associational form of Christianity. The more radical forms of
Protestantism, especially, inaugurated a movement in the direction of
what we now call democracy. There can be little doubt, in fact, that
these waves of religious individualism assisted the growth of
democratic and republican forms of government. This influence was
unplanned and relatively accidental because religious individualism was
more concerned with the right to worship according to the dictates of
conscience than with political rights. But man is a psychological
whole, and so a reform along one line is bound to affect other phases
of life.

As we have already pointed out, the alterations introduced on the
theological side were by no means revolutionary from an intellectual
standpoint. And yet the spirit and mood of religion was deeply
altered. The process of salvation was differently conceived, and this
led to the thought of a more direct relation between man and God than
had been admitted in the older Church. God was believed to have
guaranteed redemption to those who had faith in Jesus Christ as the
redeemer. This tenet led to an emphasis on the bible and on personal
experience. It was through a study of the bible that men were led to
this personal faith, and the bible was accordingly conceived as the
representative of God upon earth. What wonder that it was {204}
substituted for the Church and tradition as an infallible and
unchanging authority! The logic of the movement is clear. It has been
pointed out by one scholar that Protestantism introduced the doctrine
of infallibility before the Roman Catholic Church did. Calvinism
selected the Augustinian dogmas of election and original sin as its
foundation, and used them in such a way as to become a fighting church,
a congregation of the elect, fearless and self-reliant.

Bibliolatry soon flourished, and sects sprang up on every hand, ready
to suffer persecution for their particular interpretation of passages.
Theology became a series of fanatically held dogmas supported by
copious quotations. And the intellectual atmosphere within which these
dogmatic theories arose was of the most conventional and limited sort.
Broadness of outlook upon life was the exception rather than the rule.
The general assumption of the Christian scheme of the world remained
unchallenged, while the bitterest disputes broke out in regard to
points which seem to the educated man of to-day quite unimportant.
Such