Hyper-Calvinism is a branch of Protestant theology that places strong emphasis on supralapsarianism, or salvation from eternity (God elects from before time), where the atonement of Christ was and is difficult for the non-elect to understand, where man has little to do with his salvation, there being nothing man can do to resist being saved, wherein evangelism was given lower emphasis as compared to traditional Calvinism, and where assurance of salvation was felt within a person, identified by introspection. (From Toon, Peter. The Emergence of Hyper-Calvinism in English Nonconformity 1689-1765. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers. 2011 (1967), pp. 144-145)
It is at times regarded as a variation of Calvinism, but critics emphasize its differences from traditional Calvinistic beliefs. Hyper-Calvinism distinguishes itself from traditional Calvinism as regards the "sufficiency and efficiency" of Christ's atonement. Predestination in Calvinism traditionally argues that only the elect are able to understand Christ's atonement, but that the sufficiency of the atonement stretches to all humanity, while Hyper-Calvinism argues the atonement is sufficient only to the elect.
The term originated in the 19th century as a sometimes-pejorative descriptor predated by terms such as "false Calvinism" and "High Calvinism". The term can be used vaguely, and its distinction from traditional Calvinism is not always clear; writers such as Jim Ellis have suggested that Hyper-Calvinism as a concept is sometimes applied broadly to denominations more theologically conservative than the speaker's, rather than to a consistent theological stance. Nonetheless, Hyper-Calvinism is distinguished as a distinct theological branch, associated with figures such as the 18th-century theologian John Gill.