protestantism
- Reformed church
Reformed Church of France
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What is the Reformed Church of France?
The Reformed Church of France was formed in 1938 through the merging of several Reformed churches that developed in France during and after the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
French Calvinists, also known as Huguenots, set the pattern for Presbyterian organization at a synod of the Reformed Church of France in 1559. The Edict of Nantes in 1598 gave them virtual freedom of religion, but it was revoked in 1685 by Louis XIV, causing over 250,000 Huguenots to flee to other countries.
After the French Revolution in 1789, Protestants regained their rights. A national synod didn't meet again until 1848, after which a free Evangelical Synod was organized. In 1905, state support was withdrawn, and in 1938, the synods united.
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What does it mean for a church to be Protestant?
To be Protestant means adhering to the Christian movement that originated in the 16th-century Reformation. Protestantism is one of the three major branches of Christianity and is based on the basic doctrines of justification by grace alone through faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the supremacy of Holy Scripture in matters of faith and order.
The Reformed Church of France is a French Protestant denomination that was organized in 1938 through the merging of several Reformed churches that had developed in France during and after the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
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How and when did the Reformed Church of France begin?
The Reformed Church of France has its roots in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Although reform movements appeared earlier, the organization of Protestant congregations in France began in 1555. French Calvinists, known as Huguenots, established a Presbyterian structure at a synod of the Reformed Church of France in 1559.
After the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which had guaranteed religious freedom, was revoked in 1685, Protestants faced persecution, and many fled the country. The French Revolution in 1789 restored their rights. Disagreements between conservative and liberal factions led to schisms, but in 1938, efforts to unite the Reformed churches led to the formal organization of the Reformed Church of France.
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What are some main beliefs of the Reformed Church of France?
The Reformed Church of France, a French Protestant denomination, was formed in 1938 through the merging of several Reformed churches that had developed in France following the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
French Calvinists, also known as Huguenots, established a Presbyterian organizational structure at a national synod in 1559. A key tenet of Reformed Christians is that God's word alone, not human opinion, should guide faith, with the principle of "to God alone the glory" influencing church governance, worship, and even secular authority.
The church adheres to confessions of faith, such as the Geneva, Helvetic, French, Belgic, and Scots confessions, reflecting a connection between Reformed churches and a growing sense of nationhood in 16th-century Europe. Predestination, the belief that God has eternally chosen those whom he intends to save, is also associated with the Reformed tradition.
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How did the Reformed Church of France impact French history?
The Reformed Church of France significantly shaped French history through its struggle for religious freedom and its impact on French society and politics.
The origins of the Reformed Church of France can be traced to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. The French Protestants, also known as Huguenots, faced severe persecution, which led to the Wars of Religion, a period of conflict and violence in France. The Edict of Nantes in 1598, granted the Huguenots religious and political freedom, but was later revoked in 1685, causing many to flee France.
Despite facing persecution, the Reformed Church persisted, and the French Revolution in 1789 granted Protestants equality under the law. In 1938, several Reformed churches united to form the Reformed Church of France.
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What changes happened to the Reformed Church of France in modern times?
After the Protestant Reformation, the Reformed Church of France faced many changes. In 1598, the Edict of Nantes gave French Protestants, also known as Huguenots, religious freedom, but it was revoked in 1685, causing persecution and the emigration of over 250,000 Huguenots. The French Revolution in 1789 brought equality, but Napoleon later put Reformed congregations under state control.
By the early 20th century, disagreements between conservative and liberal members led to the formation of four major Reformed groups. In 1905, a law separated church and state, requiring churches to be self-supporting. In 1938, efforts to unite the Reformed churches led to the organization of the Reformed Church of France.
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Reformed Church of France, church organized in 1938 by merging several Reformed churches that had developed in France during and after the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. During the early part of the Reformation, Protestant movements made slow progress in France. Yet reforming movements within the Roman Catholic Church had appeared early. Before Martin Luther had emerged as a reformer in Germany, French humanists had created much interest in biblical studies and had aroused a concern for a purer type of Christianity. Margaret of Angoulême, a sister of King Francis I, became the centre of a humanistic group known as the group of Meaux, which created great interest in reform. Its members contributed much by their writings to biblical and theological studies that were used by the Protestants. Several members of the group left it and became Protestants. Not until 1555, however, was any attempt made to organize Protestant congregations in France. The Reformation movement then gained rapidly in France until 1562, when a long series of civil wars began in France and the Huguenots (French Protestants) alternately gained and lost. During this period of strife the Massacre of St. Bartholomew’s Day occurred (1572), and several thousand Huguenots were murdered.
Peace was restored when the Huguenot leader, Henry of Navarre, became king of France (Henry IV; reigned 1589–1610) and accepted Roman Catholicism. This satisfied the Roman Catholics, and Henry in 1598 promulgated the Edict of Nantes, which guaranteed the Huguenots virtual freedom of religion. French Protestantism then made a good recovery from the persecutions it had endured, but the Edict of Nantes was revoked by Louis XIV in 1685. Protestants again suffered persecutions before and after this act, and, despite laws against emigration, more than 250,000 Huguenots fled to Germany, Holland, England, Switzerland, and America. Those who remained in France persisted as a virtual underground movement and did not regain their full rights until the French Revolution in 1789.
After 1848 the union of Reformed churches in France ceased to exist. Schisms occurred because of disagreements between the conservative and liberal wings. The conservatives maintained strict loyalty to the ancient confessions of the church, while the liberals encouraged individual liberty of conscience and were hostile to any obligatory confession of faith. By the early 20th century these disputes had resulted in the formation of four major Reformed groups in France. A 1905 French law separated all religious groups from the state, and the churches had to support themselves on their own from that time.
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Efforts to unite the Reformed churches caused the national synods of the four Reformed groups to enter into negotiations in 1933 and to vote a common declaration of faith in 1936. As a result the Reformed Church of France was organized in 1938.
The Reformed and Lutheran churches of Alsace-Lorraine, however, are supported by the French state. This is a continuation of the situation of the churches in France at the time Alsace-Lorraine was annexed to Germany after the Franco-German War of 1870–71. The area was returned to France after World War I.