John Calvin (1509 - 1564) was an influential French theologian and pastor during the Protestant Reformation. His system of theology, with heavy emphasis on pre-destination, was later called "Calvinism". He broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1520s, after a sudden conversion. He was forced to flee to Basel in Switzerland because of the violent uprising against Protestants in France. In 1536, he published his seminal work, "Institutes of the Christian Religion". Eventually, he settled in Geneva, becoming the chief pastor without ever having been ordained. He convinced the people of the city that his beliefs were true, creating what one critic called a "theocracy". This book is an abridged version of Calvin's "Institutes". The language has been translated into crisper English, making it very readable. Calvin's positive theological statements and arguments are included, while the bitter polemics that Calvin often used have been removed. Hence, it is possible to see the flow of Calvin's arguments without being distracted by the denunciations of those who disagreed with him. The abridgement has been skilfully executed, enabling the reader to see the coherent argument at the centre of Calvin's theology. This edition comes complete with the original title page, outline of the book, an index of scriptures and an index of French words and phrases.