Canons of Dort

The five articles formulated their points of departure from the Confessional Reformed beliefs of the Belgic Confession that they had sworn ministerial oaths to teach and uphold.

[2]: 241  In later years, Arminian theology received official acceptance by the State and has since continued in various forms within Protestantism, especially within the Methodist churches.

[4] The Canons consist of four chapters which serve as a response to the five points of the Remonstrance (the response to the third and fourth articles are combined), offering a detailed explanation of the Reformed perspective on five 'heads' of doctrine, each head consisting of a positive and a negative part, and a conclusion exhorting Christians to humility and reverence for the doctrine of predestination.

[6] The five points of Calvinism, remembered by the mnemonic TULIP (total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints) and popularised by a 1963 booklet,[7] are popularly said to summarise the 1618 Canons of Dort.

Their courage in facing the problems of election and sin in the light of Scriptural revelation—problems which practically all non-Calvinistic systems discreetly elude or ignore—is worthy of the high spirit and noble ardour of the Dutch nation then emerging from their long struggle for independence.

The Canons of Dort are an essential and enduring expression of orthodox Reformed soteriology against Arminianism , and are considered authoritative in many Reformed churches today.