Reformed Theology in a Nutshell

Calvinism can never be accused of having a God who is too small or a vision that is too narrow. From its powerful concept of a sovereign God whose will determines the destiny of men and nations to the vision of the glory of God which is manifest and acknowledged throughout the ends of the earth, Calvinism is a faith of the grand design.

In contrast to Lutheranism's quest for a gracious God, pietism's concern for the welfare of the individual soul, and Wesleyanism's goal of personal holiness, the ultimate concern in the Reformed tradition transcends the individual and his salvation. It also goes beyond the church, the body of Christ. The concern is for the realization of the will of God also in the wider realms of the state and culture, in nature and in the cosmos. In short, Reformed theology is kingdom theology.

-On Being Reformed: Distinctive Characteristics and Common Misunderstandings, by I. John Hesselink