Calvin at 500

GENEVA -- The legacy of John Calvin, the Great Reformer, is being assessed by theologians and historians in lectures, studies and biographies 500 years after he was born on July 10, 1509. The quincentenary is being observed around the globe, with the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches acting as a central organizer of "Calvin 09."

Born into a middle-class Roman Catholic family in France, Calvin came to sympathize with the anti-papal theses of Martin Luther. Calvin's great rhetorical talents earned him quick prominence as an evangelical teacher, but religious turmoil forced him to go into exile in Basel, Switzerland.

He was 26 when he began writing the "Institutes of the Christian Religion," the first compendium of Reformed doctrines.

In the late 18th century, Calvinist-descended churches began to take root in wide parts of the United States, among Presbyterians and others. Gradually, the movement spread to other parts in the world, but the Reformed church became deeply divided. The alliance says its fellowship now includes 75 million Reformed Christians in more than 100 countries. -- The Associated Press