| Basic Concept: The Protestant Reformation:
Lutheranism
The Protestant Reformation began on October 31, 1517, when parish priest, Martin Luther, in the little village of Wittenburg, Saxony, in north central Europe, posted his "Ninety-five Theses" on the door of his church. His 95 complaints, posted before his parishioners, marked the first public display of the growing rift within the Roman Catholic Church that had been widening for two centuries between the Popes and liberal reformers within the Church. . Luther attacked the Church and the Papacy for blatant abuses and for unfounded doctrinal authorities. He protested the "Sale of Indulgences," billets of sale, allegedly applicable to reduction of the period of time in Purgatory suffered by the designated souls of departed relatives of purchasers. Nowhere could he find in Holy Scriptures a parallel between the coffers of the Vatican, currently under construction, and the salvation of souls. Luther also questioned even the principle of Papal infallibility, challenging the authority of the seat of the Church itself. . Refusing a summons by the Pope to answer for his heresies, Martin Luther accepted sanctuary with Frederick III, the Prince of Saxony. Word of his denunciations fired protests across Europe, and as the secular authorities sought to promulgate their own insurrections against the Church and Emperor Charles V, magistrate of the "Holy Roman Empire" which claimed most of Europe under its authority, the Protestant Reformation gained strength, dividing the European continent into Protestant and Catholic enclaves. . Martin Luther's basic beliefs were these five: . 1) The belief in the inerrant Word of God--Luther believed that, as the divinely inspired revelation of God, the Holy Bible was literally and historically accurate. 2) The belief in only two Sacraments--Luther could find Biblical authority for only two of the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church: baptism and the celebration of the Eucharist. 3) The belief in "justification by faith"--Luther came to believe that faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus alone justifies the believer for salvation; "good works" alone are insufficient. 4) The belief in "consubstantiation"--against the Catholic doctrine that held that in the celebration of the Eucharist, the elements miraculously are transformed (hence, transubstantiation) into the literal body and blood of Jesus, Luther believed that in the act of the celebration, the spirit of Christ becomes present or "with" ("con") the community of celebrants. 5) The "priesthood of believers"--Luther took literally the promise of Christ that "wherever two or more are gathered together" in faith, there also abides the Holy Spirit. In other words, Luther denounced the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic priesthood that allegedly acted as a conduit of revelation from God through the Pope and his vicars to the churches. Luther's belief became the foundation for "congregationalism" which held that the supreme authority on matters of religion resides in the local body of communicants. . Online Connections See the Protestant Reformation webliography for links to primary sources. For a timeline of key events, see "Timeline of the Protestant Reformation." . Our Course Connections Settlers of the New England colonies were members of various Protestant congregations and denominations. The influence of congregationalism would have a profound impact on the framing of local governments on the expanding western frontier. .  |