Martin Luther & The Protestant Reformation

1. Martin Luther & The Protestant Reformation MondayMay 12th, 2014

2. At the beginning of the 16th century, the power of kings was increasing in Western European countries. The middle of Europe was broken into many German principalities and cities, known collectively as the Holy Roman Empire. • The Holy Roman emperor tried to impose his authority over them, but the Germans remained largely independent. • The Roman Catholic Church was a major political and even a military power in Western Europe. • Popes used this power to defend and expand the Church's influence and wealth. • Catholic kings could usually protect their people from ambitious Popes. But many Germans, living under weak local rulers and an ineffective emperor, believed that the church took advantage of them. . • Germans complained about the church fees, dues, taxes, tithes, and payments to support many clergymen , and impoverished the common people while enriching Rome. • Those who could not pay their debts to the church were threatened with excommunication. The church would refuse them the sacraments and other "works" necessary for saving their souls. • The German’s resented the church's practice of appointing foreigners as their priests, bishops, and other church officials. These clergymen had the right to collect fees from the people while being exempt from the government taxes everyone else had to pay. Recap : What Was Happening in Society?

3. The Church itself had become sinful, and in many ways did not live up to Christian expectations. There were a number of problems with the Church. Abuses in the Church: Selling Indulgences: The Church, in order to raise money to build St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, had begun to allow people to purchase forgiveness in advance. Church Power: Many people felt that the Church, under the authority of the Pope, had too much power in the world. They wanted the Church to stick more closely to spiritual matters. This was the beginning of a separation between Church and State. The Church was rich, powerful and served mainly the middle class and nobility. It was out of touch with the poor, and no longer met the needs of the majority. Corrupt Clergy: The clergy of the Church were corrupt and not living up to Christian Standards. They were accused of simony (bribes), nepotism (hiring relatives), and having concubines (mistresses). There was too much of a focus on saints and relics. It was argued that the liturgy (mass) had lost a sense of the spiritual and sacred. What’s Happening in the Church

4. Changes in Society + Changes and Abuses in Church = protests, and reformers to take up the cause ! LEADING TO THE PROTESTANT REFORMATION!

5. Who is Martin Luther?

6. Martin Luther was born in 1483 in what is now northern Germany. • After surviving a lightning strike, he decided to devote his life to God. • He joined a monastery, studied to become a Catholic priest, and went on to earn a doctor of theology degree, vowing to remain true to the teachings of the church. • In 1513, Luther was appointed a professor of the Bible at the University of Wittenberg. He also preached sermons at the Wittenberg town church. • As a young man, Luther was very concerned about doing things right and being on the wrong side of God’s pleasure. • He could not see the God of mercy but the terrifying, punishing God. His fear was never being good enough to get to heaven. This shapes his theology. • He wondered how can I be reconciled with God? How can I get to Heaven? (a personal issue) Who is Martin Luther?

7. INDULGENCES! • After hearing a Catholic's confession of sins, a priest will often direct the person to complete some devotional act called penance. • The penance depends on the seriousness of the sin and might range from saying special prayers to making a pilgrimage to a distant holy shrine. • Another form of penance in the 16th century was the indulgences, a certificate from a bishop or the pope who absolved a person of the divine punishments due for their sins. • The person received an indulgence by making a donation to the church. Popes and other church officials encouraged the sale of indulgences to raise money for many purposes. Over time, people came to believe that they could literally buy their way into heaven with indulgences. Luther Disagreed With…

8. On October 31, 1517, Luther wrote a letter to the archbishop protesting the sale of indulgences. This letter also included Luther's famous "Ninety-Five Theses" that listed his criticisms of other church practices. • Luther posted 95 Theses (problems) on the door of the Church in Wittenberg, Germany. What Did Luther Do?

9. By the early 1500’s, the invention of the printing press made information available to the middle class. Printers were mass-producing written works, even the church's indulgences. • Starting in 1520, Luther took advantage of this new technology and published his writings, mainly in the form of pamphlets criticizing the church. He became the most published author of the 16th century. Luther Sparks the Protestant Reformation

10. Luther and other pamphleteers, increasingly called "Protestants," argued that priests should marry and have children, the number of sacraments should be reduced from 7 to 2, only keeping the Eucharist and Baptism, and the Catholic mass should be held in German instead of Latin. • They criticized priests and other Church officers for avoiding hard work, not having to pay taxes, and living off the common people. • The Protestant pamphlet writers proposed that the people should choose their own priests and even decide matters of belief based on the Bible. • Luther gains followers and the beginning of his own sect begins to develop. Luther Sparks the Protestant Reformation

11. Human beings are saved by faith alone and not by any works they do. • The Church's sale of Indulgences was wrong. • Infallibility of the Pope: Luther challenged the authority of the Pope. • Scripture is more important than Tradition • Priests should marry. Protestant Reform : Luther’s Beliefs

12. Sola fide- justification by faith alone. • After closely reading the scriptures (Bible) Luthercomes to the conclusion that you are saved in your faith with Jesus. • This led Luther to conclude that a person could only be saved by personal faith in Jesus Christ and the grace of God. • Faith over good works. • Luther considered indulgences, praying to saints, pilgrimages, and many other such "works" as worthless and a fraud inflicted on the people by the church. • No matter what you do, you need Christ’s grace to save you, which will be the answer to salvation. • No matter how many good works an individual does, these good works do not amount to anything without God’s grace. • Only faith in Jesus Christ can save you. • We are all sinners unworthy of God in heaven, through his mercy and grace, we are saved. Reform: Faith Alone

13. Sola scriptura- the Bible should be the sole source of binding doctrine, and judge of teachers and teachings. • Luther argued that nothing in the Bible granted the Pope authority to free a person of his sins in life or after death. Only God could do this. • Luther makes the claim that scripture is the ultimate authority. If it was not found in the scripture it should not be apart of the faith. • Scripture is the main teacher .Only scripture could be the priesthood of all believers. • Only what is clearly expressed in Bible could be seen as true, all else is irrelevant or false. • Pope and council can be of error and can have fault. Only scripture can be pure form of teaching. Scripture could decide all matters of faith. Reform: Scripture Alone

15. The First Attempt • Pope Leo summoned Luther to Rome to answer for hisheresy. But an important German noble, Fredrick the Wise of Saxony,intervened and called for Luther to appear before German judges. Pope Leo and Frederick then worked out a compromise. • In October 1518, a representative of the pope examined Luther, but on German soil. Luther refused to back down and would not admit his heresy. Heresy, Excommunication, and Kidnapping

16. The Second Attempt • In January 1521, Pope Leo X(10th) threatened to excommunicate Luther. But by then he was a hero to many Germans. • In April 1521, Luther was summoned to an Imperial Diet of Worms to renounce his heresy again. • "Will you now recant? Yes or no? Luther, "my conscience is capture to the word of God, I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me, Amen." • Charles V(5th) declared Luther a heretic and an outlaw of the empire. • Frederick the Wise steps in and rescues Luther, this time by hiding him for nearly a year. • Luther used this time to write more pamphlets against the church, publish his sermons, compose Protestant hymns, and translate the New Testament into German so all literate persons could read the word of God for themselves. Heresy, Excommunication, and Kidnapping

17. Luther's radical religious ideas spread rapidly, gaining favour with the German people and their rulers in the northern part of the Holy Roman Empire. • The southern part remained mostly Catholic. • Luther gave power to princes to separate themselves from the church. Protestant princes adopted Lutheranism as the official religion of their lands. • Completely changes Christianity. The reformation sparks many other reformists, some who agree with Luther, some who further Luther’s ideas , and some who disagree with him and the church. • This leads reformists to create their own Christian sects and communities like :Calvinism, Anabaptists, and Anglicanism. • The Protestant Reformation continued into the next century. The Holy Roman Empire remained divided between the Protestant north and the Catholic south. Religious minorities in both areas were persecuted. Wars between Protestants and Catholics in Europe produced long-lasting religious hatreds. On the other hand, the Protestant emphasis on literacy, education, and hard work laid the foundation for the rise of modern Europe What is the Outcome of the Reformation?

18. An era of bitter and often violent conflict. • Catholics fought Protestants. • Protestants fought Protestants. • Helped to promote secularism as people got sick of all the fighting. • Ended religious unity of Europe forever. • Strengthened the state at the expense of the church. • The Pope lost power. • The Bible was translated into vernacular languages, so more people could read. This led to an increase in education. Summary: The Outcomes of the Protestant Reformation