John Calvin’s Theology of Worship: Intentions, Achievements, Limitations, and Contemporary Implications

This study challenges familiar readings of John Calvin’s theology of worship by reframing it through the lens of contemporary liturgical theology. Rather than offering a purely historical account, it probes Calvin’s intentions, achievements, and limitations, with particular attention to the formative interplay between lex orandi and lex credendi. Drawing on Calvin’s writings, liturgical texts, and patristic sources, the analysis highlights his Christological and pneumatological grounding, his integration of Word and Sacrament, his pastoral flexibility in applying the regulative principle, and his creative retrieval of ancient liturgical practices to encourage active congregational participation. At the same time, the article identifies tensions within Calvin’s approach, including the risk that doctrinal oversight may constrain liturgical vitality and contribute to an overly intellectualized understanding of worship. By juxtaposing Calvin’s historical context with contemporary ecclesial realities, the study offers both a critical reassessment and a constructive proposal: to reclaim God-centered, Scripture-shaped worship while cultivating the adaptive balance that Calvin himself sought to model. In this way, the article rearticulates the significance of Calvin’s legacy for the theological integrity and missional vitality of worship in the twenty-first century.