The Protestant Reformation & the Spirituality Of Transformation

1. The Protestant Reformation & the Spirituality Of Transformation Rels 120 7 March 2014

2. 120 - appleby Periods of Christian development • 30 CE to 120 CE = the Apostolic age; time of the completion of the New Testament • 120 CE to 451 CE = the early Church • 451 CE to 1517 CE = Medieval Christianity (Middle Ages) • Christian Crusades to regain Christian rule over Jerusalem: 1095, 1147, 1189, and 1202 CE • Inquisition to identify “heretics”: from the 12th century to the mid-19th century • 1517 CE to 1600 CE = the Protestant Reformation

3. 120 - appleby Emergence of Modernity in Europe Early 1500s – elements of modernization • Emergence of self-governing institutions • Not under authority of political governance/kings • Not under the authority of the church/bishops • Emergence of secular schools and universities • Intellectual development no longer limited by religious limits and interventions • Widespread secularization of civil institutions • Explosion of intellectual diversity • Emphasis on individualism (rather than communalism)

4. 120 - appleby Effects of the Enlightenment Key Enlightenment concepts: • Use of one’s own reason rather than obedience to external authority; • Freedom from tradition; rational critique of the past; • View of nature as a machine whose mechanism can be understood (and perhaps modified); • View that history is guided by hidden laws of progress Believed that universal human rationality and rights would lead to greater harmony among people than religion had ever achieved.

5. 120 - appleby Key figures in the Protestant Reformation • Martin Luther (1483-1546) • Educated; studied law • Then became an Augustinian monk and priest • Taught theology at the university in Wittenberg • In his early 30s, Luther had an emotional experience of transformation and conversion – referred to as “being born again” • This term comes from a conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus (in John’s gospel, chapter 3) • Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be “born again”

6. 120 - appleby Luther’s new perspective • People cannot win God’s favour by striving for perfection • God bestows salvation freely on those who have “faith” in God’s love and grace • Luther felt like he was “in the immediate presence of a forgiving and compassionate God” • Luther’s “justification” before God was a gift to be received through faith and understood through God’s work in the holy scriptures • “Justification by faith”became the central teaching of the Protestant reformation

7. 120 - appleby What did Luther do? • When Pope Leo X planned to rebuild St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, he needed funds • So, he permitted the church to sell “indulgences” • sins of generous donors would be wiped away; after death they would avoid punishment and be rewarded • Luther saw this as “selling” salvation • In protest, he nailed his “Ninety-five Theses Against the Sale of Indulgences”on the door of the church in Wittenberg Castle as a means of engaging public debate on the practice

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9. 120 - appleby How to reform a corrupt church? Once Luther started challenging the church, he expanded his efforts to include other elements that he thought needed reforming: • God’s grace was only available through the “mediation” of the church – by means of the sacraments – WRONG • No one could receive God’s grace outside of the institutional church – WRONG • People could purchase forgiveness from the church – WRONG • Scripture could only be interpreted by the Pope and his authoritative teaching – WRONG

10. 120 - appleby What happened to Luther? He was disciplined, and threatened, and eventually excommunicated from the Catholic church. When examined by the church council, he reportedly said: “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Work of God, I cannot and I will not recant anything” • Charles V banished Luther from Germany • Luther went into hiding and used the time to translate the New Testament from Greek into modern German

11. Luther is examined Luther’s German New Testament 120 - appleby

12. 120 - appleby DiarmaidMacCulloch’sA History of Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years (BBC) Episode 4: • Reformation: The Individual before God • Themes: • Spiritual transformation of the individual • Justification by faith alone • Personal conscience vs. obedience to the Church • “I stand alone before God” Episode 4: Chapter 1 – Martin Luther (excerpt - 9:28 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h025a8GFlyI&index=2&list=PL8C66D86CB1D58BC0)

13. 120 - appleby Who else was involved? John Calvin (1509-1564), in Geneva, Switzerland • Established a pattern of secular democracy with emphasis on human dignity, equality and human rights • Adopted the Benedictine motto “To work is to pray” and applied it to regular Christians • Christians would live simply and work hard = the “Protestant work ethic” Calvin’s teachings influenced the development of democracy, capitalism and colonialism in the Western world

14. 120 - appleby Modernity + mysticism = Pietist Movements Characterized by personal devotion to God and emotionally transforming religious experiences • Available to everyone • Not mediated by the church • Critical of the church’s wealth and papal authority Anabaptists – believed in adult, not infant, baptism; were pacifists • Hutterites, Mennonites, Amish

15. 120 - appleby Emergence of Pietism in the 1600s Reaction to emphasis on rationality • Recovery of emotional transformative experience as central to faith: devotiomoderna • John Wesley was a significant Pietist • Influential in development of Methodism, Salvation Army, Holiness Churches; also Moravians and Quakers • Pietists worked to alleviate poverty, improve working conditions, abolish slavery, support the rights of women • Practised a form of mysticism leading to internal transformation and social action

16. 120 - appleby “Puritan” reformers in England • Protested against the wealth and authority of the Catholic church • Favoured an early Christian church simplicity • Some Puritans remained within the Church of England; some broke away to form new denominations • Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Separatists, Nonconformists, Baptists, Pilgrims • Many fled to North America seeking religious freedom

17. 120 - appleby The English Reformation Instigated by King Henry VIII – not by theological protest Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry an annulment from his wife Catherine so that he could remarry • Henry responded by declaring himself to be the head of the church • The Archbishop of Canterbury tried to protest by declaring Henry’s subsequent marriage to be invalid • Henry never did have a son; his daughters were Mary (Catholic) and Elizabeth (Protestant); Elizabeth became queen and had Mary beheaded • Queen Elizabeth II currently remains the head of the Church of England / the Anglican Communion

18. 120 - appleby What were the results of Henry’s actions? Ruins of St. Augustine’s Abbey from the 6th century – near Canterbury Ruins of Tintern Abbey in Wales

19. 120 - appleby Catholic Counter-Reformation Council of Trent– 1545 to 1563 – series of meetings; Goals were to shore up the authority of the church and condemn Protestantism • Papal authority strengthened • Medieval theology of Thomas Aquinas became normative • Latin would continue to be used instead of modern languages in worship • Retain all 7 sacraments • Church would continue to sell “indulgences” • Saints and relics would retain their importance

20. 120 - appleby Amish and Mennonitesin Canada There are currently 221 congregations of Mennonites in Canada. Mennonites first came to Ontario from Pennsylvania in 1786, followed by Amish immigrants from Europe in 1822. In the 1870s, Russian and Prussian Mennonites settled in Canada’s prairie provinces. More Russians immigrated to Canada in the 1920s. Read more at: http://www.mennonitechurch.ca/resourcecentre/FileDownload/10400/What_makes_a_Mennonite_2008-1.pdf

21. Old Order Amish and Mennonites 120 - appleby

22. 120 - appleby Who are the Christians in Canada? The Anglican Church of Canada Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec Canadian Baptists of Western Canada British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (Associate Member) Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada Christian Reformed Church in North America - Canada The Coptic Orthodox Church of Canada Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church of Canada Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada) The Mar Thoma Syrian Church Mennonite Church Canada Polish National Catholic Church The Presbyterian Church in Canada Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America The Salvation Army Ukrainian Catholic Church Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada The United Church of Canada

23. 120 - appleby Spiritual Practices: Transformation Transformation is a central spiritual practice within Christianity, especially with respect to personal conversion experiences • Reflect on the potential of transformation as a spiritual practice for your group activity