Ethics & Religion
Column #1,888
November 2, 2017
Martin Luther & the Protestant Reformation
By Mike McManus
Five hundred years ago, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther touched off
the Protestant Reformation when he nailed his "95 Theses" to the door of
the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
That was not his intent. He was a Catholic monk who taught in a Catholic
university. He wrote his 95 theses in Latin, which he intended to be
read only by church theologians. The first two theses contained Luther's
central idea that God intended believers to seek repentance and that
faith alone, and not deeds would lead to salvation. What he challenged
was the church's sale of indulgences which were marketed as a way to buy
one's way into heaven.
Even worse, indulgences were sold to forgive sins of people who were
already dead! John Tetzel, a German monk, sermonized: "Don't you hear
the voices of your dead parents or other relatives crying out, `Have
mercy on us, for we suffer great punishment and pain. You could release
us with a few alms..."
The alleged purpose of the sale of indulgences was to raise money to
build St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. But various bishops took half the
booty for themselves.
This corruption outraged Luther. He felt the Catholic Church had become
too corrupt to provide people with the guidance they needed to obtain
salvation. Luther, who had never read the Bible until he was 20 years
old, felt that individuals could seek salvation on their own, without
relying on priests by simply reading the Bible.
An unknown individual translated his 95 Theses into German and reprinted
them in a pamphlet that was distributed across Germany. Catholics had
been told that they would have to spend extra time in purgatory before
reaching heaven, or wind up in hell if their sins had not been forgiven.
Indulgences were sold as a "confession insurance" against eternal
damnation. The thought of the church selling forgiveness angered Luther.
His challenge to papal authority received support from German nobles who
had their own grievances with the church. Their support outraged church
leaders such as Pope Leo X and the Holy Roman Emperor who charged Luther
was guilty of heresy. They demanded that he recant. He refused, which
led the Pope to excommunicate him - and to a trial at the Diet of Worms,
a Catholic court in the German city of Worms. Again, he refused to
confess error, famously saying: "Here I stand. God help me. I can do no
other."
Luther might have been executed, but was "kidnapped" by friends who took
him secretly to the Wurtburg castle where he translated the New
Testament from Greek into German in 10 months. It was published in 1522.
He also translated the Old Testament, finishing it in 1534.
Germans could then read the whole Bible. This was revolutionary. R.T.
Kendall, a Biblical scholar, asserts, "Ordinary people didn't know the
Bible because they didn't have Bibles. The Roman Catholic Church did not
want you have Bibles. They just told you what the Bible said."
By contrast, Luther defined the doctrine of salvation by faith,
dependent upon scripture alone. He emphasized Paul's letter to the
Romans 1:17 - "The just shall live by faith."
He scandalized some by relinquishing his vows of chastity by marrying
Katherine von Bora, a former nun in 1525. Not only was their marriage a
happy one, it also set an example for the marriage of pastors - another
element of the Protestant Reformation.
German church services became quite different from the Catholic Mass in
several respects. First, they were conducted in German, the language of
the people - not Latin. I grew up Catholic, and remember that Mass was
still in Latin, 450 years after Luther. However, the Second Vatican
Council gave permission for Mass to be in the local language of the
people.
A second reform was in the music. Traditional Catholic services only had
choirs sing, but in Lutheran churches the whole congregations sang.
Luther wrote many hymns such as "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."
Finally, the pastor's sermon was the centerpiece of Lutheran services
which might take 20-30 minutes. Catholic Masses might omit the sermon
altogether, or feature only a brief one. The centerpiece of the Mass was
the consecration of the bread and wine as the body and blood of Jesus.
Many Protestant churches have communion only once a month or less
frequently.
Catholics stopped selling indulgences centuries ago, but were slow to
allow Mass to be in the vernacular. But priests still must be celibate.
Isn't it time for Catholics to make celibacy optional, and permit
married priests?
That Lutheran reform would end the shortage of priests!
___________________________________ Copyright (c) 2017 Michael J. McManus,
a syndicated columnist and past president of Marriage Savers. For previous
columns go to
www.ethicsandreligion.org. Hit
Search for any topic.
|
|
Since 1981...
2000+ Columns |
|
CURRENT ARTICLE |
|
Febrary 9,
2022: Column 2113: My Farewell Column: Happy Valentine's Week |
|
Recent Columns |
|
Writing Columns About
Marriage |
|
Will Abortion Be Made Illegal? |
|
Restore Voting Rights to Ex-Felons |
|
Progress in Black-White Relations |
|
Marriage Is
Disappearing |
|
Catholic Priest Celibacy Should Be Optional |
|
Blacks Must Consider Marriage |
|
The Need to End Catholic Priest Celibacy |
|
More Lessons For Life |
|
Lessons For Life |
|
Rebuilding Marriage in America |
|
How To Reduce Drunk Driving Deaths |
|
The Value of Couples Praying Together |
|
A Case for Pro-Life
|
|
End
The Death Penalty? |
|
Christian Choices Matter |
|
The Biblical Sexual Standard |
|
The Addictive Nature of Pornography |
|
Protecting Girls from Suicide |
|
The Worst Valentine:
Cohabitation |
|
Pornography: A Public Health Hazard |
|
Sextortion Kills Teens |
|
Cohabitation: A Risky Business |
|
Recent Searches |
|
gun control,
euthanasia,
cohabitation,
sexting,
sextortion,
alcoholism,
prayer,
guns,
same sex marriage,
abortion,
depression,
islam,
divorce,
polygamy,
religious liberty,
health care,
pornography,
teen sex,
abortion and infanticide,
Roe+v+Wade,
supreme court,
marriage,
movies,
violence,
celibacy,
living+together,
cohabitation,
ethics+and+religion,
pornography,
adultery,
divorce,
saving+marriages |
|