The Church Opposed Martin Luther and Eventually Excommunicated Him Longing for unity, Martin Luther didn’t want to see the church divided. But when reconciliation didn’t happen and he was excommunicated, he had no choice but to form a new church practice aligned with what the Bible taught and apart from the Church he loved. A […]
Martin Luther Supported the Roman Catholic Church and Did Not Want to Leave Her The name of Martin Luther remains unknown to most in the Roman Catholic Church, and many of those who know of him blame him for dividing Christianity and causing disunity. Yet remember Martin was a Catholic. He tried to bring about […]
Martin Luther’s 95 Concerns Were Distributed in Printed Form and Essentially Went Viral Martin Luther lived five hundred years ago. He was born at the dawn of the modern era. He became a leading figure in the Protestant Reformation. A key technology in birthing the modern era was the printing press. The printing press also […]
Martin Luther Studied the Bible to See If It Supported Church Practices As Martin studied the Latin translation of the Bible, he grew worried about the lack of biblical support for the Church’s misuse of indulgences, of essentially allowing people to buy their salvation. Instead, he found the Bible overflowing with grace. This disconnect alarmed […]
The Wave of Disunity Continues to This Day Reformation Day is one October 31. It celebrates the Protestant Reformation. I love the Reformation even though it was actually a spiritual revolution against the established status quo. (But perhaps that’s part of its allure.) After all, the root of Protestant is protest. Though the actual reformation […]
Once the People Read Luther’s 95 Theses They Pushed for a Change He Hadn’t Intended Though most Protestants know of Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses, few have ever read them. Here’s why: First written in Latin and then translated into German, neither of these versions of Luther’s ninety-five theses helps us as English-speaking readers. Several English […]
Luther Studied to Become a Lawyer to Please His Father Hans Luther, a German peasant, and his bride, Margaret, who came from the middle class, committed their lives to each other. Though having different social backgrounds, Hans pledged to work his way up in life. He promised to provide for Margaret and their future family […]
God Used a Lightning Storm to Get Luther’s Attention and Change His Life While studying law and not yet 22, Martin Luther went home for a visit. What he experienced along the way reminds us of Paul’s conversion experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-4). It was the turning point for Martin Luther. Martin […]
Luther’s 95 theses detail his objection to the sale of indulgences As we consider Martin Luther’s ninety-five theses, it’s important to note that his initial objection centered on the abuse of indulgences, not indulgences themselves. He didn’t object to the concept, but merely how it had morphed into something he found unsupported by scripture. It’s […]
Some of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses Counter the Practice of Buying Salvation Martin Luther objected to the abuse of indulgences; you can’t buy salvation. Though he mentioned the Church and the pope in some of his theses, he focused on the unbiblical excess of this one practice. Here’s the background: In a creative, though misguided, […]