Protestant Reformation Problems

The problems the church contributed to the Protestant Reformation were the selling of indulgences and abuse of the church and clergy. The sale of indulgences particularly were attacked by communities and rulers, especially when the sale of indulgences were for the benefits of the church, such as raising money to build a new St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. This financial abuse of the church brought about protests from many communities around Europe. Martin Luther’s famous Ninety-Five Theses was an argument against the sale of indulgences. Church law granted the clergy immunity from taxes, civic duty, and jurisdiction of civil courts. Simony, the buying of ecclesiastical privileges, was another abuse of clerical powers. As quoted in the textbook, “Rare was the late medieval German town that did not have complaints about the maladministration,

A difference between their teachings, however, were on how they viewed the Eucharist. Luther believed that the bread and wine were the literal body and blood of Christ, whereas Zwingli saw them as a spiritual conception. Calvin and Luther both saw scripture, not hierarchy, as the basic authority for the Christians. They believed in the use of the local language in religious services and studies. They differed on their view of the Eucharist as well. Calvin insisted that communion provided the way for faith to awaken, not the bread and wine. Another issue came up between the two. Luther believed that separation between state and church was possible, but Calvin desired a theocracy, so that no state could claim church power. These differences separated the Protestant movement politically and theologically, and different affiliations formed, hindering the movement with its different ideas, eventually leading to half of the converted going back to the Catholic