or countless Protestants in churches throughout Europe, especially in France, the Netherlands, England, and Scotland. For Calvin, piety is the most important virtue, and he wrote about piety as being based on an awareness that we owe everything to God and that we should seek nothing beyond him:
Theology exists for faith, religion, and piety or, as Calvin liked to say, for edification. Calvin's work in Geneva was that of a preacher who was concerned that Christian faith should be embodied not simply in books, not simply in institutions, but primarily in Christian people living in the Christian community and in society.
Calvin acknowledged Luther as the leader of the reform movement once he identified himself with that movement, and he would continue to do so long after the rift that developed between them. Calvin was critical of Luther's scholarship, and he also thought that Luther was haughty and used abusive language. As did Luther, Calvin turned to scripture for inspiration and guidance and placed his emphasis on the whole canon of scripture. Critics have charged that he tended too much to treat all scriptures on the same level and not to make distinctions between different portions of the writings. Reformed theology has always been more biblical than philosophical, and this was true of Calvin's approach as well.
The emphasis on secular rule did not mean there was no intention for there to be allegiance to God, and Calvin made this clear when he wrote,
This consideration constitutes true royalty: to acknowledge yourself in the government of your kingdom to be the minister of God. For where the glory of God is not made the end of the government, it is not a legitimate sovereignty, but a usurpation.
In the medieval period, the ruler was seen as having a particular relationship to God so that the ruler derived his sovereignty from God and was expected to carry out the will of God through government in some deg...